They felt warm, most air coming from below and crawled down through muddy tunnels to discover a series of caverns. They kept the caverns a secret for 14 years, until a deal was worked out with the parks department to purchase the cave and surrounding area. Trails, which are wheelchair-accessible, had to be built by hand, with no heavy equipment. Cement had to be lowered through airlocks in hand-carried buckets. From there, state park rangers lead visitors to two main galleries, called the Rotunda and Throne Room.
Multicolored stalactites hang from above and stalagmites rise from the floor.
Visitors aren't allowed to touch the mineral deposits in the cave because oils on the hands may impede their formation. But fiberglass stalagmites are available for touching in the park's discovery center, as an enhancement to a visit by visually impaired parkgoers. There are crawl-through holes for children to give them an idea of how small the original entrance was when explorers found the caverns. At the tour's conclusion, the park service pipes music into the Throne Room cavern, using special lighting to showcase various formations. There, tourists can learn about the history of the cave, its geology and the creatures that live inside.