Lewis & Clark Caverns

Lewis & Clark Caverns is a state park located about 45 miles from Bozeman, Montana. I have been here a few times and always really enjoy it. Its one of the more decorated cave tours and is a great time. This makes a great day trip during any trip to Yellowstone and is easily visited if going from Yellowstone to Glacier National Park. There is a $6 fee per vehicle to enter the park. Take the scenic drive that climbs 1,000 feet into the mountains until you get to the upper cave visitor center. The scenery here is great and resembles the Great Basin mountain ranges. The Jefferson River can also be seen far below. Once you reach the upper lot you can purchase cave tour tickets. If you can't get in until a later time there are 10 miles of hiking trails in the park. Once you have your tickets it is a 3/4 mile hike with 300 feet of elevation gain to get to the cave. The scenery is once again great. Soon you will see the man made entrance to the cave where you wait for your group to make it before the tour starts.Once inside the cave there are many bats in the entrance and you can see the natural entrance high up on a wall. Once the cave tightens up there is a lot of crouching, stairs, and squeezing through areas. There is even a short slide called the beaver slide. None of it is very difficult and is doable by most except the extreme elderly or obese. The cave is extremely decorated and has some cool things to see. There is also one big room lit up using purple lighting which was unique. The formations get bigger as you go further into the cave, and there are also a few small ponds. It's hard to get any scale but some formations are taller than 20 feet.The cave tour ends in a long man made tunnel that takes you to the exit of the cave. From there it's a straight and level shot back to the parking lot.