Lost River - Karst Information Portal

Lawrence County Caves
Sullivan Cave borehole passage just north of the South Y in the overflow route.
appearing much like the Flood Route leading
to the Quarry Room. This passage leads to the
Colossus, the largest room in Sullivan Cave. It
is 120 feet high and at least 200 feet long.
North of the Colossus is the largest passage
found in Sullivan. Its cross-section measures
approximately 30 feet high and 40 feet wide.
The stream meanders between steep mudbanks
that nearly reach the ceiling. Next the explorer
reaches a long, narrow breakdown room on the
right side of the passage, beyond which is a 200foot
bathtub which one can negotiate while
staying dry from the waist up. Nearly a mile
and several breakdown rooms later, the rise of
Sullivan River is encountered. It is a pool 60 feet
long and 40 feet wide that has stopped further
exploration. The volume of the rise is only
slightly less than that of the river when it exits
at Speed Spring, almost 4 miles downstream.
Undoubtedly, much cave lies north of Beyondthe-Beyond,
but attempts to find access to
the theoretical B 3 (Beyond-the-Beyond-the-
Beyond) area have been unsuccessful.
This region of the cave offers hazard to even
the most hardy individuals, and the difficulty of
a trip here should not be overlooked. A round
trip from the entrance to the rise of Sullivan
River and back out requires at least 12 hours
for those familiar with the route.
Depending on the areas visited, trips into
Sullivan vary from moderately rugged to
extremely difficult. The cave has a wide variety
of situations to offer the explorer. It offers
everything from tight canyons and low wet
crawls to large, walking-size borehole corridors
and rooms.
A map of Sullivan Cave is included in the
map package.
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