Wyalusing State Park: Caves, Raspberries, and Indian Burial Mounds

I took the week of the 4th of July off from work. We decided a few months before to go to Wisconsin and Minnesota for our big summer trip.  We originally had planned to drive up I-35 through Minnesota, visit Lake Superior, then work our way down through Wisconsin on the way home.  About 10 days before the trip though, a good friend called up and made a pretty convincing case to do the trip the other way.  He and his new bride were going to be in Minnesota for the 4th, and if we were there for the last weekend of our trip instead of the first, we'd be able to meet up.  So, we flipped the trip around and spent the first day driving diagonally across Iowa.  I do have to say, Northeast Iowa is beautiful.  It's known as the Driftless Area because it was not covered by glaciers in the last ice age, and as such it was not ground flat by all of the ice.  Instead, it's full of canyons and large bluffs, especially along the Mississippi River.  

We wanted to visit Effigy Mounds National Monument, but since the monument doesn't have camping facilities, we stayed at Wyalusing State Park, across the river in Wisconsin.  It was a fortuitous choice.  After visiting Effigy Mounds and Wyalusing, if given the chance again, I'd spend more time at Wyalusing.  We nabbed one of two remaining campsites in the campground when we arrived.  Although it's a developed campground, many of the sites have thick brush undergrowth isolating them from the neighboring sites.  Fireflies were flickering as we set up camp and piled in, exhausted from hours of driving.

Wyalusing means "home of the warrior" in Lenape, a native language.  I personally think the park is misnamed, since the indians regarded the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, located just below the park, as neutral ground that was for trading and peaceful talks instead of a battleground.  European explorers came through the area, beginning with the famous expedition of Marquette and Jolliet in 1673.  Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest, and  Louis Jolliet, a French-Canadian explorer, left on their journey, which took them across Wisconsin from Green Bay, up the Fox River, then down the Wisconsin River to the Mississippi River.  They were the first Europeans to explore the upper Mississippi River- traveling  nearly to the Gulf of Mexico before returning.   They passed through here on June 17, 1673- approximately one month into their four month journey.

We had our own explorations to make.  We went to look at some indian mounds.  There are several mounds in the park.  We stopped and walked around some bear effigy mounds.  There are also mounds shaped like deer, birds, and turtles in the park.  The mounds are really subtle- just a low 2-3 foot difference in height from the surrounding land.  I was walking around the bear mound, trying to figure out where the head was when a shout from the kids stopped me.  They had noticed some black raspberries just off of the edge of the mowed lawn.   We enjoyed nature's abundance and ate our fill of the delicious berries.  The next morning we found some more and ate them with our pancakes.

We took a short hike to see Treasure Cave.  The cave is down on the side of the hill, and the trail passes through an arch along the way.  The kids noticed lots of small frogs along the trail, so we stopped and picked a few up to look at them closer before continuing on.  There are stairs down to below the cave, then a steep climb up some stair/ladders to get to it.  Up we went.  

The cave was about 25 feet deep and had a nice blast of cold air coming from it.  I crawled down the tunnel to a small room that had been dug out by earlier visitors.  The room was a dead end.  I turned around and nearly back at the entrance noticed the airflow pick back up.  It came from the side of the tunnel, blowing from a crack about 2 inches wide.  Judging from the air flow, there's got to be a pretty decent cave system in there, but it's not accessible from Treasure Cave.  

We enjoyed several other walks and especially the overlook of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. One of the evenings we were there we took the kids down to the showers.  A hot shower when camping is a nice luxury.  The kids screamed and yelled and had a great time playing.  I had a few good conversations with other campers as they remembered camping trips with their children.  Wyalusing was a great beginning to our Wisconsin vacation.

Nearest City: Prairie du Chien, WI
Location:  13081 State Park Ln, Bagley, WI  53801
Time Needed: 4 hours, minimum
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Wyalusing State Park Website.  The campground has hot showers.

Caves in Sequoita Park

We visited Sequoita Park in Springfield in hopes that we could go underground and explore the caves.  Sequoita means "many springs", and at one point the lake in the park was used as a fish hatchery.  There are three entrances at Sequoita Park, and all were closed when we visited in late April due to bats migrating back from down south.  The city of Springfield does a pretty good job of monitoring the caves and closing them when the bats are back.  So although we didn't get to enjoy the caves, the kids had fun playing at the park for a while. 

