Location: Wasatch mountains, Utah county, UT Map
Hwy 92, American Fork
Tel. (801) 756-5238
Open: mid-May- mid-Oct: 7am- 5:30pm daily
Open: May- Sept
Closed: Nov- mid-May
Average temperature: 46 F
Official site
Area: 250 acres (1 km2)
Timpanogos Cave National Monument is situated in Wasatch mountains in Utah county, Utah state of United States. Martin Hansen discovered Hansen's cave in October 1887, while following a puma trail near the American Fork Canyon. Unfortunately many formations were damaged in this chamber before the national monument was created. Timpanogos Cave National Monument covers an area of 250 acres (1 km2). Timpanogos Cave National Monument is usually closed between November to mid- May due to heavy snow that might make roads difficult to access. Once you reach parking lot of the Timpanogos Cave you have to follow a 1.5 mile trail to the entrance of the underground passageway. Timpanogos Cave National Monument covers three underground systems including Hansen Cave, Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cave that are interconnected by a manmade tunnels. These passageways were blasted away by the civil engineers in the 1930s of the Works Progress Administration.
There is a $6 per vehicle entrance fee that must
be paid when entering Timpanogos Cave National Monument via American
Fork Canyon.
There are several passes for groups traveling
together in a private vehicle or individuals on foot or on bike.
These passes provide free entry at national parks and national
wildlife refuges, and also cover standard amenity fees at national
forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land
Management and Bureau of Reclamation. These passes are valid at all
national parks including Timpanogos Cave National Monument:
The $80 Annual Pass (valid for twelve months from date of issue) can
be purchased by anyone. Military personnel can obtain a free annual
pass in person at a federal recreation site by showing a Common
Access Card (CAC) or Military ID.
U.S. citizens or permanent
residents age 62 or over can obtain a Senior Pass (valid for the
life of the holder) in person at a federal recreation site for $80,
or through the mail for $90; applicants must provide documentation
of citizenship and age. This pass also provides a fifty percent
discount on some park amenities. Seniors can also obtain a $20
annual pass.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent
disabilities can obtain an Access Pass (valid for the life of the
holder) in person at a federal recreation site at no charge, or
through the mail for $10; applicants must provide documentation of
citizenship and permanent disability. This pass also provides a
fifty percent discount on some park amenities.
Individuals who
have volunteered 250 or more hours with federal agencies that
participate in the Interagency Pass Program can receive a free
Volunteer Pass.
4th graders can receive an Annual 4th Grade Pass
that allows free entry for the duration of the 4th grade school year
(September-August) to the bearer and any accompanying passengers in
a private non-commercial vehicle. Registration at the Every Kid in a
Park website is required.
In 2018 the National Park Service will
offer four days on which entry is free for all national parks:
January 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), April 21 (1st Day of NPS
Week), September 22 (National Public Lands Day), and November 11
(Veterans Day weekend).
To enter the cave a tour ticket is
required. To purchase advance cave tour tickets, call +1 801
756-5238 from 8AM to 5PM. Anyone under 16 years of age must be
accompanied by an adult. Cave tours prices are:
Standard Cave
Tour - Adults (age 16 and older) - $8, Junior (age 6-15) - $6, Child
(age 3-5) - $4, Infant (age 0-2) - Free, Senior/Access (Golden
Age/Access) pass holders - $4.
Introduction to Caving Tour - Age
14 and up only, $15 per person.
Cave tour tickets frequently sell
out, especially on weekends and holidays. Tour tickets may be
purchased up to 30 days in advance with a major credit card by
calling the visitor center at 801-756-5238. A non-refundable $0.50
transaction fee is added to each ticket sold in advance over the
phone. Tour tickets may also be purchased in person at the visitor
center up to the day of the tour, if still available. Tickets must
be purchased at the visitor center before hiking to the caves,
tickets cannot be purchased at the cave entrance. Gift certificates
are available.
The park is located in the particularly steep American Fork Canyon of
the Wasatch Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains. The slope on
which the caves are located ranges from about 1600 to over 3000 m. Even
on the surface, the park area is particularly diverse given its small
size. In the valley of the American Fork River stands a riparian forest
of cottonwood poplars and ash maples. The vegetation then changes with
increasing altitude from subalpine to alpine plant communities. The
wildlife of the valley ranges from mountain goats to bighorn sheep and
pumas to black bears.
In the limestone there are fossils of
rugosa, crinoids and brachiopods both on the surface and in parts of the
cave.
The cave system consists of three larger and several smaller caves
that were artificially connected by tunnels. The Hansen Cave was found
in 1887 by the settler Martin Hansen while felling wood. He was
fascinated by the diverse stalactite formations and led visitors into
the cave. After a few years the cave was looted, the stalactites and
sinter curtains found their way into museums and private collections or
were processed into handicrafts.
The Timpanogos Cave was
discovered in 1915 and initially forgotten. In 1921 it was rediscovered
and a third cave was found - called the "Middle Cave". Initiatives now
arose to protect the caves, and the very next year US President Warren
G. Harding placed the caves under the provisional protection of the
United States Forest Service before the national monument was taken over
by the National Park Service in 1933.
The Hansen Cave today
contains few notable formations, but is important for the constant
climate in the caves because of its underground lake. In the middle cave
curtains of tufa stand out and the adjoining "Great Room" shows a great
variety of tufa formations.
The core of the cave system is the
Timpanogos Cave. Here hangs the "Heart of Timpanogos", which has grown
together from several stalactites, and here large parts of the walls are
covered with Excentrique (French for "eccentric"). These are the finest
structures of calcite that form outgrowths that curve in all directions.
The origin is completely unclear, since the forms are unaffected by
gravity. Some eccentrics are hollow, so capillary effects can come into
play. In the case of the more frequent massive eccentrics, this attempt
at an explanation is insufficient.
The Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a small protected area and
consists only of a visitor information center in the valley and the
actual caves in the mountain. A 2.4 km long, steep path leads to the
entrance. In the caves only small differences in height have to be
overcome.
Visitors are guided by rangers in groups of no more
than 20, spaced at least 10 minutes apart. In summer it is advisable to
make a reservation, as there may be waiting times of several hours due
to the capacity limit being reached.
There are no accommodations
in the park itself, but there are several US Forest Service campgrounds
in the valley of the American Fork River. There are motels in the towns
west of the mountains, hotels in Salt Lake City and suburbs.