Discovery Cave Tour

The Discovery Cave Tour is the main attraction for visitors to the Oregon Caves National Monument. This tour runs frequently between March and November, with rangers leading visitors on 90-minute tours of the complex Oregon Caves system. The tours themselves are a pretty strenuous hike, with over 500 uphill stairs and passageways that require squatting, ducking and bending through narrow and low-hanging sections.

The tour takes visitors into rooms up to 220 feet below the surface, passing features such as flowstones, visible techtonic separations, stalactites and stalagmites thousands of years in the making, underground tree root systems, well-preserved bones of past animals, and picturesque galleries of cave formations. Rangers are knowledgeable and present information in an entertaining suitable for all ages.

Cave tour fees are $10 per adult and $7 for children 15 years and younger. Reservations are strongly suggested, especially during peak times. If spots remain open, day-of tickets can be bought at the park visitor center or at the Illinois Valley Visitor Center located in Cave Junction.

The hike is just over 1 mile long, with a good amount of climbing. Upon exiting the caves, visitors reach an intersection with the Cliff Nature Trail, where they can descend on a paved path directly to the visitor center or opt to add a little bit of climbing to reach a panoramic vista before descending back to the visitor center. Details, including tour options, times, and what to wear, can be found online at the National Parks Service.