Nestled among the Siskiyou Mountains are the Marble Halls of Oregon: The Oregon Caves National Monument. Guided tours are offered, including the kids and family cave, discovery cave, candlelight cave and off-trail caving.
The discovery cave tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and is limited to a maximum of 15 people per tour. You will visit a labyrinth of marble pathways, shining flowstones and a large room approximately 220 feet below the ground. The Candlelight Cave tour is an hour long and limited to 12 people: This tour puts you back in time as you carry a candle lantern in order to get the feeling of being one of the first to discover a cave. The Kids and Family Cave Tour is 90 minutes in length and allows for 15 people. The Kids and Family tour is the most family-friendly, age-appropriate, educational, ranger led tour. The Off-Trail Caving tour is three hours long, with a maximum of seven people and requires reservations: Trained off-trail cavers will educate you on cave etiquette and techniques bringing you through cork screw crawl spaces and over boulders. If you can’t fit all your adventure into one day, you can stay overnight at one of the 17 campgrounds and listen to (and possibly see!) the bats fluttering overhead. (Note that the park’s lodge, the Oregon Caves Chateau is closed for renovations; lodging and dining are unavailable.)
For more information on the Oregon Caves National Monument visit, nps.gov/orca/index.htm. To plan your trip to Southern Oregon, visit southernoregon.org/places-to-go/illinois-valley.
