Forestville Day 3 - Mystery Cave

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Today we’re heading home. After waking up and making what’s left of the bacon, we pack up. We’ve got one more place to see before we turn the truck back north. It’s actually the reason we came to Forestville.

MYSTERY CAVE
The name itself is enough to entice me. I’ve always been interested in going underground to see what wonders have been carved into stone by centuries of dripping water. I’ve been in caves outside Monterrey, Mexico, in Tennessee, South Dakota and Missouri (the Mark Twain Cave). It could have been Mark Twain himself who inspired my love of caves with his book, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” Until recently I had no idea there were two caves in Minnesota. Both are near each other: Mystery Cave is within a 15 minute drive of Forestville State Park off of County Road 5. Niagara Cave is located a little closer to Harmony.

We dressed in pants and long sleeves for our trip underground. The temperature in Mystery Cave is a constant 48 degrees Fahrenheit. We opted for the one-hour tour which is offered between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day. (Tours are also offered on weekends in the spring and fall between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) The one-hour tour is accessible by wheelchair and stroller. The trail has been paved with concrete and is level. While it took away some of the mystique, it was nice to not have to worry about where my next step was.

I’d like to go back for both the two-hour and Wild Caving Tour. Both are through different sections of the large cave. The two-hour tour is rustic with in-depth interpretation of cave geology, according to the cave brochure. Folks walk on narrow, winding gravel passageways. The only light is the lanterns each person carries. This tour isn’t suitable for children under age five, and sandals are not allowed. The Wild Caving Tour is a real adventure. People crawl and squeeze through the undeveloped portions of the cave. You wear protective gear and spend about three hours underground. You have to be 13 or older to try out this one. Doesn’t it sound fun?

To get to the cave we walked from the visitor center through a picnic ground. In the spring the area floods. The old visitor center was in this area, but floods kept damaging the building. In 2004, the new center was built on higher land. We crossed a bridge spanning the Bend River; much of the water seeps into the cave. Our guide noted that in the summer, the river can all but disappear in this area, coming back south of the cave. Our path led us to a vault door. Our guide opened it with a key. I wondered why they needed to lock it during the day when tour groups are constantly going in and out. This entrance into the cave was dug near a small natural entrance. The natural one was filled in a few years ago a few raccoons found their way inside and damaged some areas.

Mystery Cave is the longest cave in Minnesota with over 13 miles of passageways. Our guide told us that number grows each year as naturalists explore deeper and deeper into the cave.

The cave has been managed by the Department of Natural Resources since 1988. Prior to that it went through a variety of owners. Damage was done to some staglatites and other formations when passageways were deepened. Our guide, a park naturalist, obviously disapproved of such techniques and such work is no longer done in the cave. It took over a year to reopen the cave after the DNR took it over; creating the concrete paths wasn’t an easy and quick task.

Our tour focused on the natural aspects of the cave, including how it was created slowly over time as water dripped down. I wondered how much was fashioned during the flood in Noah’s day. The cave itself reminded me of the Mark Twain Cave in Missouri along the Mississippi River. Most of the formations were muddy and wide. There were but a few thin soda straw (hollow in the center) staglatites. Most were formed by water running down the outside and leaving calcium deposits that slowly widened and lengthened the formations.

We both enjoyed the tour and would recommend it. The baby cuddled deep into her sling, and took a one-hour nap. We’ll bring her back someday when she can appreciate it! I’d also like to tour Niagara Cave and view its 60-foot underground waterfall and wedding chapel. I’ve heard it has a lot of stairs.

ON THE WAY HOME
After stopping in Spring Valley for Subway sandwiches, we continued north on Highway 63 to Rochester. We passed a race track, Deer Creek Speedway, just outside of Spring Valley. It hosts races most weekends. Another place to come back to.

There’s so much to see and do in our great state.

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Photos

Site A2
Site A2 in Forestville State Park

Bend River
The Bend River runs through Forestville State Park. This view is from the A2 campsite.

Bend River in park
This river is well known as a trout stream. Its ripples lull campers to sleep.

Columbine in bloom
Spring flowers bloom throughout Forestville State Park.

Dragon's Jaw Lake
This view is one folks get to see on the adventure tour.

Rotunda Room
This is a view folks get to see on the adventure tour. The cave also offers a one-hour tour (accessible by wheelchair and stroller) and a two-hour tour.

Fourth Avenue
Flat ceilings are common in Mystery Cave.

Entrance into Mystery Cave
A guide leads a group through the entrance of Mystery Cave. The entrance was dug out when the Department of Natural Resources took over running the cave in the 1988.

Original entrance
The hole above was one of the original entrances into the cave. It has now been closed. The last occupants to enter through there were a couple of raccoons.

Vault door
This vault door not only guards against intruders, but it also keeps out water when the Bend River overflows.

Bats in the cave
A bat clings to the wall near the entrance to the cave. Our guide told us bats in women's hair is a common misconception. Bats have radar, which helps them in the dark. In the light, bats can see as well as us.