Longhorn Cavern State Park

 

 

Another cavern tour – a completely different one.  This cavern was formed with an underground river instead of water dripping from above and forming stalactites and stalagmites and other formations.  This cavern has walls formed by flowing water and are smooth in most areas. 

Years ago, this extensive cavern system was home to many bats, but they have relocated because they were being disturbed by the noise of tours and lights during their daily sleeping time.  There is supposedly a small colony of bats that reside there, possibly in the less-traveled areas – we certainly didn’t see any. 

 

There are multiple tours that can be taken, including one where they provide knee and elbow pads and you get to crawl through small areas and get really dirty.  I opted for the basic tour, just over a mile in length, and it took about an hour and a half.  We walked through areas only 4’ tall and into areas that were as high as a 2 story building. 

 

 

After a quick lunch in their little restaurant, I walked a couple of their hiking trails and explored some of the old buildings built in the 1930s by the CCC.