The three caves at Sequoita Park are called Crawlway-all-the-way Cave, Walkway-all-the-way cave, and Fishers Cave.  Crawlway cave is small, and you need to crawl.  Walkway is more open.  Fishers Cave has a pretty good flow of water from it.  In March every year, the city of Springfield opens it up to boat tours.  Those who are interested can call the Springfield Outdoor Recreation Initiatives phone number at 417-833-8647.  I'd like to visit again when the caves are open.

Nearest City: Springfield, MO
Location: 3500 S. Lone Pine Ave, Springfield, MO
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: varies
Kid Friendly: varies
Additional Info: Showcaves.com

The Tanyard Creek Nature Trail

The Tanyard Creek Nature Trail wasn't on our list of places to see in Arkansas.  But when we planned the trip, we left a pretty flexible schedule to allow us to squeeze in a few places as we went along.  Tanyard Creek was a place we stumbled on, and since the kids needed a place to stretch, it met our needs.  It was a great stop.  The trail is a loop.  It starts at a parking lot near a golf course, then drops to a small creek and gives the option of turning it into a lollipop loop just over a mile long that goes past a cave and a waterfall.  If you keep an eye out, you can spot a small natural arch in a limestone overhang as well.

Along the nature trail there are several signs identifying plant species and what makes each useful or unique.  There are several bridges over the creek as well.  At the trail junction, we took the trail to the right which leads to the cave.  The cave had a small building built over the top of it, which has since collapsed. The metal panels are bent and crumpled around the cave entrance.  We went to the entrance and felt a cool breeze coming out and could hear water dripping in the back.  A small stream trickled out of the entrance and dumped into the larger creek at a pool with a school of fish gently swimming at the bottom of the current. 

The trail led as along the creek and next to several limestone ledges and overhangs.  One or two of them had small waterfalls coming off of them.  The water had forced its way through cracks in the rock after a dam was built to create Lake Windsor.  I liked the way these ferns found a great place to grow in one of the small cracks. 

After crossing the base of the dam, the trail ascends along a larger creek (Tanyard Creek) to the waterfall outlet from Lake Windsor.  The waterfall is manmade, from the outflow from the lake.  It's a pretty waterfall.  This part of the hike is different then the other half.  It's a lot more of a southern forest, and numerous signs identify trees such as hickory and sassafras.  We enjoyed the waterfall for a while, then turned around and finished the lollipop back to the trailhead.  It's an easy hike and completely enjoyable. 

Nearest City: Bella Vista, AR
Location: Nature Trail Lane, Bella Vista, AR
Time Needed: 1-2 hours, less if you don't have young kids.
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Kid Friendly:yes
Additional Info: Tanyard Creek Trail

The Battle of Carthage State Historic Site, Missouri

We made a quick stop at the Battle of Carthage State Historic Site.   It was quick because there's not much there, just a small pavilion with signs and descriptions of the battle.  I was expecting there to be a lot more to see and explore, but ended up being quite underwhelmed.  The battle itself was one of the first battles of the Civil War (fought before the first Battle of Bull Run), and was fought in part on the site.  Like many of the Civil War Battlefields, the entire battlefield stretched over several miles, and is impossible to preserve completely.  The Wikipedia article on the Battle of Carthage does a great job of explaining what happened.

The site is now a large grassy field, with a spring and a stream flowing along one edge of it.  It's a great spot for a picnic.

There was also a cave on the site, but a sign near the parking lot indicated that entry was prohibited. 

Overall, it's worth stopping by if you're in Carthage or if you're a big fan of the Civil War.  Otherwise, it's not worth driving for several miles out of your way to find since it's an anticlimactic place to visit.

Nearest City: Carthage, MO
Location: Chestnut Street, Carthage, MO
Time Needed: 10 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info: Battle of Carthage SHS Website

Shoal Creek Cave and the Wildcat Glade Nature Center

In April we took a family trip to southern Missouri and Arkansas.  Since we left after work on a Friday, we stopped north of Joplin to camp for the night at one of the Missouri Conservation Areas.  We picked up in the morning and drove in to Joplin.  Our first stop was the Wildcat Glade Nature Center.  We took a short hike along Shoal Creek to Shoal Creek Cave.  The cave is gated, so there is no access to it.  The sign out front said it only goes in about 150 feet or so, and was mined for lead at one point.  It would have been fun to crawl in, but that's how gated caves go sometimes. 

