I knew it was coming. I had been on enough to cave tours to anticipate it. Yet it was still creepy. As the guide moved towards the light switch, I found a handrail to hold on to and snuggled my 10-year-old next to me (not for his sake, but mine). And then, click. We were in the blackest black I have ever experienced.
We were inside the Endless Caverns, with the lights off.
We had taken an opportunity, in conjunction with a travel soccer tournament, to stay at the Endless Caverns campground in Virginia. On a beautiful fall weekend we blended youth sports with family adventure. Located outside of Harrisonburg, VA, in New Market, this was a fabulous little weekend change-up.
We don’t tend to enjoy private campgrounds very much, to be honest. They feel cramped and close together, which is the exact opposite vibe we are looking for when we escape out into the woods with Shirley Jean. We seek remoteness, quiet, and nature. This is why National Parks and State Parks tend to make us very happy.
But this particular campground did a great job of creating space and retaining the nature while still maximizing revenue and amenities.
The camp staff were friendly and we were able to check in to a different, better site that had been vacated a day earlier than anticipated, thanks to the staff’s advice and help.
We tucked our little pop-up away into the site and started to enjoy the facilities.
Of course, the biggest draw to this site is the caverns themselves.
This area of Virginia is sprinkled with some large cave systems, nearly all privately owned. There are nine caverns total in Virginia, and we’re still working our way through them. Surprisingly, they each have their own colors, style and personality. (Which is not something I thought I’d say about caves and caverns.)
Endless Caverns felt like the little cavern that could. It felt nostalgic, beloved, a hidden gem, and like a relic from the 1920s.Â
This cave system was discovered in 1879 by two boys who were apparently chasing a rabbit (boys never change). It was quickly monetized and in August 1920 was a full-scale tourist destination, complete with electric lighting.
Walking into the ticket shop, old signs and a large, woodworked bar whisper of days of old, where flappers moved about in gorgeous, cave-backed, elite cocktail parties. I have no idea if those actually happened, but it sure seemed like they did.
These days, the Endless Caverns experience is less elite and extravagant, and more homegrown and local. When we visited Luray Caverns we were free to walk through at our leisure, with handrails and fortified guard rails. Here it was guide-led exploration only. Our guide was a spelunker, who clearly loved underground dwellings and had some stories that I found harrowing yet he found fun.
They call this system “endless” as explorers have gone as far as 5.5 miles in and still haven’t found an end. While that sounds impressive, it is still only the 176th longest cave system in the U.S. (Here’s the top 16 list, if your curiosity is piqued.)
The fun, though, seemed endless. We were given history and mystery all in one guided tour.
And, of course, he turned off the lights.
Standing in the dark and sound-deprived hole in the bowels of the earth is like nothing you can experience elsewhere. This is sensory deprivation to the extreme. As my eyes were seeking to focus on something, it seemed the rods and cones in my eyes were stressing out in confusion. There was nothing to see. Absolutely nothing.
Yet the oddest of sensations is to sit in the stillness. Everyone in the group went quiet. I could hear my blood pumping and my ears started to ring as they fought against the muted landscape.
Apparently, this is very common. Our guide explained that when spelunkers spend extended time underground, it isn’t the darkness that leads to insanity, but the quietness. He said he wears earplugs when spending nights in caves to protect against this all-encompassing, mind-altering circumstance.
Thank goodness we were only in the cave for 45 minutes — and with other people.
The entire tour was a circle, finishing in the breathtaking cathedral room. This was another God-created place that made us want to pray.
We came out of the darkness, squinting like moles. It was a sunny, stunning, fall Virginia day above ground.
Endless Caverns has placed into the side of the mountain, towering above the campsite, large Hollywood-esque letters that spell out “Endless Caverns.” It is a fun feature from the road. But it is also available to hike to!
Obviously, we had to try this.
The hike through the woods wasn’t much. It skirted the edge of the property, was somewhat scrubby, and not well-trafficked (so a little overgrown). But once we got to the letters, we thought it was so fun! Standing under large letters spelling where we were, looking out over the valley, was phenomenal.
In one weekend we had gone from the depths of the earth to the top of a ridge.
