The Scenic Tour of Jewel Cave National Monument explores deeper into the cave than the short Discovery Tour which I also joined this morning by mistake. Prepare yourself to traverse up & down over 730 stairs through a 1/2 mile loop that descends several hundred feet. After starting again at the Target Room we immediately head down stairs to the first open area where the park ranger educates us on the various types of formations.
Here’s a shot I got with much greater detail (and possibly the best exposure I took on the whole trip). I’m not going to pretend I’m an expert – frankly, quite the opposite as I didn’t take notes and forgot the majority of the ranger’s talk as I was the caboose of the group – but this area which I believe was called the Formation Room has almost every type of cave formation all in one spot. Dogtooth spar, nailhead spar, speleothems, soda straws, flows, curtains, and probably other things too. Only a small portion of Jewel Cave is considered “wet” like this spot; most other areas have more “dry” features like the spar.
As you move along the tour there are many slots, passages, side tunnels, and other holes in the ground in all directions. “What’s down there?” Remember, less than 5% of the entire cave system has been explored or mapped, so the answer to that question is mostly “who knows?” Don’t wander off the tour friends, you might never come back.
Another large hole…or cavern…or I’m not quite sure. It’s extremely disorienting looking at flat photos once I’m back home and almost impossible to know which way is up, down, or sideways. Use your imagination.
This one I am more confident is a hole going downwards. There are lights installed down below at many locations which help immensely for taking pictures.
One interesting historical relic is this small marker with writing “D59”. I believe this is left behind from previous explorations as a survey marker, though again not sure as I was taking up the rear and couldn’t hear all that well. I was also a bit dazzled by all the neat rocks.
Here is a view that I found interesting. From my recollection, you have the nailhead spar towards the top of the frame, and to the bottom is more or less regular stone and dirt otherwise referred to as cave fill. In the center is a strip of calcite crystals that kind of looks like uncooked bacon (but is not to be confused with ‘cave bacon’ which you’ll see next). That black layer on the top of the center strip is the mineral manganese which is very dark and I’m told stains clothing permanently. Gypsum aka the regular rocks decomposes down into manganese.
And now we get to the real ‘cave bacon’, a curtain formation created as water runs down the same spot repeatedly. The colors are caused by different minerals trailed away by the water. This one runs all the way down the vertical wall a very long distance and looks more like cooked bacon. Getting hungry yet?
Another large opening towards the latter half of the tour. I do not recall what this “room” was called, but it had large variations in colors due to many different minerals all in one spot. Most notable difference is that large band of reddish-brown which I believe is iron oxide (or usually is in my experience). I recall this area also having a large amount of manganese and other dark colors more than most other rooms.
And finally to conclude the journey you will cross several platforms and staircases in the largest room of this area called the Torture Room, named for the distant sound of a water drip that reminded the discoverers of the water torture technique. The tunnel here is absolutely massive and I’d estimate heights at tallest points well over 50 feet, maybe much more in some places depending how you measure. Get ready for your glute workout from here as you will definitely get your fill of steps as you head back towards the elevator and exit.
And that concludes my time at Jewel Cave. There are many other things to see like hiking trails and other more adventurous tours so be sure to do as much as you can on your visit. 10/10 would visit again!
Lat = 43.7300949 , Long = -103.8312531 -- Show at Google Maps