Page Updated: August 17, 2023
Lewis and Clark Caverns
Crystal Pool - Lewis and Clarke Cavern MT
The key attraction in the state park of the same name, Lewis and Clark Caverns features limestone caverns full of helicities, stalactites, stalagmites, and columns. Visitors can see “cave bacon,” and the diligent will find “fried eggs.” And even luckier individuals will witness the wiggling nursery of Townsend big-eared bats.
Even though the caverns are named for Lewis and Clark, the explorers did not discover them. The caverns were actually discovered by hunters who believed they saw smoke coming from the mountainside. Upon investigation they discovered it was actually warm air venting from a hole in the earth and colliding with the cold winter air creating steam.
There are no self-guided tours for Lewis and Clark Caverns. All tours are guided by knowledgeable park rangers, and visitors have 2 tours from which to choose - Classic Tour and Paradise Tour.
The Classic Tour - 2hr
Classic Tours start on your own with a 3/4 mile walk/hike uphill. The 300 ft climb passes interpretive signs and imbedded fossils while overlooking an actual section of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Visitors have 30 minutes to reach their guide at the cave entrance to continue with their tour.
Within the caverns, guides lead visitors down a number of steps and through twisting passages where one must bend, duck, or waddle. And these caverns have a unique feature we’ve not seen in other caverns we’ve toured - a slick path they call the slide on which individuals slide on their rears a short distance from one passageway to the next.
The wind tunnel is also unique. Originally created as an exit shaft to prevent backtracking through the caverns, it was discovered that opening of the second shaft created a constant force of wind through the cavern system. To protect the fragile ecosystem of the caverns, doors were installed at each end of the the exit tunnel allowing tourist to pass through and close the first door before opening the second to exit.
The Paradise Tour - 90min
Ideal for visitors with small children and mobility challenges, this tour skips the challenging cavern navigations and goes straight to the largest room of the caverns.
Per site details: it’s worth noting the Paradise Tour is the only way to view the Paradise Room.
On a typical day, the Cave Visitor Center offers a 30 min video and a small museum focusing on the caverns. It was shuttered the day of our visit, but the Montana Gift Corral (deli/gift shop combo) across the parking lot was open with limited services and plenty of souvenir loot. Of interest in the shop are the cavern schematics — very unique.
scenes from Lewis and Clark Caverns
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Bozeman Trail
