Cave of the Winds Mountain Park

A Limestone Show Cave Above Williams Canyon, Found By Two Boys On A Church Outing In 1880 And Opened To Paying Visitors In 1881 One Of The Longest Continuously Operated Show Caves In The United States. · Manitou Springs, Colorado

Two boys on a church outing found a hole in the side of Williams Canyon in 1880, and by 1881 somebody was charging admission - which makes Cave of the Winds one of the longest continuously operated show caves in the country. What is down there is a limestone system of narrow passages and decorated rooms, walked on a paved and lit route that takes about three quarters of an hour and stays at a constant fifty-four degrees regardless of what the weather is doing four hundred feet above. The Lantern Tour is the better one if you can take the stairs: no electric light, hand-carried lanterns, and the route the Victorian guides used. Above ground the site has become a small adventure park on the canyon rim, with a zip line and a ride that swings out over the drop, which is a different proposition entirely from the cave beneath it. The cave is worth separating from the rides: it is one of the few genuine Victorian tourist attractions in the country still trading as one.

100 Cave of the Winds Road, Manitou Springs, Colorado, 80829, United States

Open daily year-round with seasonal hours, closing on a small number of major holidays. ALL CAVE ACCESS IS BY GUIDED TOUR ONLY - you cannot walk in unaccompanied - and tours run on a rolling schedule with the Lantern Tour less frequent and often sold out. The above-ground rides operate seasonally and close in wind, lightning and ice. The access road up from Manitou Springs is steep and narrow with switchbacks.

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