Back at the Nature Center, we looked around at their exhibits and displays.  The aquarium was an enjoyable stop, as were the exhibits on songbirds, frogs, and furbearers.  Wildcat Glade is one of the few remaining flint glades left in the world.  There's only about 60 acres that are actually the flint glade at the nature center, but there's a small pond and several miles of walking trails. 

We enjoyed walking along Shoal Creek.  Southern Missouri is beautiful!  Shoal Creek looks like a great spot to go canoeing, in fact the nature center sponsors a canoeing basics float down the creek, as well as a creek cleanup periodically.  The Wildcat Glade Nature Center is a great stop for kids and families in the Joplin area. 

Nearest City: Joplin, MO
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 2 hours
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Wildcat Glade Website

Doing The Crawl at Hidden Cave

A few months ago I had a "daddy daughter date" to Hidden Cave.  We were meeting up with other members of the Cochise County Cavers to go on a cave tour for beginners.  Hidden Cave is fairly well known as far as local caves go, and because it's non-technical (no ropework needed), it's a great cave to introduce beginning cavers to. 

Hidden Cave was excavated over the course of several years by a couple local cavers.  They had to have hauled out many bucket loads of dirt to get into here!  It's a relatively undecorated cave, but it's always fun to get underground.  There's a lot of crawling through tunnels, and more then one person has turned back with claustrophobia. We signed the register, then down the passages we went. 

We crawled down the tunnels, visited the "Mud Room", descended through the "Rabbit Hole", then did a small loop up to the Music Room or Echo Chamber.  Then we dropped back down and found our way back out of the cave.  It was fun to go and crawl through the dirty dusty cave with my daughter.  We had a great time, and she's a fan of caving.  I was angered by some of the cave vandalism that other grotto members told me was new.  Hidden Cave, while fairly well known, is also pretty free from vandalism.  Don't be the idiot that messes it up for other people as gating the entrance has been discussed by the local grotto clubs. 

Nearest City: Sonoita, AZ
Location: Not listed
Time Needed: several hours
Difficulty: moderate
Kid Friendly: beginner cave
Additional Info:

Happy Jack Cave

Last summer we went and crawled through Happy Jack Cave.  The local grotto hosted a regional activity for cavers from the area to come and visit and explore several of the caves in the Huachuca Mountains.  It was a fantastic activity and was well attended.   There are also several mines in the area, with an old miner shack or two in the area that are falling down.

Happy Jack Cave is located in the Huachuca Mountains in an area prone to human and drug smuggling, so visiting is best done in a group.  It is also a bat nursery and is closed in the summer when it is "bat season."

The cave is a dry cave, dormant as the water that created the fantastic draperies and flowstone has dried up. 

 MMM- Cave Bacon!

 More features!  It's great to visit a cave that has not been heavily vandalized. 

I liked these rimstone formations.  The water is gone, but the stone remains. 

Nearest City: Palominas, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 1/2 day
Difficulty: moderate
Kid Friendly: with guidance
Additional Info:

Coronado Cave in the Huachuca Mountains

Somehow I missed blogging about Coronado Cave.  We've been there twice, the latest time was right around Christmas.  I can't remember if it was Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but I do remember seeing flurries of snowflakes when we came out of the cave- the only snow we had last winter.  Coronado Cave is part of Coronado National Memorial.  I think it's probably the most popular hike in the park, but the Crest Trail to Miller Peak and the Border Trail would probably be right up there too. 

The hike is about 3/4 of a mile one way, with a  little elevation gain.  When you finally make it to the cave, you can look down a steep rocky incline into the cave.  We like to take a moment or two to have a drink and a snack before going in.  Then we get out our headlamps, and descend into the the darkness.  The cave is dry and dusty and is really straightforward.  It is impossible to get lost.  There are a few small side passages that are fun to explore, but at the end of each you have to turn around to go back to the main cavern.  The cave has two entrances, but the one on the east side was blocked off by the park service.  I was told that it's steep and rugged once you get outside on the east side, so they blocked it to keep people from going out that way. 

Unfortunately, the cave has been heavily damaged.  There are virtually no remaining formations, except for a large stalagmite coming up from the floor.  It's dark, dusty and fun for everyone.  Except maybe if you're afraid of the dark or have asthma.  Then you probably wouldn't enjoy Coronado Cave.  But everyone else, especially kids really like it.

