Colorado Caving
Cave exploration and study in Colorado in the latter 20 th century grew remarkably, in part due to the influence of the Colorado Grotto. The state’s oldest chapter of the 11,000-member National Speleological Society, the Denver-based caving club helped bring order and direction to cave exploration, survey and scientific study in Colorado’s caves. Chartered in November 1951, the Colorado Grotto is the state’s largest club, with over 150 active members. Through the decades, the Colorado Grotto has been involved with nearly every major discovery in the state, as well as exploration and science in caves from Montana to New Mexico to old Mexico and overseas. Other active Society-chartered chapters can be found in Glenwood Springs, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Northglenn.
Like most caving groups nationwide, cavers in Colorado can be very close mouthed and secretive about their discoveries and the caves they explore and study. While new members are always welcomed, cavers generally do not advertise their interest in the underground nor do they actively seek publicity in the popular media. This is simply a reflection of the delicate nature of caves and the potential for overuse and abuse by unknowing or uncaring visitors.
Unlike cave-rich states like West Virginia, Missouri and Tennessee, Colorado caves are relatively few in number. There are only 12 caves with over a mile of surveyed passage – the great majority of the state’s known caves have less than 1000 feet of passage. Hundreds have less than 100 feet.
In bringing attention to the caves of Colorado, the public’s interest naturally is greater regarding the state’s longer and more complex caves. While the Cave of the Winds and Glenwood Caverns are commercially operated as visitor attractions and receive additional protection, the National Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management manage the majority of the others. In the public’s interest, these government agencies must manage resources on their lands to the best of their abilities. Public-owned caves deemed to be “significant” are provided special protection from abuse through the 1988 National Cave Protection Act. Violations of this federal law are punishable through fines and jail terms.
Most Colorado caves are considered by cave scientists to be low-impact. That is, it takes only a small amount of intentional or unintentional impact to bring lasting damage to the resource. Damage can range from breaking of delicate speleothems – stalactites, stalagmites, columns, helictites, etc. – to tracking mud onto pristine floors to impacting or destroying underground life.