One Of The Best-Known Caverns In Kentucky With Bat Caves, Hiking Trails And A Natural Bridge
Carter Caves in Olive Hill, Kentucky is like an amusement park that has taken millions of years to create- with bats as an added attraction.
“The caves are very interesting to people with all the water dripping and the stalactites and stalagmites forming,” said park manager Chris Perry. “The bats nesting in the ceilings makes are one of the biggest attractions that people find thrilling.”
The Carter County region has the highest concentration of caves to be found in any area of Kentucky. Two of the park’s caves offer guided tours year-round, Cascade Cave and X-Cave.
On July 31, 1946, the citizens of Carter and surrounding counties donated 945 acres to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for a state park. Additional land has been obtained, making a total of some 2,000 acres.
“More than 400,000 people come to the park each year,” Perry said. “Besides the caves we have hiking trails and even a natural bridge that has a highway over it. It’s really a very unique area and people are so impressed when they come up into the light.”
Carter Caves are one of the best-known caverns in eastern Kentucky. Located in north-central Carter County, the Carter Cave system is comprised of more than 20 caverns. Four of these caves are open for tours. Others are undeveloped or access is limited. Each cave has distinctive features reflecting geological forces.
X Cave is one that is open all year and the name of this cave refers to the configuration of its passages, which cross in the center of the cave to form the letter "X". Cave highlights include the Great Chandelier, the largest formation of stalactites in the cave, cave coral, and formation with such telltale names as the Giant Turkey, the Pipe Organ and Headache Rock.
In addition to the guided tours, two popular caves, located closer to the entrance of Carter Caves, have reopened for self-guided tours.
Laurel and Horn Hollow caves were closed in 2009 due to the spread of white-nose syndrome among bat populations. White-nose syndrome was found at Carter Caves in 2013. There was interest in reopening Laurel and Horn Hollow caves and the emphasis now is focused on limiting the spread of the disease, which does not affect humans.
Bat Cave is the largest cave in the park. It is open only in the summer and is the home of an estimated 40,000 Indiana bats called Myotis that hibernate there in the winter. These bats are protected by the Kentucky Parks System. The cave’s main passageway is a half-mile long and follows the course of Cave Branch. The ceiling of the passageway varies in height from about 35 feet at the downstream entrance to a claustrophobic 4 feet. Known as “Backache Avenue,” the low ceiling of the passageway extends 700 feet. This passage is wet and there are small pools of water throughout its length. During heavy rains, the passage can be flooded by torrents of water.
Saltpeter Cave, which is dry, dusty and electrically lit, is considered by many historians to be the site of the earliest industry in the area. The cave was used during the War of 1812 as a source of the major ingredient in making gunpowder and is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1959 Cascade Cave, once privately owned and operated, became a part of the Carter Cave State Park System. Shown to visitors since 1925, the cavern is made up a series of parallel passages.. The entrance to Cascade Cave is located on the side of one of the many sinkholes in the area and highlights of the cavern include the “Counterfeiter’s Room,” named for the supposed use of the cave by counterfeiters. It has an impressive 30- foot underground waterfall.
Park naturalist Coy Ainsley said the park's schedules have a tour for everyone.
"We have tours of all types from scenic walking tours, history tours of Saltpeter Cave and kids' caving trips along with both walking and crawling tours in Bat Cave," Ainsley said. "Whether you want a relaxing scenic tour of a cave or want to get down and dirty crawling through cave passages we have something for you at Carter Caves."
If you are visiting Kentucky and want to do something different, visit Carter Caves, find a cave, and go underground with the bats.
Candice Reed
A graduate of Kelsey-Jenny College in Communications as well as a certified grant writer, Candice has written for The Los Angeles Times & The New York Times. She loves entertaining and all things French.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Carter Caves State Park, offering 28 rooms with full amenities. Each room features a private balcony or patio overlooking the surrounding woodlands. Rooms available by late afternoon.