Lost River - Karst Information Portal

Ryan Moran climbing Gary Pit.
Photo by Brian Killingbeck.
The entrance to Hanging Rock Drop
is located on a wooded hillside in the
Harrison Crawford State Forest. The entrance
is a mud slope down to a 13-foot climb down.
Although there are numerous foot holds, a
handline is helpful. Above this climb-down is
a large rock that appears to be just “hanging”
there, hence the name of the cave. A steam
enters the cave at the top of the climb-down to
form a waterfall. At the bottom of the climb
the stream is followed into a body-size rock
tube. This tube was enlarged in the fall of 1981
by Tom Fritsch and Noel Sloan. Once through
the dig, the stream starts to down cut to form
a 20-foot-deep canyon. The canyon widens in
50 feet and a handline is needed to get to the
bottom. The passage at the bottom is a stoop
Hanging Rock Drop
Harrison County Caves
By Dave Black
way on a chert breakdown slope to two parallel
pits. Traverse over the first pit and free climb
down the second pit, which is 22 feet deep. The
drain is the next section of cave to traverse. It
is a downward sloping body-size stream crawl
with a couple of sharp bends. In four long,
tortuous body lengths, relief comes by way of
a 25-foot-high dome. A register is in the dome
and it is a good place to turn around because
the next 50 feet is not any easier to travel. To
continue, go into the stream canyon at its
widest spot and continue anywhere your body
can fit. At last, another dome will be reached,
but the way on is a chert stream crawl. In two
body lengths it opens up at the top of a 16-foot
waterfall with a plunge pool at the bottom. A
free climb brings one to the trunk passage and
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