Do you go bats for cave tours? Fly thee to Montana. Montana’s Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is reopening for cave tours May 1. During the season, the upper visitor area will be open and cave tours will be offered seven days a week. The gate opens at 8:30 a.m. and the ticket office opens at 9 a.m. You’ll also find the campground and trails are open, and the showers, comfort station and water stations will reopen as weather allows.
The park shows off one of the most decorated limestone caverns in the Northwest, filled with spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, columns and helictites. You’ll also find camping, trails to hike or bike, a state-of-the-art visitor center, interpretive displays, and a gift shop. Add on food and beverage concessions, an amphitheater, and interpretive events during the summer months to round it out. But the cave tours are the focus. What kind of tours can you take?
Go bats for cave tours? Here’s the easy one
The Paradise Tour includes a view of the largest and most decorated room in the cave—the Paradise Room. This 1-mile tour lasts 90 minutes. It includes 15 stairs between two rooms, but the path is mostly level and partly wheelchair accessible. Because the Paradise Tour provides better accessibility and easier passage, this tour is recommended for visitors with small children and/or claustrophobia, or for those who prefer a less arduous experience.
The Paradise Tour will be offered every day starting May 1 on a first-come, first-served basis until Memorial Day weekend (May 25). Starting Memorial Day weekend, reservations can be made, and tour times will be 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. These times are subject to change, so visit here prior to your visit.
Tickets for the Paradise Tour are $10 for visitors ages 62 and older, $15 for visitors ages 15 to 61, $10 for kids ages 5 to 14, and free for anyone 4 or younger.
And for those with more stamina and flexibility
The Classic Tour features a 2-mile journey through the majority of the developed cave and includes the second-largest and longest rooms in the cave. This tour lasts for two hours and includes more than 600 stairs, stooping and tight squeezes. It is not recommended for small children, visitors with claustrophobia, or those who prefer a less strenuous experience.
Limited Classic Tours will be offered from May 1 to May 23. Additional tours may be added as staffing allows. The Classic Tour will be offered every day starting May 24 on the hour from 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. by reservable tickets and as staffing allows.
Tickets for the Classic Tour are $15 for visitors ages 15 and older, $10 for kids ages 5 to 14, and $5 for anyone 4 or younger.
Tour reservations
Tours will be offered from May 1 through September 30. Both first-come, first-served tours and reservable tours will be offered. Check the website frequently as tour options, times and availability may change throughout the season. Reservable tours are available from May 24 through Labor Day. To make those reservations, call 1-855-922-6768 or click here and click on Events and Programs.
An $8 entrance fee is required for visitors who are not residents of Montana and not staying in the campground. Residents of the state normally pay the fee with vehicle registration.
Go bats for cave tours? The bats do
Bats occupy some rooms that are part of the Classic Tour. Bats can be susceptible to pathogens carried by people. For this reason, visitors are asked not to wear any clothing, shoes or accessories, including glasses, jewelry and cameras, that have been in another cave or mine in the past five years. This helps protect bat populations at the Caverns. White-nose syndrome, a fungus that kills entire bat colonies, can be transmitted easily and does not come out of clothing or other materials with normal washing methods. While it does not affect humans, it could have significant impacts to the cave ecosystem.
Note: There is no access to the cave without a tour.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles southeast of Whitehall, along Montana Highway 2. For more information about the park, please click here or call 406-287-3541.
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Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Thank you for this review, discussion of the cave tours! The park sounds great. I don’t know when we’ll get that far west, but I’ll try to remember to have this park on our itinerary when we do. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
Montana native here, I have been through the Lewis & Clark caverns several times, always a fantastic tour. Last time was several years ago when the walk up to the entrance was a serious uphill walk, not for the elderly or anyone without some stamina. Sounds like they have made it easier to access. We might have to check it out again, it really is a do not miss.
Just reserved a campspot there last week for mid-May. Haven’t been since I was a kid almost 50 years ago. Looking forward to it.