List of caves in Tennessee

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This is a list compiling caves in US state of Tennessee with Wikipedia articles. This is the most known caves of any US state, and is estimated to be around twenty percent of all caves in America. [1] This is due to Tennessee's limestone rich geology, the primary mineral required to form caves. [2] [3]

Contents

List of caves

CaveImageCountyLengthYear discoveredNotes
Bell Witch Cave Bell Witch Cave.JPG Robertson County 490 feet (150 m)On the property of John Bell's estate, known for folk tales about the Bell Witch. [4]
Blue Spring Cave Blue Spring Cave TN.jpg White County 40 miles (64 km) [5] 1989Longest cave in Tennessee, 10th longest cave in the US, and 44th longest cave in the world. [5]
Big Bone Cave Big bone cave saltpeter vat.jpg Van Buren County 9.627 miles (15.493 km) [6] c. 1810
Cherokee Caverns Dripstone3653 (7234423658).jpg Knox County 0.28 miles (0.45 km)1854
Craighead Caverns The Lost Sea (6931688408).jpg McMinn County 0.75 miles (1.21 km)c. 1820Home to the Lost Sea, the largest underground lake in the United States and second largest in the world. [7]
Cumberland Caverns Cumberland Caverns - Three Chessmen.JPG Warren County 27.7 miles (44.6 km) [8] 1810
Devilstep Hollow Cave Devilstep Hollow Entrance.jpg Bledsoe County 360 feet (110 m) [9] 920 ADLocated near the head of the Sequatchie River. [10]
Dunbar Cave State Park Montgomery County 8.067 miles (12.983 km)
Forbidden Caverns Forbidden Caverns 3.jpg Sevier County 0.5 miles (0.80 km)c. 1920
Hubbard's Cave Warren County 1810 [11] Largest gray bat hibernaculum in Tennessee. [12]
Lookout Mountain Caverns Gfp-tennessee-lookout-mountain-cave-structures.jpg Hamilton County 12 miles (19 km)1823No longer accessible since 2005. [13] Connected to Ruby Falls.
Lost Cove Cave Lost Cove Cave Main Entrance From Below.jpg Franklin County 2 miles (3.2 km)Also known as the Buggytop Cave.
Nickajack Cave Nickajack Cave.JPG Marion County 1 mile (1.6 km)1800Famed singer Johnny Cash once attempted suicide here following years of drug abuse, but survived following a spiritual experience. [14]
Raccoon Mountain Caverns Crystalpalaceroom.jpg Hamilton County 5.5 miles (8.9 km)1853Only place in the world where Nesticus furtivus (also known as the Crystal Caverns Cave Spider) is found. [15]
Ruby Falls Ruby Falls, 1200' below the Mountain.jpg Hamilton County 700 feet (210 m)1928Contains tallest and deepest subterranean waterfall open to the public in the United States at 145 feet (44 m) tall. [16] Connected to Lookout Mountain Caverns.
Rumbling Falls Cave Van Buren County 16.09 miles (25.89 km) [17] 1998Has the second-largest cave chamber in the United States. [18] Found in Fall Creek Falls State Park.
Snail Shell Cave Snail Shell Cave Karst Window.jpg Rutherford County 9 miles (14 km) [19] 1951Part of a larger cave network 13 miles (21 km) in length. [19]
Tuckaleechee Caverns Another World - panoramio.jpg Blount County c.1850Has the tallest underground waterfall in the eastern United States at 210 feet (64 m). [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee</span> U.S. state

Tennessee, officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the southwest, and Missouri to the northwest. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. According to the United States Census Bureau, the state's estimated population as of 2024 is 7.22 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,351. Its county seat is Sparta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Warren County is a county located on the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,953. Its county seat is McMinnville. Warren County comprises the McMinnville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Buren County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,168, making it the second-least populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Spencer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,837. Its county seat is Jasper. Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, AL–TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Marion County is in the Central time zone, while Chattanooga proper is in the Eastern time zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the southern part of East Tennessee on the border with Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 366,207, making it the fourth-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Chattanooga, located along the Tennessee River. The county was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury. Hamilton County is one of 95 counties within Tennessee. Hamilton County is part of the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county was created on October 25, 1819. Hamilton County expanded to meet the state line with Georgia after absorbing parts of three different counties including Bledsoe, Marion, and Rhea. Part of the traditional Cherokee homeland, the county was created after the Cherokee signed a treaty in 1817 with the United States and ceded land north of the Hiwassee River. In the 21st century, Hamilton County is the eighth-highest income Tennessee location by per capita income ($26,588).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grundy County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Grundy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee, bordering East Tennessee. As of 2021, the population was 13,622. Its county seat is Altamont. The county is named in honor of Felix Grundy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,145. Its county seat is Crossville. Cumberland County comprises the Crossville, TN micropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kartchner Caverns State Park</span> State park in Arizona, United States

