4-Hour Vertical Cave Challenge in Horne Lake

Begin your caving session 15 minutes early to gear-up and sign Liability Waivers. Afterwards, embark on a moderately strenuous uphill trail for 25 minutes (1 km), broken up by five informative stops.

You'll see steep metal stairs at the entrance to Riverbend Cave, where you'll navigate in the cave over loose and slippery rocks. You must pass through three crawl passages, about the same size as crawling under a picnic table.

Your guide will then drain out a submerged section of the cave, a crawl known as the “Siphon Room”, in order for you to enter the second half of Riverbend Cave. Once the standing pool of water is drained, continue deeper into the cave, leading to a series of vertical drops.

From there, your guide will provide one-on-one instruction and all equipment to rope your way down to view ”Achilles Pit”. Climb up and down a 15 ft (5 m) vertical rock wall with large, easy holds and a 15 ft (5 m) cable ladder. Once underground, you can see an amazing crystal formation over four stories tall!

The tour usually includes a short "lights-out" session, before returning to the Visitor Center via steep downhill trail.

This tour does involve some crawling and basic roped climbing under the instruction of a certified vertical cave guide. Cavers must wear sturdy footwear (i.e. running shoes or boots) and two layers of warm clothing. Avoid cotton jeans or shirts. Nylon or poly-pro pants, shirt, sweater, and jacket are recommended.