A brief drive north of San Antonio, Texas, the Pure Bridge Caverns are an awe-inspiring geologic surprise, excellent for adventure-seekers of all ages.
Found on March 27, 1960, by 4 faculty college students from close by St. Mary’s College, these caverns are named for the huge, 60-foot limestone bridge spanning their entrance. The bridge was created when a sinkhole fashioned round it.
The caverns date again to the early Cretaceous Interval, 66 to 145 million years in the past. Artifacts courting to five,000 B.C. and human stays as outdated as 8,000 years have been discovered right here.
After studying in regards to the presence of the cave, Clara Wuest, the landowner, labored with one of many college students and others to develop and open the cave to the general public on July 3, 1964.
Pure Bridge Caverns has remained within the household ever since, and in 1971, it was named a U.S. Nationwide Pure Landmark. As we speak, it is the biggest commercially-operated collapse Texas.
Guests can embark on guided excursions to discover huge underground chambers with gorgeous formations like stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones. And that is exactly what I did on my approach house from celebrating the Holidays on Houston Avenue in San Antonio.
Cavern Excursions
Earlier than I take you under floor to see a number of the cave system’s most spectacular formations, let’s overview the cavern tour choices.
Discovery Tour: This guided tour takes you into the primary cave found in 1960. The tour lasts about 60 minutes, reaches a most depth of 180 ft, and covers a distance of 0.75 miles.
Hidden Wonders Tour: Launched in spring 2023, this tour introduces guests to a brand new cave. The tour is about 75 minutes lengthy, reaches a most depth of 160 ft, and requires 0.5 miles of strolling.
Combo Excursions: The combo tour ticket means that you can do each the Discovery and Hidden Wonders excursions on the identical day, with a break in between.
Identical-day grownup entry charges are $31 for the Discovery Tour and $32.75 for the Hidden Wonders Tour; the Cavern Combo Tour is $53.50. And it can save you a couple of {dollars} by shopping for tickets on-line prematurely.
Journey Excursions: If you wish to go off-the-beaten-track, are comfy in tight areas, and do not thoughts getting soiled, Pure Bridge Caverns presents two extra adventurous cave excursions. Ticket costs are larger, however so too are the dangers.
The two to 3-hour St. Mary’s Journey Tour for $129.99 takes you right into a “wild” portion of the Discovery Tour cave, the place you will generally use ropes.
The three.5 to 4-hour Discovery Journey Tour for $169.99 recreates parts of the preliminary cave explorers’ expedition. You are able to do each excursions for $249.99 for a full day of journey. A field lunch is included.
The caves’ temperature is constant at 70 F (21 C) with 99% relative humidity. Put on comfy sneakers with some grip, like path operating sneakers or climbing sneakers. Keep away from flip-flops, sandals, or something which will trigger you to slide on moist surfaces.
To benefit from my go to with Kel, we selected the Combo Tour; we did the Discovery Tour first, adopted by Hidden Wonders.
Pure Bridge Caverns Discovery Tour
A couple of minutes earlier than our 2 p.m. begin time, we met our tour information, Ryleigh, who reviewed the cavern guidelines.
They embrace the significance of staying on the strolling path and never touching any rock formations, lots of which have been forming for 1000’s of years. There are not any restrooms when you descend into the caves; no meals, drinks (apart from bottled water), or smoking is allowed.
We descended a paved path beneath the limestone bridge and into the Discovery Cave. The primary noteworthy signal we noticed was labeled The Bear Pit, the place 8,000-year-old black bear stays have been discovered at a depth of 45 ft.
Fifteen minutes into the cavern tour, we have been strolling previous a slender and low-to-the-ground passageway that marked the doorway to the cave. Crouching down and peering into it, I could not think about squirming by means of the rocky crevice with solely the sunshine of a headlamp to information me.
