Vermont Cavers Association |

Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 19, 2014

1867 Cave

Cave Type: Horizontal Rock Type: Beldens marble, Chipman formation Description: The cave is named for a carved date, 1867, at the far end of the passage. It is a tight, sinuous cave with relatively unspoiled decorations and interesting passage shapes. The entrance area is home to a family of porcupines year round. Difficulty: Easy Photographers retain their copyrights on all photos, and they are used here...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Dec 27, 2016

Mt Horrid Talus Caves

Cave Type: Horizontal Rock Type: Granitoid gneiss, Mount Holly complex Description: Three large talus caves, first recorded by Robert W. Carroll Jr. in the 1970s, exist in the talus slopes of Mt Horrid. These are Mt Horrid Ice Cave, Chiller Cave, and Gargantua Cave. Unlike typical talus caves, which are short and rarely dark, these contain large dark rooms and even an occasional climb. This area is closed...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Dec 27, 2016

Nickwackett Cave

Cave Type: Horizontal Rock Type: Forestdale marble, Mendon formation Description: Nickwackett is an old, dry cave with no relationship to existing water flow. It consists of both crawling and walking passages and was a popular beginner cave until it was gated as part of a bat research project. The cave remains gated and closed. Difficulty: Easy Photographers retain their copyrights on all photos, and they...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Dec 27, 2016

Purgatory Pit

Cave Type: Vertical Rock Type: Bascom-Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: Purgatory Pit is a classic pit entrance – the only one known in Vermont. It consists of an open 84′ rappel into a large room, followed by a traverse through two other domes and a 15′ pit. A tight crawl leads to the last pit, also 84′, which drops to the bottom of the cave. Difficulty: Challenging...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Dec 27, 2016

Chimney Cave (SICO’s Cave)

Cave Type: High-angle, steep climbs Rock Type: Bascom-Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: Chimney Cave is a very steep passage formed along a high-angle fault in the marble. It descends, with loose rock, to a larger room with several climbs and domes before ending in a debris choke. The cave is home to a significant colony of hibernating bats and should not be visited in the winter. Most photos...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Dec 27, 2016

Pittsford Ice Cave

Cave Type: High-angle; some steep climbs Rock Type: Quartzite, Dalton formation Description: Pittsford Ice Cave is one of the Vermont’s best known talus caves, formed by house-sized boulders pulling away from a cliff face inside a large ravine. It forms very pretty ice formations in the winter and holds ice well into the summer. It also has a very large room, and a ladder installed near the entrance...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Dec 26, 2016

Windy River Cave

Cave Type: Horizontal Rock Type: Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: This cave was discovered in 2015 by the Berkshire Area Diggers Association. It is formed in unusually undeformed, thin-bedded marble and alternates between wide hands-and-knees crawlways and walking-height stream passage, a rare developmental pattern for Vermont. The cave also has numerous rare and delicate formations that are...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Dec 26, 2016

The Vermonster Cave System

Cave Type: Vertical Rock Type: Bascom-Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: The Vermonster system is the second-logest cave in New England, and was discovered in 2012 by the Berkshire Area Diggers Association. It consists of multiple infeeding stream passages, often wet, and several short vertical drops. The passage alternates between tight segments and large rooms, often with extensive breakdown...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Dec 26, 2016

Easter Cave

Cave Type: Horizontal, with some short climbs Rock Type: Sherman marble, Mount Holly complex Description: The cave is a series of fractures, domes, and crawls with little relationship to existing water flow. It has three entrances and sections, each connected to the next by tight pinches and a combination of breakdown and solid passages. It several places, there are nice exposures of white banded marble....

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 19, 2014

Aeolus Cave (Dorset Bat Cave)

Cave Type: Horizontal with vertical areas Rock Type: Columbian marble, Shelburne formation Description: Aeolus Bat Cave, also known as Dorset Bat Cave and Green Peak Cave, is owned by the Nature Conservancy. This cave used to house large numbers of bats, including Myotis Sodalis. It is still Vermont’s longest known cave and most significant natural hibernaculum. The cave contains an easier upper...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 19, 2014

Bear Bones Cave

Cave Type: High-angle Rock Type: Beldens marble, Chipman formation Description: A short, easy cave with a modest vertical challenge. This cave, relocated in 1991, was named for the partial bear skeleton found at the bottom of the entrance drop. Difficulty: Easy Photographers retain their copyrights on all photos, and they are used here with permission. ...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 19, 2014

Carbide Cave

Cave Type: Horizontal Rock Type: Sherman marble, Mount Holly complex Description: This cave was discovered in the 1990s by Bob Dion. It is named for a disused carbide quarry, through which the cave stream resurges, but the majority of the cave is a dry upper level in white marble with nodules of graphite and quartz. The cave has a display of cave pearls unusual for Vermont. Difficulty: Easy...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 22, 2014

Cliff Hole Cave

Cave Type: Horizontal, but requires vertical equipment to access the entrance Rock Type: Bascom-Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: A short cave halfway up a 65′ high quarry face. A rappel entry leaves one hanging 4′ from the face.The cave is named for a carved date, 1867, at the far end of the passage. Difficulty: Easy Photographers retain their copyrights on all photos, and they...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 22, 2014

