Off-Trail Tour
Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve Tours
Experience the wild wondrous Oregon Caves off-trail! Trained guides will teach you caving techniques, cave etiquette, and bring you face-to-face with the marble structure of Oregon Caves. This four-hour experience through tight squeezes and crawls will challenge and exhilarate you! This is a very strenuous, adventurous experience. Scramble boulders, belly crawl, negotiate uneven rock piles and squeeze yourself through confined cave passages as small as 11 inches by 19 inches. The only source of light is your caving headlamp! Youth must be a minimum of 15 years of age and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Participants must wear their own over-the-ankle hiking boots with good traction. All other gear is provided. Failure to provide proper footwear could result in denied cave entry. Available dates for the 2020 season yet to be determined.
Select a date to see a list of times
Need to Know
- Drive Time and Directions:
The drive from Cave Junction to the Oregon Caves takes a minimum of 60 minutes. The last several miles are narrow, steep, and winding. Large RV's and Travel Trailers are not recommended. Vehicles over 46' in length are prohibited. Carsickness is a real possibility.
DO NOT trust Google Map, GPS devices and similar applications - from the east these direct you through Williams Oregon and over a confusing route on mountainous gravel roads.
- Claiming Tour Tickets:
All Ticket holders must check-in at the Oregon Caves visitor center desk no less than 30 minutes prior to the reserved tour time. Allow at least 60 minutes' drive time from Cave Junction to the Monument. NO REFUNDS for late arrivals. Parking lot check-in DOES NOT meet reservation check-in requirements.
- Age Requirement:
Youth must be age 15 and above and accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Required Gear:
You must bring your own ankle-covering hiking boots with good traction. Failure to provide proper footwear could result in denied cave entry.
- Prohibited in the Cave:
Cameras, bags (including purses), food, drinks, gum, candy, flashlights, walking sticks, tripods, pets, and tobacco products. Lockers are available at the visitor center.
- Mobility Limitations:
This is an intense tour both physically and mentally. Please properly hydrate and maintain a regular calorie intake prior to your scheduled tour. You will be squeezing through tight openings, and descending over uneven surfaces that require upper body strength and good balance. This tour is not recommended for persons with a history of heart, respiratory, balance, back, shoulder, knee issues or claustrophobia.
- No Food or Lodging:
The historic Oregon Caves Chateau is temporarily closed in 2020 for repairs and rehabilitation throughout the 2020 season. Pack a lunch or eat before you come.
- Protect the Bats:
Do not wear clothes, shoes or other items worn or carried in another cave or mine. White-nose Syndrome is a fungus that kills 90-95% of bats it encounters. The fungus spreads with spores carried on clothes and other items. Washing detergents do not kill the spores. Wear nothing worn in another cave or mine!
- Tour Preview:
