Caving in the American Southeast

Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia are Great Places to Cave in the U.S.

Mar 27, 2009 Kylee Hayes

Caving is a little-known sport that combines exploration with intense physical exercise. Cavers crawl, climb, squeeze and slide through caves in the name of discovery.

Caving is an exciting sport to become involved with and can be a great adventure, with the proper education, equipment, and training. Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, known collectively as the TAG region, host over 14,000 caves, and new caves are being discovered all the time. In a region so rich with caves, it is easy to get involved with caving. Here are some facts anyone pursuing caving should know.

Caving or Spelunking?

There is a well-known saying among cavers that “cavers rescue spelunkers.” For the most part, caving is exploration with proper equipment, experienced cavers, and respect for the delicate ecosystem that is being explored.

Types of Caving

Horizontal Caving is the term used for the type of caving where no rope or climbing systems are used. Movement through passages can be walking, wading, climbing over rock piles, hand-and-knees crawling, or squeezing through body-tight passages. The wide variety of caves in TAG offer something for everyone's comfort level. A helmet, three light sources, and proper clothing are essential not only for comfort, but also safety.
Vertical Caving uses rope and climbing gear to explore pits that range from tens to hundreds of feet deep. Unlike rock climbing, where the adventurer climbs directly on the rock with the rope as a safety in case of a fall, vertical cavers use mechanical ascenders and descenders help them move up and down, often with the rope freely suspended. Proper instruction and training is a must and can be obtained from other experienced cavers.
Cave Diving is an extreme version of the sport, that combines all the wonders, and risks, of SCUBA diving and caving. Cave divers require special certification and equipment and no caver without proper gear and training should attempt to swim or dive in a cave. Completely submerged passages can extend for miles, often with tight restrictions and low visibility that can leave no room for error.

Caving in TAG – Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia

The TAG region is unique not only for its large number of diverse cave systems, but also because it is the home of the deepest single drop vertical pit in the continental United States. Ellison's cave in the state of Georgia is a large cave system containing Fantastic pit, which at 586 feet is comparable in height to the Washington Monument in D.C.

How to Get Involved

The National Speleological Society (NSS) has local chapters, called grottos, in almost every state. These grottos typically meet once a month and discuss cave conservation, training opportunities and swap caving stories. Many groups will coordinate training for beginners who wish to learn horizontal and vertical caving skills.
The Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. (SCCi) is another group that actively participates in cave conservation. This non-profit organization purchases the land on which caves are situated, and makes them available for cavers. By owning the land, the SCCi protects caves from vandalism, mining, and other things that threaten the delicate cave environment.

Landowner Relations

Caves in TAG lie both on public and private land. If the cave is on private land, cavers need to have permission from the landowner before exploring. Without permission, it is trespassing, and cavers risk ruining relations between the landowner and cavers. If the cave is on public land,permission to visit the cave is sometimes necessary. Some state and federal parks are open to all caving, while others require a cavers to demonstrate competence and obtain a permit before visiting.

Exploring the delicate ecosystem of caves is exciting and rewarding. For many cavers, the discovery and exploration of new caves is a part of life and caving can easily become a healthy obsession.

The copyright of the article Caving in the American Southeast in Rock Climbing is owned by Kylee Hayes. Permission to republish Caving in the American Southeast in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.