Pluto’s Anteroom
The primary massive chamber we entered is known as Pluto’s Anteroom (dept: 108 ft). Right here, we paused so Ryleigh may share extra information about what we have been seeing. There have been some stone benches for individuals who most well-liked to sit down.
Probably the most fascinating function she shared was the black markings on the ceiling, which resulted from a bat colony that when lived within the cave. The discoloration outcomes from the bats’ our bodies rubbing towards the ceiling for who is aware of what number of years.
From Pluto’s Anteroom, we continued to descend into the cave. A powerful grouping of stalactites and stalagmites named Sherwood Forest is seen at a depth of 180 ft.
The delicateness of many of those formations, mixed with the data that they have been forming over 1000’s, maybe tens of 1000’s of years, is really astounding.
We left Sherwood Forest to stroll above Purgatory Creek. At 211 ft, it is the deepest level within the cave. It was additionally one in all my favourite rooms on the Discovery Tour.
As soon as I reached the alternative finish from which we entered, I turned again to look once more in appreciation on the otherworldliness of the setting.
It additionally occurred to me that constructing these pathways within the caves and putting in the lighting should have been a sluggish and methodical course of. I am certain each effort was made to keep away from damaging the fragile formations and disturbing the traditional mud.
Fort of the White Giants
The following huge chamber we entered, named Fort of the White Giants (dept: 150 ft), featured shallow operating water that fashioned fairly little swimming pools on the cave flooring.
Watchtower, the tallest column in Pure Bridge Caverns at 50 ft, rose from a bigger pool of crystal-clear water.
I attempted to decide on images I felt would present up greatest, whether or not you are studying this on a cellphone, pill, or laptop computer. Nonetheless, none maintain a candle to what it is prefer to stroll by means of the cave chambers firsthand.
Kel, who’d pushed by Pure Bridge Caverns numerous occasions all through her life in Texas, was equally impressed. She’d been the one to recommend we test them out.
Emerald Lake glistened as we walked previous it. Not like the various lovely our bodies of water I’ve encountered from Thailand to the Bahamas, there could be no swimming right here.
Enjoyable truth: the largest underground lake in North America is named The Misplaced Sea at Craighead Caverns in Tennessee. It is 800 ft lengthy and 220 ft huge; it is so massive guests board glass-bottom boats on their cave tour.
Corridor of the Mountain King
At a depth of 135 ft, the Corridor of the Mountain King is the biggest chamber within the cave and our approach out. The chamber was illuminated after we had had a minute to soak up the surroundings from under with the lights out up prime.
A protracted and winding path leads guests up and out of the deepest areas of the Discovery Cave. Given the 99% relative humidity, strolling this part will make you sweat.
This steeper part of the path has handrails and a particular floor to supply good traction.
All through the Discovery Cave tour, you are getting up shut (inside arm’s attain) to the rock formations. This felt very true on the stroll up the cavern’s greatest chamber.
On the prime, there is a water fountain the place you’ll be able to take a sip of the cave water. It is at this level that the tour concludes. Visitors can exit the rest of their approach at their very own tempo. After tipping Ryleigh for a job effectively achieved, we emerged into the late afternoon daylight after an hour under floor.
Watch the video under to study extra in regards to the historical past of the caverns from two of the 4 faculty college students who discovered it in 1960.
We had a couple of 45-minute break between the tip of the two p.m. Discovery Tour and the beginning of the 4 p.m. Hidden Wonders Tour, the latest to be supplied at Pure Bridge Caverns.
We used the free time to seize snacks on the concession stand reverse the admission counter, try the present store, and use the restrooms.
Hidden Worlds Tour
At 4 p.m., we met a brand new information for our second foray into the underground world beneath San Antonio.
There have been about double the variety of guests for this tour, together with many little youngsters and at the least one child. No strollers are allowed, so any youngsters want to have the ability to stroll on their very own or be carried.
The expertise started with reviewing the protection suggestions and introducing how the cave was found.
