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Explore the Maquoketa Caves

Maquoketa, Iowa

4.5/5
based on 8 reviews

Description

Added by Grant Whitty

Explore a diversity of caves. Wye Cave is especially challenging and fun. Also visit Balanced Rock, Natural Bridge, and Racoon Creek. Hiking trails and camping.

From the Maquoketa Caves State Park office, near the parking area, hike north for access to 8 of the 16 caves in the park. These caves include Wide Mouth Cave, Dug Out Cave, Twin Arch Cave, Hernando's Hideaway, Up-N-Down Cave, Widow Cave, Match Cave, and Upper Dancehall Cave. Other attractions in the northern half of the park include the Natural Bridge and the northern section of Racoon Creek.

In the southern section of the park you will find the remaining caves: Barbell Cave, Shinbone Cave, Wye Cave, Middle Dancehall Cave, Steel Gate Cave, Lower Dancehall Cave, Rainy Day Cave, and Ice Cave. Other attractions in the southern section of the park include the Balanced Rock and the southern section of Raccoon Creek.

Explore the northern and southern caves as you please, but one of the most exhilarating and challenging caves in the park is Wye Cave – picture doing a 12-foot “army crawl” in a very tight space as an out-and-back. If you are claustrophobic, do not go into Wye Cave.

The entrance to Wye is a hole in the ground beneath a giant slab of rock. Climb down the hole about 15 feet. Once you have reached the entrance, you will enter a large atrium that gradually descends, to the left.

At the bottom of the atrium, there is a small hole in the wall where you must "army crawl" about 12 feet through a narrow, tight space. The narrow space is only one person wide, so proceed single-file and keep in mind that others may be returning from the other side.

Once you have made it through the narrow space, a large atrium opens up where you and your party can reconvene after the crawl. The cave then continues into similar tight spaces and large atriums.

Once you have explored the desired distance into the cave, turn around and return the same way. Go back through the crawl space, up through the first atrium, and climb up the entrance hole.

The caves are about 52 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, so dress warm!

Getting there: Maquoketa Caves State Park is located just 7 miles northwest of the town of Maquoketa, Iowa. Take Caves Road off of Highway 61 directly to the caves. Parking is centrally located within the park.

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Features

Chillin
Camping
Photography
Hiking
Bathrooms
Dog Friendly
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
Food Nearby
Forest
Groups
Picnic Area
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Explore the Maquoketa Caves Reviews

Cool to walk through narrow spaces and view water running, stalactites and stalagmites, and numerous different caves of varying sizes. The whole canyon is cool (temperature-wise) so it’s a great summer activity for everyone.

But maybe you should visit it on a weekday. It's kinda small with too many people.

If you love exploring you'll love Maquoketa Caves State Park. There's a bunch of caves to explore. Some you have to crawl to enter but often they open up into larger rooms. My girlfriend and I camped at the campsite for a weekend. It was difficult to get a reservation so plan in advance if you plan to camp. Spots fill up fast. Depending upon how busy it is and how much time you spend exploring each cave you should be able to explore all of them in a day's time. We did it in a little over a half a day. Definitely worth the time to stop and explore the trails and the caves. One of Iowa's hidden gems!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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