Pa. gets its first public cave park
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Scenes inside Laurel Caverns State Park, which opens as a state park this month. Photos: Courtesy of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Laurel Caverns State Park in Fayette County will soon open to the public as Pennsylvania's first underground state park.
Why it matters: Pennsylvania has plenty of caves and caverns to visit thanks to its karst geology, but so far, all of them have been on private property.
Driving the news: Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Monday that Laurel Caverns would open on April 22, Earth Day, and would become the 125th Pennsylvania state park.
Context: Located about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, the 435-acre park has 4 miles of underground passages that stretch as deep as 476 feet below ground.
- Laurel Caverns opened as a private park in 1964, and it has been managed by the Laurel Caverns Conservancy since 1986.
- The caverns were donated to Pennsylvania by owners David and Lillian Cale.
By the numbers: Laurel Caverns attracts about 50,000 visitors annually, and officials expect that to continue under state park operation.
Zoom in: Laurel Caverns State Park grounds and hiking trails will be free — like all Pennsylvania state parks — but self-guided and guided tours will maintain their fee structure, according to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
- Self-guided tours cost $20 for adults and guided tours range from $18-$60, according to Laurel Caverns' website.
Zoom out: Other, private caves to visit include Penn's Cave in Centre County, Crystal Cave in Berks County, Indian Echo Caverns in Dauphin County, and Lincoln Caverns in Huntingdon County.
What they're saying: Shapiro said adding Laurel Caverns to the state park system furthers his administration's goals of boosting outdoor recreation.
- "Pennsylvania's state parks are an incredible asset to our Commonwealth and our economy — and when we invest in outdoor recreation, we not only create good paying jobs, but by bringing people together, we also invest in the wellbeing of our neighbors and the future of our Commonwealth."
Between the lines: The Shapiro administration said the outdoor recreation industry has added $3.5 billion and approximately 12,000 new jobs to the state since 2023.
The bottom line: Laurel Caverns State Park is a seasonal park and will close the last weekend in October, per the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.