new to the forum, searching for local caves

[johnlude85]

hey everyone. my name is john. ive always ben into exploring things of all kinds, but caves and mines were always my favorites for some reason. im really a car guy at heart, if anyone else on here is too, im over at www.iwsti.com under the same username. but im 22 years old, and i live in milford nj, right on the border of bucks county pa. i was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for any local caves. i cannot seem to find anything on the net and anything i do find, i cant find directions to. i understand that caves are usually vandalized, but im a huge believer of leaving no footsteps behind so-to-speak. so theres no help there either. there is one ive ben to which is called durham cave, it is a cathedral cave of limestone and in the early 1900's half of it was blown up to mine the limestone. durham furnace lies right next to it, so thats why it was destroyed. in the 1800's it was inhabited by native americans. there is a ton of history in my area and all along the delaware river, which is what i live 5 minutes from. however, there is still one main section that ive ben to with a verry large opening. it cannot be seen unless you know where it is. but there are also two other entrances if you know where to look. one is directly on top of the mountain, that entrance is about a 30 foot vertical drop. from there, it has to go deeper because the main entrance of the cave is about 75 feet high, and there is an opening inside the main chamber with a rope descendin to the ground. the other entrance is actually on the face of the mountain. i havnt ben inside either of the other 2 entrances, but would like to. that is the only non-commercial cave ive ben to. so if anyone is local to this area and can point me in the right direction of finding some more beautiful holes in the earth to explore, id really appreciate it.

[Brian Roebuck]

Welcome John

As we have said before on this forum your best bet in accessing caves or getting cave locations in the US is to contact your local caving club (grotto) which is part of the National Speleological Society. Go to www.nssio.org/find_grotto_overview.cfm?state=NJ and look for grottos in your area.

I am sure there are several since Pennsylvania has plenty of caves as well as the Virginias, New York, and even New Jersey. Cavers don't give out cave location info for many reasons - especially on the web. Small children or vandals can use this info to get themselves in over their heads underground. We care about the caves and people who want to learn responsible caving. The NSS can help you learn and grow as a caver if you show interest and responsibility. Don't be afraid to ask questions and ask if you can be taken to a beginner cave to see how you like it and how the other cavers do things. It is fun to learn new things from experienced cavers.

Good luck on your journey!

[johnlude85]

well thank you for the insight. it does make sense as to why locations are not normally given. these grotto groups, are there usually dues that need to be paid, or mandatory events that need to be attended or anything. aside from my love of the outdoors and cars, i work 55+ hours a week as a mechanic, so it may be hard to attend events like these. thats why i ask.

[Brian Roebuck]

Yes they usually have once a month meetings, have dues (they have to get enough income to do newsletters etc at least), and hold gatherings etc. Depending on the grotto it can be really laid back or more formal. Usually cavers aren't too formal though. Most people can find time to attend some of the functions. You usually get out of a club what you put into it though.

[Sharon Faulkner]

Hi John, here is a link to the Northeastern Regional Organization's website also: www.caves.org/region/nro/

This will at least give you an idea of the grottos, meeting times/dates, and regional events that might be of interest to you.

Welcome to the forum.