Falls Cliff Cave

Cave Type: Vertical Rock Type: Bascom-Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: A very pretty marble cave, wet, requiring vertical skills. There is very beautiful clean-washed banded marble in the lower sections of the cave. Difficulty: Moderate Photographers retain their copyrights on all photos, and they are used here with permission. ...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 22, 2014

Freedlyville Quarry

Quarry Type: Horizontal Rock Type: Bascom-Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: Though not a cave, this abandoned underground quarry is a favorite spot for ice skating in the winter. The VCA holds an annual skating party there in February, provided the ice is solid. There are also nice ice formations and a short natural dome in one part of the quarry. Difficulty: Easy Photographers retain their...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 22, 2014

Johnston Cave (Hangover Pit)

Cave Type: Vertical Rock Type: Winooski dolomite Description: Johnston Pit is formed in a vertical bed of dolomite and has a short pinch at the top. Once inside, a dry drop of 30′ requiring rope and vertical gear brings one down to a wide room with a short crawl passage heading off. Difficulty: Easy Photographers retain their copyrights on all photos, and they are used here with permission. ...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 22, 2014

Milton Gorge and Mill Pond Caves

Cave Types: Horizontal Rock Types: Dunham dolomite and Clarenden Springs dolomite Description: The Milton Gorge caves are a series of large entrances with short associated passages adjacent to Milton Falls. The Mill Pond caves are three related caves with active stream flow in two of them. Most of the photos below are from a July 2006 trip by the VCA to investigate these openings. Difficulty: Easy...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 23, 2014

Morris Cave

Cave Type: Horizontal Rock Type: Colombian marble, Shelburne formation Description: New England’s fourth largest cave, Morris Cave has some 1800′ of passage, the first 600′ containing three ‘filters’: the Cobble Crawl, the wet pinch, and the last pinch. The last of these, 500′ into the cave, is a 9.5″ x 15″ x 24″ long squeeze at the bottom of a U...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 23, 2014

PerSeverance Cave

Cave Type: Vertical Rock Type: Bascom-Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: A sporting, often-wet, vertical cave with some of the best lightly-banded marble in the state. It was first opened in 1998, and new passages were found in July, 1999. Perseverance contains vertical, free-hanging pits of 43′, 77′, and 78′. Difficulty: Challenging Photographers retain their copyrights on...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 23, 2014

Philadelphia Cave

Cave Type: Horizontal, but has some tough short climbs Rock Type: Forestdale marble, Mendon formation Description: A nasty, tight, wet, debris-filled cave. There is little evidence of solutional activity, and the cave is formed almost entirely in breakdown. There are very slippery, muddy conditions, and a handline may be useful for some drops. Difficulty: Moderate Photographers retain their copyrights on...

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Posted by Vermont Cavers' Association on Sep 23, 2014

Tallow Cave

Cave Type: Vertical Rock Type: Bascom-Beldens marble, Bascom formation Description: Tallow Cave is notable for its copious amounts of ‘moon milk’, found throughout the cave. The cave consists of a short climb into a series of connected rooms and two short pits requiring vertical gear to descend.A short cave halfway up a 65′ high quarry face. A rappel entry leaves one hanging 4′...

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VCA Information

The Vermont Cavers’ Association, Grotto 394 of the National Speleological Society, is an organization composed of cavers and other individuals interested in conserving, locating, exploring and researching caves in Vermont.

Membership in the Association is open to any interested person. Membership costs $8 per year or $20 for three years for individuals, and $12 per year or $30 for three years for a family membership. If you’re interested in joining the VCA, please contact us by e-mail to attend our next meeting, or download our updated membership form and mail it to the treasurer: VCA membership form.

For upcoming events information, please check the feed on the right or visit our Facebook Page

Vermont Caving Notices

Caving During COVID-19: The VCA is meeting intermittently during the pandemic, with meeting times and activities dependent on the local situation and current health restrictions. Get vaccinated, protect your friends and family, cave safe, and stay healthy!

WNS: White Nose Syndrome, a fungal infection, has killed tens of thousands of bats in the Northeast, including most Vermont cave populations. For the most up-to-date information on WNS, go to www.whitenosesyndrome.org. The primary vector is bat-to-bat, but there is a slim chance of careless human transmission. To eliminate that risk and avoid contributing to the spread of WNS, please refer to the most recent protocols for cleaning and disinfecting of cave clothing and gear. Thank you for your cooperation.

Morris Cave Alert: Morris Cave is a WNS-affected cave. Cavers should refrain from any visitation during the hibernation season (Oct-Apr) to protect surviving bats from disturbance. After hibernation, cavers should adhere to the USFWS cleaning and decontamination protocols to avoid the slim possibility of spreading WNS to unaffected caves. Thank you for helping protect our bats!

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Also check our Facebook page for updates on activities, meetings, newsletters, and more: https://www.facebook.com/Vermont-Cavers-Association-167782646611139/

Besides regular meetings, the Association sponsors caving trips both in Vermont and to other distant locations. These trips are announced in the Association’s newsletter, which is released quarterly. Other activities include workshops in vertical skills and cave rescue techniques, cave clean-up trips, and so on based on members’ interest.