Kartchner Caverns State Park is a state park of Arizona, United States, featuring a show cave with 2.4 miles (3.9 km) of passages. The park is located 9 miles (14 km) south of the town of Benson and west of the north-flowing San Pedro River. Long hidden from view, the caverns were discovered in 1974 by local cavers, assisted by state biologist Erick Campbell who helped in its preservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Cave National Monument</span> 310 acres in Alabama (US) managed by the National Park Service

Russell Cave National Monument is a U.S. national monument in northeastern Alabama, United States, close to the city of Bridgeport. The monument was established on May 11, 1961, when 310 acres (1.3 km2) of land were donated by the National Geographic Society to the American people. It is now administered and maintained by the National Park Service. The national monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Falls</span> Underground waterfall in Tennessee, United States

Ruby Falls is a series of underground cascading waterfalls totaling 90 feet (27 m) in Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Caverns</span> Cave in Tennessee, United States

Cumberland Caverns is a national natural landmark and show cave located in McMinnville, Tennessee. It is the second longest cave in Tennessee and the twelfth longest cave in the United States.

Lookout Mountain Caverns is the second-longest known cave in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Its mapped length of 2.481 miles places it at 361st on the United States Long Caves List. Unofficially, anecdotal reports of cave expeditions have exceed 12 miles with legends exceeding 82 miles. The cave is closed and public access is forbidden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bone Cave</span> Cave in Van Buren County, Tennessee

(Big) Bone Cave is a cave located in Van Buren County, Tennessee, in the community of Bone Cave that is named after it. It is notable both for its history and current recreational use. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a designated National Natural Landmark. It is a 400-acre (161.9 ha) State Natural Area managed by Rock Island State Park. It is named for the discovery of the bones of a giant ground sloth in 1811. The cave was operated as a saltpeter mine, notably during the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. A variety of natural remains and human artifacts have been well preserved in the dry atmosphere of the cave. The cave is the 10th longest mapped cave in Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longhorn Cavern State Park</span> State park in Texas, United States

Longhorn Cavern State Park is a state park located in Burnet County, Texas, United States. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is administrator of the facility. The land for Longhorn Cavern State Park was acquired between 1932 and 1937 from private owners. It was dedicated as a state park in 1932 and in 1938 was opened to the public. In 1971, the cavern was dedicated as a National Natural Landmark. The park's administration building was listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raccoon Mountain Caverns</span> Cave system in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Raccoon Mountain Caverns is a cave located in Chattanooga, Tennessee in a band of Mississippian Period limestone, part of the Cumberland Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Walls of Jericho (canyon)</span> Preserved nature area in Tennessee and Alabama, US

The Walls of Jericho is a 750-acre (300 ha) natural area that is within the 8,943-acre (3,619 ha) Bear Hollow Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Tennessee, which is contiguous to the Skyline WMA in Alabama. It was designated in 2016 and is owned by State of Tennessee. Both of the public lands on the Tennessee and Alabama side total 21,453 acres (8,682 ha). The initiative to acquire this land was a lengthy project completed by The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee and Alabama. The natural area is approximately twelve miles south of Winchester in southern Franklin County.

References

  1. ↑ "Tennessee Caves (and the Bats That Use Them)". The Nature Conservancy. January 31, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  2. ↑ "TenneSEA". Tennessee State Museum. May 21, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Caving". Tennessee State Parks. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Tennessee Legends: The Bell Witch". Tennessee State Museum. October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Blue Spring Cave". Outside by Nature. November 3, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  6. ↑ Gulden, Bob (November 28, 2016). "USA LONGEST CAVES". NSS Geo2 Long & Deep Caves. Archived from the original on April 21, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Exploring the "rich history" of America's largest underground lake". CBS News. August 14, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Discover Cumberland Caverns, America's Greatest Caving Adventure". Cumberland Caverns. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Devilstep Hollow Cave, Tennessee". Ancient Art Archive. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  10. ↑ "THE WILDSIDE: Magical beauty in Cumberland County". Crossville Chronicle. April 5, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Hubbard's Cave". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Hubbard's Cave Class II Natural-Scientific State Natural Area". Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Mysterious & Legendary Caves at Lookout Mountain". Gadsden Messenger. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  14. ↑ "A Southern Writer's Journal: Johnny Cash at Nickajack". Chattanooga Pulse. April 18, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Crystal Caverns cave spider". US Fish and Wildlife Service. September 30, 2003. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  16. ↑ "Ruby Falls". Outdoor Chattanooga. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  17. ↑ "USA Long Cave List". Cave-Exploring.com. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  18. ↑ "Exposing Tennessee's Titanic Cave Chamber". National Geographic. 2002-02-24. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  19. 1 2 "SCCi Acquires Snail Shell Cave". Southeastern Cave Conservancy. 2008-06-02. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Caves Amaze: There are 10,000 caverns in Tennessee, here are the best ones". WZTV. April 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
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