Nearest City: Palominas, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info:

Lava River Cave

After leaving the Petrified Forest, we drove to Flagstaff, then continued on another 15 miles or so to the Lava River Cave.  We knew there would be campsites in the area, and the cave sounded fun to explore, so it made a great next stop on our road trip.  There are actually two Lava River Caves, this one in Arizona, and one in Oregon.  They're over a thousand miles apart and about the only things they have in common are that they are lava tubes in the USA and they have the same name.

This Lava River Cave is about 3/4 mile long, and is on Forest Service property.  It was discovered by lumberjacks in 1915.  For how well known and accessible it is, I was pleasantly surprised that it's in as good of shape as it is.  There was relatively little graffiti and trash. 

While we were in the cave, we met probably 4-5 other groups also exploring the cave.  It's a high traffic/high fun cave.  There are parts where the ceiling in 30 feet tall, and other places where it squeezes down to about 4 feet.  We really had a good time wandering around. 

There were a few spots where you could see features in the lava where it cooled.  We made it all the way to the end, then turned around and returned to the entrance.  It was dusk when we went in and night when we made it out.  There used to be parking right at the cave entrance, but the Forest Service closed the road and made a different parking area a couple hundred yards away.  I think it's probably helped reduce the trash and graffiti at the cave.  It's a short hike to get there and a longer underground hike once you're in the cave.  We had a blast! 

Nearest City: Flagstaff, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 2+ hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info:

In the Dark at Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The Natural Entrance

Our Spring Break trip to Carlsbad was pretty awesome.  I can't say it was epic, because nobody died.  But it was a great experience.  After hiking Guadalupe Peak overnight, I was a little bit sore when I awoke, but I still figured I was good enough to go through the caves at Carlsbad.  We drove up from the Pine Springs Campground at Guadalupe National Park, the reasonably closest campground to Carlsbad Caverns, and found the place not that crowded, at least judging from the limited number of cars in the vast parking lot.  I'd heard that Spring Break is a zoo at Carlsbad Caverns, so in searching out a time for the trip, deliberately scheduled it for mid/late April, a week or two after all of the Texas Public Schools have their Spring Breaks.

Pictographs outside the cave entrance at Carlsbad

We picked up our tickets at the ticket counter ($10/adult, or free with a National Parks Pass), then wandered over to the natural entrance.  There are about half a dozen tours at Carlsbad Caverns, but the two most common ways to the cave are through the Natural Entrance or through the elevator.  We took the both ways- more on that later.  After getting a pep-talk from a ranger, along with encouragement to not touch things or spit, or throw things into the pools (and keep your hands inside the ride at all times), we paused at the entrance to look for some pictographs made by Indians before non-Indians discovered the cave.  I found them on the right side of the entrance.  We then proceeded to walk down the switchbacks into the cave.  The steep switchbacks reminded me of Walters Wiggles at Zion National Park.

The Whale's Mouth

The cave is pretty impressive.   The one of the first named features we came to was the Whale's Mouth.  The drapery was pretty impressive.  I had to wonder about what the early explorers saw as they descended into the depths of the cavern.  They had to deal with only the lights on their helmets or torches and must have had a much different experience than the average tourist does today. 

We passed a lot more formations, many of which were just difficult to photograph.  We also saw some wooden stairs that were used for tours before the modern path was installed.  It's a steep, steep path.  No strollers or wheelchairs are allowed down the natural entrance.  I felt like I needed a wheelchair almost.  I gingerly continued onward- my knees complaining for most of the way.  We passed a few intrepid individuals climbing out the natural entrance. 

Overall it's a 750 foot descent to the bottom.  The cave is deeper than that, but they don't do tours there.   The elevator ride takes over a minute, and is guaranteed to make your ears pop from the pressure differential.  We finally made it to the end of the descent.  The kids were tired and needed a break, so we took the elevator up to the top for a snack and some daylight. 

 After lunch, we went back inside and showed our tickets to the ranger operating the elevator and she let us back in via an elevator ride back down to the bottom.  Keep your ticket!  Don't throw it away if you want to take the elevator up and down!  If you've got young kids, definitely keep your tickets! 

Back down at the bottom, we left the elevator lobby, snack bar, and restrooms for a walk through the highly decorated cave. 

The cave is amazing!  There are decorations everywhere!  Most of them are dry/dormant/dead.  But the cave scientists are hopeful, so dead ones are not completely dead and are just dormant. 

I tried taking good pictures, and got a few that are decent, but they are all completely inadequate for conveying how awesome the cave is.  One of the rangers said that the least crowded time at Carlsbad Caverns National Park is between New Years and mid-February.  I think it would be a bit easier to take some stellar shots when there aren't as many people around. 

