Location: | 30 km west of Three Forks on Montana Highway 2. 27 km east of Whitehall on Montana Highway 2. From Chehalis 19 km south on I-5, exit #68, east on Hwy. 12 for 5 km. At Jackson Hwy. turn right towards south, park entrance after 5 km. |
Open: | MAY to 14-JUN daily 9-16:30 (last tour). 15-JUN to Labor Day daily 9-18:30 (last tour). Labor Day to SEP daily 9-16:30 (last tour). [2004] |
Fee: | Adults USD 6. [2004] |
Classification: |
![]() |
Light: |
![]() |
Dimension: | L=3,067 m, VR=175 m, T=10 °C. |
Guided tours: | L=3,200 m, D=120 min. |
Photography: | |
Accessibility: | |
Bibliography: | |
Address: |
Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks, PO Box 949, Three Forks, MT 59752, Tel: +1-406-287-3541, +1-406-287-3032, Fax: +1-406-287-3034.
E-mail: |
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. |
NOV-1892 | cave discovered by Tom Williams and Bert Pannell, two hunters. |
1898 | first exploration by Tom Williams and some friends. |
1901 | cave developed and opened to the public by Dan Morrison, named Limespur Cave. |
1908 | Northern Pacific Railway claimed that the cave was on its property, won in a trial and offered the property to the federal government to be preserved as a park. |
1908 | President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the creation of Lewis and Clark Cavern National Monument. |
1937 | deed for the property was transferred to the State of Montana, start of development. |
1950 | train and tram transport visitors to the cave. |
1953 | operation transferred to the State Highway Commission. |
1965 | managed by the Montana Department of Fish and Game. |
1973 | tram abandoned. |
1975 | train abandoned. |
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is Montana's oldest state park, featuring one of the largest known limestone caverns in the Northwest. It was founded to protect the cave. This cave was discovered by Tom Williams and Bert Pannell in 1892, who explored it six years later with some friends. They developed it with Dan Morrison and opened it to the public. But Northern Pacific Railway claimed that the cave was on its property, won in a trial and offered the property to the federal government to be preserved as a park. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the creation of the Lewis and Clark Cavern National Monument. The cave was closed to the public. But after the Federal
Despite the name, the caverns were never visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They were visiting the area while searching for the source of the Jefferson River, in the hope to find a navigable route to the Pacific Ocean. The source of the Jefferson River is near Dillon, Montana and so it was of no use for the expedition. On this occasion they visited the park area and stoped for a meal.
The tour includes a steep ascend from the visitor center to the cave entrance, which is rather strenuous. There are various narrow and very low passages, so the visitors have to crouch, and the tour is not advisable for people with klaustrophobia. Appropriate clothes are probably a good idea. Nevertheless the cave is developed with electric light and paved paths.