Lost River - Karst Information Portal

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Lawrence County Caves
Regular tours of
the commercial
sections of
Bluespring Caverns
will be available
to convention
goers bearing their
convention badges
or NSS membership
card during the
convention at the
following discounted
rate: $10.00 for
adults and $6.00
for children. These
trips are guided and
regular tourists will
also be on these trips.
Remember that this is
peak season for tourists at the caves. And please
remember that you represent the NSS when
you visit show caves in the area.
Bluespring Caverns
Colglazier Entrance to Blue Spring Cavern in 1964.
If you’ve never boated through a cave, you
should check out Bluespring Caverns. See the
article “Indiana’s Showcaves” for a description
of Bluespring Caverns.
Bronson-Donaldson Cave (Shawnee Cave System)
Caution: do not attempt this cave if there is
any chance of rain. This cave system has a
history of flooding in heavy rain and has been
the site of at least one major flooding rescue
after a significant thunderstorm.
Check in at the Spring Mill State Park office
just inside the park to obtain a cave permit. There
is an entry fee for entering the park. There must be
at least three people in each caving group and the
management may cancel cave access if there is rain
likely or if it has rained recently.
The Bronson-Donaldson through-trip
is an Indiana classic. The trip is usually done
By Aaron Atz
from the upstream entrance at Bronson Cave
to the Donaldson Entrance. One can park up
the hill from the Donaldson Entrance and
take a hiking trail overland to the Bronson
Entrance. This trip courses over a mile of
walking, crawling, and even has short sections
of swimming passage. The Big Room is about
halfway through the cave and makes for a nice
place to take a moment and look around in
some drier passage. Several hundred feet from
the Donaldson Entrance is a 6-foot waterfall
climb-down. From here you can see daylight. A
wetsuit is advisable but not required.