Officials from the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests have announced that Blanchard Springs Caverns will reopen for the season Friday.
Often considered the premier guided “living” cave system open for public tour in the National Forest System, the caverns have been open since July 1973. Blanchard Springs Caverns are located off State Highway 14 between Mountain View and Fifty-Six, Ark.
According to a release from the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests, here are things to know before you go:
- The Dripstone Tour reopens on March 1. This hour-long, one half-mile tour takes visitors through the beautiful upper level of the caverns. This tour was designed to accommodate strollers and wheelchairs with a strong assistant.
- The Discovery Tour will open Memorial Day weekend and run through Labor Day. This 1.2-mile tour is a more arduous, non-accessible tour hosted in one of the lower levels of the caverns.
- The Wild Cave Tour is not being offered at this time.
- Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.recreation.gov. Onsite purchasing of tour tickets is not always available. Advanced ticketing for tours allows the caverns to adequately staff-guided tours and provide a more enhanced visitor experience. Prices are $16 for adults, $11 for children ages 6-15, and $1 for children ages 0-5.
- The Visitor Center and Eastern National gift shop will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Thursday through Monday and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The release said visitors to Blanchard Springs Caverns can “…experience stunning, glistening formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowstones, which are still changing and growing due to underground stream systems and springs.”
For more information about tickets or to purchase a ticket, please visit: https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/233266.
For general information about the Caverns, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/osfnf/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5351305.
File image: Recreation.gov.
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