Lost River - Karst Information Portal

The Donaldson Cave entrance in 1938.
Photo by George Jackson.
From the John Benton photo collection.
Buddha Cave is the property of the Indiana
Karst Conservancy. A liability release
form must be filled out at the convention kiosk
before leaving for Buddha Cave. Also keep
in mind that a handline must be used on the
entrance room climb-up.
The entrance to Buddha Cave is impressive
by Indiana standards, the focus of surface
drainage of a small closed valley. The cave lies
south of the crossroads of Buddha: a cluster of
houses, a church, and a service station.
Park in the parking lot and follow the wide
foot trail, turning right at every intersection. At
the bottom of the hill, follow the dry streambed
to the wide entrance. Just inside, a small stream
makes a brief appearance before exiting in a
sump at the far end of the entrance room. Make
your way to the dry upper level by climbing the
ledge along the left wall and follow it to the
start of a fissure dropping vertically back to a
stream; another stream falls loudly into the
Buddha Cave
Lawrence County Caves
Mark Adler in Bronson-Donaldson Cave.
Photo by Aaron Atz.
By Tom Miller (edited)
passage at the fissure’s far end.
Rig a cable ladder or rope on a convenient
stalagmite and descend about 25 feet to the
stream. Alternatively you can chimney across
the fissure and rig your ladder to a convenient
hole in the opposite wall. Those with long legs
can drop down about 6 feet about 10 feet on
beyond the fissure and then crawl back through
a crawlway to a ledge where it is possible to step
down onto the top of a stalagmite on a ledge in
the lower level. This is much easier going down
than it is coming up—you better rig the ladder
first.
You will be progressively more amazed
and impressed by the size and beauty of lower
Buddha, a high canyon unmarred by vandalism
both up- and down-stream. If the water is low
you can force your way through two near-sumps
(the Greater and Lesser of Two Evils) upstream
to another sump.
The upper levels, now abandoned and
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