Lost World Caverns, Lewisburg West Virginia

This is part nine of a travel series to West Virginia.  To start at the beginning, go HERE!

On day four of our West Virginia road trip we spent the morning at the highest point in West Virginia, then looked for bears at Beartown State Park, and strolled the historic streets of Lewisburg before we concluded the day with a cave tour of Lost World Caverns.

We have been in a lot of caves on our travel adventures, and I thought Lost World Caverns was one of the best caves I have ever been two.  The main reason for me is that is self-guided.  I have been on way too many cave tours where I felt rushed trying to keep up with the tour guide.  This cave I could take my time to soak it all in and walk at my own pace.  The second reason I really liked this cave was all the detail! This cave has it all;  so many interesting formations as you will soon see in the remainder of this post.

The caverns are located just a short drive from downtown Lewisburg.  When driving through the countryside, it's hard to believe that there is a cave anywhere, but it is located right under this structure.  Here is a museum, gift shop, and gem mining, small petting zoo, and playground for the kiddos.

You enter the cave right through the gift shop.  You descend 120 feet below the earth's surface, first by a manmade tunnel and ramps, then later by stairs through the cave.   It is a half mile loop that takes the average tourist 45 minutes to complete.

You don't have to worry about getting lost as it's very well lit and you just follow the path that keeps you on course.  We pretty much had the whole cave to ourselves while we there and loved it! No crowds blocking our view!

Because it is self guided, all the main formations had markers and explanations of what they were and how they were formed.  They also gave the formations fun names, below is "Smurf Village" because many people think it resembles the houses that the Smurfs lived in 😁.  It is a compound stalagmite of pure white calcite.  Interesting fact as stated in the sign below "The difference between stalagmites and stalactites is that stalagmites grow from the ground up and stalactites hang tight to the ceiling and grow down.  Eventually if they meet, a column is formed".

The cavern is 1,00 feet long, 300 feet wide, 12 stories tall, and over 100 feet below the surface.  It was discovered in 1942.

This is the Ice Cream Wall;  it does look like ice cream doesn't it?  "These formations are made as water from the surface becomes slightly acidic as it makes its way into the cave.  This water dissolves and erodes the limestone rock releasing calcite crystals.  The water drops transport these calcite crystals into the cave where they are deposited throughout the caverns as stalactites, stalagmites, and on the walls and rocks as "flowstone", which the Ice Cream Wall is a perfect example of. "

Below is "War Club" which I thought was one of the most impressive features of the cave.  You notice it almost immediately when stepping into the cave as it is so large.  It is a stalagmite that is approximately 500,000 years old and stands 28 feet tall with a base diameter of 2.5 feet and a 4 foot diameter on top.  This formation is also famous for being in the Guinness Book of World Records when in 1971 Bob Addis, a local cave explorer, stayed on top of it for 15 days, 23 hours, and 22 minutes.  Yikes, that's a long time!

"Bridal Veil" shown in the next two photos is a column of pure calcite.  The formation seems to sparkle because the calcite crystals reflect light.  

"Bridal Veil" is also an example of how columns are formed when a stalactite and stalagmite grow together.  Once the two formations touch, they continue to grow wider and larger.

Meet "Goliath".  He is 40 feet tall and has a circumference of 25 feet.  This is the largest formation in Lost World Caverns.

I thought this was such a beautiful and interesting formation.

Would you believe some people choose to get married in a cave?  I certainly cannot 😆.  But pictured below is "The Chapel" because several couples have exchanged wedding vows here.

Lost World Caverns was such a fun place to explore, but like the town it's located in, it also has an interesting history.  Before cave explorers discovered it in 1942, it was just a large hole on a farm.  The farmers dropped things down the hole they wanted to get rid of like animal bones or old tools. Then on July 11, 1942  J.L. Wingfield, John Suter, George Mann, and Leroy Frazier heard about the cave and went to investigate.  Wingfield  rappelled down 120 feet until he landed on the floor of the cave.  Rappelling down was the only way to get in until the man-made tunnel was created.  I can't even imagine being brave enough to do that, can you?

You can still see the original natural entrance on the property.

I was so happy to find a cave I could explore safely on my own and at my own pace.  It was so peaceful there, just listen to the water drip on this short video:

Next week I'll be back with our final leg of our journey starting at one of West Virginia's prettiest state park:  Babcock State Park!  See you then!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

For more posts from this travel series check these out:

Harpers Ferry West Virginia

Hiking the Maryland Heights Trail at Harpers Ferry

Old Town Winchester

Blackwater Falls State Park West Virginia

Seneca Rocks West Virginia

Spruce Knob, West Virginia's Highest Point

The Beartown Boardwalk in Beartown State Park West Virginia

Lewisburg West Virginia