Briefly, a number of small exploratory holes have been drilled in the identical space because the Discovery Tour, and the fourth one steered a brand new and big underground chamber.
Effectively Shaft #4 was widened to a diameter of 4 ft, and a spelunker hooked up to a winch was slowly lowered by means of it. The remaining is historical past. Our information identified the shaft within the cave’s ceiling as soon as we have been underground.
The multi-million-dollar growth of this explicit cavern started in 2017, and it began seeing guests in Could 2023.
Not like the Discovery Tour, which was accessible from a pure opening within the floor, the Hidden Wonders cave had been totally sealed off all through human historical past.
Whereas the Discovery Cave begins with tight passages and small rooms, with Hidden Wonders, you will be instantly introduced with an unlimited underground chamber.
A staircase with handrails permits friends to descend safely, taking within the fascinating rock formations. Visitors on the Hidden Wonders Tour attain a most depth of 160 ft.
The Ballroom
Close to the cave’s finish is a 5,700-square-food dome chamber dubbed The Ballroom. This distinctive house now serves as an occasion house.
Field Canyon
Field Canyon is one other immense house on the far finish of The Ballroom. Guests are handled to a state-of-the-art music and lightweight present earlier than they exit the cavern.
Belt Assisted Transport
Talking of exits, the oldsters at Pure Bridge Caverns spared no expense after they developed the world’s first Belt Assisted Transport (B.A.T.) out of a cave.
The 700-foot-long conveyor belt rises at a ample pace and incline to get you safely out after a couple of minutes.
That mentioned, friends extra comfy strolling out of the tunnel are invited to take action. Handrails and bench seating can be found at a number of factors alongside the trail.
The spotlight of the Hidden Wonders tour was the preliminary expertise of strolling down the steps within the first chamber.
General, I am glad we gave Pure Bridge Caverns a complete afternoon so we may do each the Discovery and Hidden Wonders excursions.
If you happen to’re quick on time or solely wish to select one, I might advocate the Discovery Tour, as I felt like there have been extra distinctive formations to see in that cave.
Floor Sights
The actions at Pure Bridge Caverns might have begun with a cave tour, however they’ve since expanded to incorporate many above-ground experiences.
Chief amongst these is the 60-foot excessive Zip Rails and Ropes Course, some of the intensive setups I’ve seen in particular person. The rope course I lately navigated whereas ziplining in Tampa Bay is dwarfed by comparability.
A 5,000-square-foot maze and the prospect to mine for gems and fossils are a couple of of the sights geared toward youngsters.
Since we visited in December, we additionally noticed the Christmas decorations displayed at Pure Bridge Caverns for the vacations. These included a 30-foot tree, a 1/3-mile path of lights, campfires and s’mores, stay music, and ice skating for teenagers.
No matter what time of 12 months you go to Pure Bridge Caverns, you will discover sweets like fudge and Blue Bell ice cream, barbecue, and beer at Large Daddy’s. If we hadn’t been full from our brunch at Market Sq. in downtown San Antonio, I’d’ve tried the brisket.
Closing Ideas
As our day at Pure Bridge Caverns drew to a detailed, I could not assist however really feel a way of awe and appreciation. These caverns usually are not solely a testomony to the pure magnificence within the state of Texas but in addition rank amongst its greatest sights.
Exploring these underground marvels, fashioned hundreds of thousands of years in the past, far beneath the Earth’s floor, is humbling and exhilarating. It is a journey that connects us to the previous in a profound approach, reminding us of the unimaginable forces that form our planet.
Whether or not you are an journey seeker, a cave fanatic, or just somebody who appreciates the wonders of the pure world, Pure Bridge Caverns is a exceptional vacation spot value your time.
For extra data and to buy tickets, go to the Pure Bridge Caverns web site.
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I acquired complimentary Combo Tour tickets in collaboration with Pure Bridge Caverns.
Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He is been to 66 international locations and lived in Colombia and Peru. Learn the full story of how he turned a journey blogger.
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