caves in Marble Mountains

“Ok i heard there were caves in the Marble Mountain Wilderness...do any
of you know about them and if so what do ya know?”

“I posted a real thred!”

“Good job!


:)”

“now if someone can answer...”

“Here's an excerpt from Best Hikes of the Marble Mountains by Art Bernstein.

"The National Speleological Society's Portland Grotto has mapped over 80 caves within the Marble Rim, all containing stalactites and other flowstone formations. The biggest, Bigfoot Cave, is larger than the cave at Oregon Caves national Monument. It was only discovered in 1976.

Most cave openings are marked by vertical drops and are very dangerous. Also, dripstone formations inside are extremely fragile and take hundreds of thousands of years to form. The Forest Service and Speleological Society ask that only serious cavers visit these sites. For information, contact the NSP's Portland Grotto, Mount Shasta Grotto or a Yreka Group called the Klamath Mountains Conservation Task Force."

Hope that helps...”

“Thanks alpine!”

“I saw a number of the caves last May while summiting Marble Mountain. They're marked but these are not walk in caves. I wouldn't venture into them unless I was an advanced spelunker and rock climber. Also we saw bear tracks to and from some of the caves so you might be careful on that front.”

“Big Foot cave is a beautiful system, however, as most have said it is extremely dangerous if you aren’t an experienced caver, even then it poses risks many are not ready to take. Almost all the entrances are drops ( we ran out over 400' of rope on our trip just getting in) and require advanced skills in repelling and ascending, also the cave is so huge that it is very easy to get lost inside.

There are lots of places in Northern CA that offer great underground experiences for the amateur, or for those wanting to improve there skills. The Lava Beds National Monument has an extensive system open to the general public, plus enough wild caves to keep most folks occupied for months. If you are interested in in seeing some pictures I took in Big Foot, you can go here....Caving album”