 One of the most photographed features in the cave is the Totem Pole. 

We also saw an old rope ladder descending into the pit leading to the lowest levels of the cave.  Nearby in the big room there was another rope- this one hanging from the ceiling.  The single rope hanging from the ceiling was used to discover new passages located at a previously inaccessible area of the cave.

More stalactites and columns.  Amazing stuff.  The cave is pretty temperature stable, so a light jacket is desirable for some people.  I did fine without one though. 

These draperies are not lit by the tour lights, but they caught my eye.  It is amazing that these are stone instead of cloth!  Overall, I thought the lighting at Carlsbad was very tastefully done.   The early explorers must have had a very different experience then we did.  I felt a little envious of them, but at the same time thought that I probably got a better overall view of the cave since they only had the light from their carbide lamps to go off of.  As we neared the end of loop the kids were again tired, so even  though I could have stayed until we got kicked out, we trudged to the elevators and the 1 minute ride to daylight.

The Visitor Center has a model showing the cave and the route of the tours.  The visitor center is shown at the top, and the elevators are shown with a clear plastic tube.  Tour routes are shown by the black lines. 

I was blown away by Carlsbad Caverns.  They are absolutely worth visiting.  We spent just over half a day and could have spent longer.  But half a day is about all that a 4 year old could take (walking the whole way on her own), so I was content with that.  If you're contemplating visiting Carlsbad Caverns- make it happen.  Do it. 

Nearest City: Carlsbad, NM
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 1/2 day plus!
Difficulty: varies.  Natural entrance- strenuous.  Elevator route- easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info:

Cavefest at Kartchner Caverns

Ready to go through CaveSim

In February, we went to Cavefest at Kartchner Caverns State Park.  The 2nd weekend in February is usually when Cavefest is held to celebrate the discovery of Kartchner Caverns by Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts in 1974.  They discovered the cave by crawling in a sinkhole on the east side of the Whetstone Mountains.  They kept the cave they called Xanadu secret for many years while they sought a solution on how to preserve it, ultimately through a deal brokered by the State of Arizona with the landowners, the Kartchner Family. 

We camped over in the campground on Friday night, then after breakfast went down to the visitor center to help volunteer at some of the exhibits.  Cavefest is definitely the best weekend to visit Kartchner Caverns because of all of the fun events.  There was a bird-of-prey exhibit, with several injured raptors being shown with people there to answer all sorts of questions about them.

Another exhibit had snakes and lizards native to Southern Arizona.  It was really outstanding to see many of the 11 different species of rattlesnakes native to Arizona up close, yet safely.  If you wanted to, you could hold any of several other species of snakes that were there as well.

The museum itself is very well done, with many interactive exhibits and replica cave formations.

 

The replica of the ground sloth, who's bones were found in the cave is a great hit with a lot of kids.  Don't touch or an alarm will go off!

There's also several exhibits and participation from many others.  Cavers from the Escabrosa Grotto brought a "Squeeze box" so that visitors could see how tight of an opening they could fit through, much like cavers do in some wild caves.  The Cochise County Cavers had exhibits on caving gear as well as cave survey tools. Another local cave, Colossal Cave, also had an exhibit with a cave map and a bat skeleton.  Talking to the rangers, the event has gotten bigger each year it's been held, and will continue to grow.  I'd have to say that one of the best groups participating was CaveSim.  Dave and Tracy Jackson, located in Manitou Springs, Colorado, built a cave replica in a trailer, complete with sensors and scoring to help people realize how important it is to "cave softly", and that by touching or bumping cave formations it hurts the cave.  It's a super fun activity, and all sorts of people crawled through and had a blast. 

We didn't go through Kartchner Caverns on Cavefest Weekend, but visited in March to see the Throne/Rotunda Tour.  It's a fun tour.  Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed in Kartchner Caverns, so no pictures.  But, we saw lots of formations, learned more about the cave, and had a good time.  One of the fun things we learned was that researchers can tell if a formation has been continuously growing by shining a laser light at it.  If the formation lights up, it's been continuously growing and all of the calcite crystals are aligned in it.  If it has gone dormant (stopped growing) at any time, the calcite does not line up and it won't light up. 

Nearest City: Benson, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 1/2 day
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: YES!
Additional Info:  Watch the Kartchner Caverns Calendar for this annual event!