Laurel Caverns
P. O. Box 62,
Hopwood, PA
15445
DO NOT SEND MAIL TO OUR PHYSICAL ADDRESS, PLEASE USE THIS MAILING ADDRESS.
Monday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
GPS 1065 Skyline Drive, Farmington, PA 15437
Laurel Caverns is off route 40 east of Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Geographically, it is about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh
Nearby sites are: The Summit Inn, Fort Necessity National Park,
Nemacolin Woodlands, Ohiopyle State Park, Kentuck Knob, and Fallingwater
Rain is never a problem. The cave temperature is a constant 52 degrees.
Reservations are not needed for the traditional tour, which departs every half-hour beginning at 9:30 am, with the last tour entering the cave at 4:00 pm Eastern Time. All walk-ins are welcome.
For schools, scouts, youth groups, summer camps, church groups, family reunions, government programs, and the like, call 724-438-3003 for special rates and arrangements.
The cave temperature is 52o year-round. This tour has three phases. The first is a five-minute orientation; the second involves about 600 feet of walking over the easiest trails in Laurel Caverns; and the third, at no extra charge, is self-guided, for those with both the extra time, and the physical ability to hike fifteen stories deeper into the lit portions of Laurel Caverns. Similarly, for those wanting only the self-guided trails, the easy part of the cave can be by-passed, after the orientation.
$7 per participant over age 2
It does not require special equipment or clothing. It can be toured in a wheelchair. It has three purposes. The first is to give children a caving experience without the dangers of caving. The second is to give them a sense of what it is like to be an archeologist. The third is to help them understand how stalactites and stalagmites form.
The Grottoes of Learning is the largest simulated cave in the world. It covers 10,000 square feet and is larger than some natural tour caves in Pennsylvania and Ohio. It was originally built, and privately funded, by the Laurel Caverns Conservancy, in the 1990’s to study the growth-rates, and growth-stages of stalactites and stalagmites.
The entrance and exit to the Grottoes of Learning is in the Laurel Caverns Visitors’ Center. Because it is unlit, each participant is given a lantern as their only light. During a brief introduction in the first room, each family, or group of four, is given a clipboard identifying twelve paintings of animals made in the Grottoes by humans living in the late Holocene Epoch of geologic time. Participants are to find all twelve. The introduction also has a brief overview of how stalactites and stalagmites form, and how to identify each while on their exploration of the Grottoes. The cost is $7 per participant (Adults pay only the child rate).
The Fun Activities Program is for groups of fifteen or more serving children, primarily ages in the range of four through nine. With this, participants are given both a guided tour of the entire lighted portion of Laurel Caverns and the Kaving for Kids excursion through the Grottoes. At the conclusion of the program, all participants are given a marine fossil about five times as old as Tyrannosaurus Rex, the kind found at Laurel Caverns. Call 724-438-3003 for reservations. The cost is $16 per participant (Adults pay only the child rate and receive a fossil as well).
(Click to expand map made by Ryan Maurer Cartologist)
At Laurel Caverns, we take learning underground.
Lookout off the back deck of the Laurel Caverns facility and see a beautiful view high above on Chestnut Ridge.
This popular activity is done in a cave-like setting in a room adjacent to the Laurel Caverns Gift Shop. Participants are given a card showing all the gems they might find, a sand-filled bag containing those gems, a bag to hold the gems, and a sifting tray. They then work the tray in a waist-high water trough that simulates those used to pan for gold in he 1800s. The cost per bag varies with size and market conditions, but there is an effort to keep the cost at Laurel Caverns below what is charged elsewhere.
With about 10,000 sq. ft. the Grottoes is the largest simulated cave in the world. It was created for the purpose of studying the birth and growth rate of stalactites. Here, children may see real stalactites while, with the lanterns provided, safely explore a dark cave. They are also invited to play archeologist and find 12 animal paintings put there by “prehistoric cavemen.” This is an ideal cave exploring activity for children between 4 and 9 years of age.
Home to Pennsylvania’s largest cave.
Laurel Caverns is 8 miles from Hopwood, PA 15445 and 11 miles from Farmington, PA 15437, surrounded by the Forbes State Forest. For purposes of GPS, put in 1065 Skyline Drive, Farmington, Pennsylvania. Please read our directions.
Laurel Caverns is a large natural calcareous sandstone cave located 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. Most of the passage ceilings in its four mile labyrinth are between ten and twenty feet high (many as high as 50 feet) with an average width of over twelve feet. This makes it the largest cave in Pennsylvania. If classified as a sandstone cave, it is the largest sandstone cave in the world. The cave itself is situated beneath a 435 acre privately owned geological preserve. Because this property is at the top of Chestnut Ridge, all of the water that enters the cave is pristine.
The cost of maintaining this preserve is only funded by cave admissions, program admissions, and our gift shop. No local, state or federal tax dollars are used for either the support of this private preservation initiative or for the support of its educational programs. For this reason your patronage is greatly appreciated.
Because of its size, Laurel Caverns is also the largest natural bat hibernaculum in the north-eastern United States. In commitment to its preservation mission, the cave is closed during winter months for the bat’s winter hibernation season. Therefore, visitors will not likely see bats since the cave is open during the spring, summer, and fall months when bats have left the cave.
GPS 1065 Skyline Drive, Farmington, PA 15437
Laurel Caverns is off route 40 east of Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Geographically, it is about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh
Nearby sites are: The Summit Inn, Fort Necessity National Park,
Nemacolin Woodlands, Ohiopyle State Park, Kentuck Knob, and Fallingwater
Rain is never a problem. The cave temperature is a constant 52 degrees.
MAILING ADDRESS:
Laurel Caverns
P. O. Box 62,
Hopwood, PA
15445
Monday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
