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.
This forty-five-minute tour is designed for the general-public, even those with infants, and does not require special equipment or clothing, other than shoes suitable for a natural trail, and a light jacket or sweater. 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. Due to new safety regulations, the traditional tour must be taken before one can take the self-guided Extended Tour.
$7 per participant over age 2
This 30-minute program, through the Grottoes of learning, is designed for children, especially ages four through eight, accompanied by at least one adult personally responsible for them. It does not require special equipment or clothing. It can be toured in a wheelchair.
This program takes participants back in time, to the year 1794, when Laurel Caverns was discovered by John Delaney, the farmer who owned the property, at that time. The discovery of this cave immediately attracted cave explorers whose primary source of light was an oil lamp. Candles are difficult to keep lit while caving. The first thing to be learned in this activity is what it was like to explore a cave using only oil lamps.
The second thing to be learned is the meaning of: archeology. Archeology is that division of science that looks for evidence of past human existence in a particular place. When a cave is discovered, they look for paintings on the wall. Participants are invited to find animal paintings made in the Grottoes by humans living in the late Holocene Epoch of geologic time. The third thing to be learned are four basic words for calcite formations found in caves.
The fourth thing to be learned is the meaning of: paleontology. Paleontology is the study of life, as it was millions of years ago. The limestone of Laurel Caverns is at least 320 million years old. At that time, even the dinosaurs were millions of years into the future. So, for the rock beds at Laurel Caverns, paleontologists look for sea shell and coral fossils. To find these fossils, paleontologists set up screens, like those used in the Grottoes’ fossil pit. Participants then become paleontologists as they sift sand from the cave floor to find real fossils they can keep.
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. Reservations are not needed, but schools, scouts, and summer camps, bringing groups of fifteen or more should call: 724-438-3003 for group rates.
(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.
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
