2025 Get Down
@ Lost River Hostel
Self-Led Caves: (Fri-Sat-Sun)
Mill Cave: (Waiver required) – Beginner/Easy
A walk-in entrance leads to walking passage. The lower level ends at a small waterfall that you can climb. If you want more, look for the climb-up to the upper level. Here, you will find muddy crawls and a body-sized tube called “The Gun Barrel.” The cave ends in mud fill.
Donnehue Cave – Beginner/Easy
One of Indiana’s classics. Enter at the culvert and exit at the Bedford Boat Club. Walk the street to get back to your car. You must go thru a ‘bathtub’ near the end of the trip. If you want more, look for the climb-up to the upper level. The upper level has decorations and tight crawlways and a canyon to chimney up/down. This is one of the three major spring caves in Bedford.
Lead Trips Saturday:
Doghill Cave (Zach) – Beginner/Intermediate
Enter the natural entrance for a out-and-back trip. The beginning of the cave has a wet crawl and some stoop-walking before things open up into a beautiful canyon passage. Climb down the massive rimstone dams and check out the ginormous flowstone formations. How far will you go? To the bathtub? Through the bathtub? Through the second bathtub?? Expect water and mud. This is the second major spring cave in Bedford.
Bryant’s Cave (Angie) - Beginner
Explore the ‘old cave’ on a nice half-day trip. The route is out to The Dig and back, with an optional jaunt through the squeezy back entrance. Larger cavers may be discouraged by the tight back door. If so, it is possible to cut the trip a little short and skip that part. Angie will show you. This cave is dry (except for maybe a few puddles) and well-decorated. This cave requires lots of crawling with some army crawls. There are LOTS of pretty rocks.
Tucker Lake (Kevin) - Beginner
This trip features three caves: Spring Cave, Campground Cave and Hopper’s Hole. Spring Cave is a nice spring cave. You start off crawling in water but the cave opens up to a tall canyon. Some nice soda straws and other formations. Eventually it lowers to a crawl and continues for a LONG time. I honestly have never reached the ‘end’ of Spring Cave. Will you? Campground is a sweet little cave only 15 minutes of caving. Close to the boat ramp. And Hopper’s Hole? Wow! You gotta see it to believe. This will be a fun day close to camp.
Wells Cave (Scott) – Intermediate/Advanced
Are you ready to send it?? The entrance to this cave is an 18’ pit. We will climb down a cable ladder. The cave continues as a large walking passage – until you slide down through a tight crack to continue. That crack will discourage larger cavers. There is some exposure (ledges and high spots). There are some nice features to provide reward for your effort. I have trouble climbing back up and out the crack and creative solutions are required. Again, larger cavers will be discouraged by this obstacle. If you are small-ish, brave enough to climb the swingy ladder, and looking for a sporty trip, this may be the one for you.
Lead Trips Sunday:
Salts Cave (Angie) - Beginner
Another of Indiana’s classics. Follow the out-and-back route to the end of the cave. Salts has a little bit of everything – some walking, some climbing, some crawling. It is a nice-well rounded cave and is a good trip for newbies. The cave doesn’t have a lot of decorations, but it does have LOTS of mud. Some people pay good money for mud baths, Angie will set you up for free!!
Salt Creek (Scott) – Intermediate
This is the third major spring cave in Bedford (Donnehue, Doghill, and Salt Creek). Salt Creek gets less visitors than the others, because the entrance has a TIGHT SQUEEZE that filters out larger cavers. After the squeeze, the cave continues in a wet crawl for long enough to discourage you (lol). Finally (!!) the cave opens up into a nice canyon passage. Formations block the connection to the ‘back’ of the cave, but it is possible to do the first half of the cave, exit, walk a short distance to the second entrance, and then go caving again. That is the only way to see all of this cave. We gonna give it a try!!