Lost River - Karst Information Portal

at the Trinkle Cavern Entrance. Although the
northern and southern sections are connected
hydrologically, breakdown has filled the
passage, making it impossible to traverse from
one section to the other underground. The cave
starts out dry and the floor breakdown covered.
Soon the first long pool is encountered. In
general, the pools are deeper in this part of the
cave. Approximately 1,500 feet in, a small dome
is encountered. Just beyond, the cave makes a
sharp bend to the left. Here the ponded water
becomes 4 feet deep.
The water soon lowers
and the sandy floor
can be seen.
Four hundred
feet from the bend is
another well casing.
About 2,500 feet
from the entrance
the ceiling rises a bit
and various dripstone
formations fill the
passage. Six hundred
feet farther on the
ceiling dips low, then
gently rises to join
with a large room.
Here there are some
very pretty glittering
formations. The very
top of this room may
not fill during a storm
but we couldn’t be
sure.
At the other end
of this room the
passage takes off again
as a crawlway. More
formations come
into view including
a rimstone dam. Just
beyond, 4,200 feet
inside this cavern, the
passage becomes wall
to wall water for the
next 1,600 feet. The
only thing to break
Washington County Caves
the drabness is the underwater breakdown
which one can trip over 1,400 feet away. At this
point a large side passage comes into view. This
leads to the Mitchell Spring Entrance. This
passage averages 5 feet high and comes close to
siphoning after a light rain. This is a good short
cut in order to reach the rear-most parts of the
cave quickly. Continuing down the main part
of the cave, the passage is still wall to wall water
but now stalactites hang from the ceiling. This
makes the backbreaker even more gruesome.
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