Wind Cave at House Rock

Useful Information

Location:	Clark Nature Preserve, 400 House Rock Rd, Pequea, PA 17565. (39.8746109, -76.3711313)
Open:	All year dawn to dusk. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Tectonic Cave Fracture Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=600 m, T=3 °C.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Ralph W. Stone (1953): Descriptions of Pennsylvania’s Undeveloped Caves, The American Caver, Bulletin of the NSS, Volume 15, pp. 51-137. Wind Cave: 109-110, with survey.
Address:	Clark Nature Preserve, 400 House Rock Rd, Pequea, PA 17565, Tel: +1-717-392-7891.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

30-FEB-1952	explored and surveyed by Bernard Smeltzer from the NSS.
2021	Clark Nature Preserve created by merging three separate nature preserves known as House Rock, Reed Run, and Pequea South.

Description

Wind Cave at House Rock is located on the Susquehanna River in Clark Nature Preserve, about 20 km south of Lancaster. The preserve offers various trails, deep forests, dry rocky ridgetops, and small clear cold streams. The geology can be seen at House Rock Scenic Overlook, which also offers a beautiful view of the river. Only 480 m north of the outlook is Wind Cave, the largest tectonic cave in the east. The rocks here, both of the outlook and the cave are Precambrian Peters Creek schist bedrock formed through metamorphosis, by high temperature and pressure, and is characterized by bands of mica. This is a metamorphic crystalline rock and is not soluble, so the cave formation has nothing to do with karst. Tectonic caves form by movements in the rock which opens long, straight cracks in the rock. In this case it was the settling of the walls of the Susquehanna gorge. In other words, the steep slope down to the river caused the blocks of rock to slide down slowly and so the cracks opened up. The kind of rock is irrelevant for this process. Actually the hard and brittle crystalline rocks are ideal for this process. On the other side, if there is dissolution there is also no precipitation, which is the reason why this cave is completely devoid of speleothems.

The name of the cave is Wind Cave, but unfortunately this name is very common, and so we decided to use Wind Cave at House Rock instead. The name House Rock Wind Cave is also quite common. The site is rather famous and can be found on various webpages and on hiking portals, so it should be quite easy to find. It is located in a preserve, there are hiking trails, and the cave is shown on the map. It is free to enter, and more or less harmless. With a total length of 600 m, it is quite long, so be careful not to get lost inside. We strongly recommend good hiking shoes, helmet with headlamp and a reserve lamp. We also found a map on one of the websites, and we guess you could check at the Visitor Center for a copy. The cave is not very dirty, and so no clothes to change are required if you are a little careful. Nevertheless, we recommend to visit the cave only with the usual caving security rules.

The cave is also known under the name Cold Cave. The reason is simply that it is a cold trap, the entrance is higher up, cold air flows into the cave and is trapped. In summer, it stays inside, because cold air is heavier and not able to flow uphill, and there are icicles far into late spring. But even if the icicles are gone, the cave is quite cold, and we recommend a fleece. The cold air from the cave entrance, which feels much stronger than it actually is due to the coldness, is the reason the cave was named Wind Cave.

The fact that the cave is so well known and popular also has a big drawback. Much of the cave is vandalized, primarily with graffiti at the entrance, but also inside, and rubbish on the floor. And many spots are greasy or polished from heavy use. Nevertheless, the cave is definitely worth a visit because of its geological uniqueness. As there are no explanatory signs, you should definitely read about the geological feature before the visit.

The cave is 600 m long and consists of several straight passages. As they were formed by the opening of crack, they are rather narrow, high, and have planar walls. However, there are some cross-connections and extensions. The passages are normally high enough to walk upright, but there are some spots where its necessary to stoop. The highest point is about 6 m high. Some say this was the longest tectonic cave in the eastern states, but actually this cave was never fully explored. We heard about an exploration in the 1950s, but nothing later. It seems a decent research, survey, and a listing on Bob Guldens list would be advisable. However, at the moment there are only 10 caves worldwide which are tectonic and longer than 600 m, but six of them in the U.S.A.

Some pages tell that the cave is home to the Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma magister), others say it is completely lifeless. Actually, the fact that it is so cold decreases the number of potential inhabitants, but cave animals also tend to be quite tiny and average visitors will not mention them. So we guess there is much more life than most visitors realize. Allegheny woodrats actually prefer rocky outcrops associated with mountain ridges such as cliffs, caves, talus slopes, and even mines. That’s obviously why cavers calle them Allegheny Cave Rats, and according to Ralph W. Stone the fact that they were nesting in the cave was known for 50 years. This was in the NSS Bulletin of 1953, if they still live in the cave 70 years later is unknown.

To reach the cave either start at the educational sign at Bridge Valley Road on Conestoga Trail, about 500 m. Otherwise, start at the main car park at the end of House Rock Road. Follow Ralph Goodino Loop Trail to Hause Rock Overlook, then turn right to Wind Cave on Conestoga Trail. Alternatively, follow Lloyd Clark Universal Access Trail to the far end and take the Upper Connector Trail to the cave entrance.