A sprawling dry-and-muddy maze cave in the Crawford Upland karst just outside Bloomington, with about 3.47 miles of surveyed passage. It's traversable without rope, but many areas have low ceilings that force hands-and-knees and belly crawling.
- Type
- Wild cave
- Orientation
- Horizontal
- Passage
- Moderate
- County
- Monroe County
Location
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Entrance
Long stretches have low ceilings requiring crawling on hands and knees or your belly; no vertical gear is needed.
Hazards
- Maze-like layout - easy to get turned around
- Low crawls and muddy, slippery footing
- No lighting or marked routes
Gear
Helmet and headlamp with backups, knee pads, gloves, and clothes you don't mind caking in mud. No rope required.
Geology
Limestone maze cave of the Crawford Upland; the preserve also includes an entrance to Queen Blair Cave and other karst features.
Access
On private land run by the NSS as the Richard Blenz Nature Preserve. Entry requires an approved permit through the NSS permit system (permits.saveyourcaves.org) plus a signed waiver, and approval is at the preserve team’s discretion - apply well ahead.
- OwnershipPrivate
- Permit requiredYes
- Permission requiredYes
Conservation
Volunteers undertook a roughly two-decade graffiti-removal and restoration effort - including extensive sandblasting - to bring the cave back toward its natural state. Leave no trace and never mark the walls.
More caves in Monroe County
Caving responsibly
Most wild caves are reached through the local caving community, not by showing up — joining a grotto gets you training, gear advice, a conservation ethic, and, in time, cave locations.
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