Watch Video:

Raccoon Mtn

Raccoon Mountain Caverns

Location = Raccoon Mountain Caverns. 319 W Hills Dr, Chattanooga.

Raccoon Mountain Caverns remain at 58 degrees F. year round. The descent into the cave is fairly dark, but only a short distance down. The caverns are mostly spacious but narrows significantly in width & height in several spots. It's also fairly dark, but the pathway is lit with lights along with the stunning formations.

Raccoon Mountain Caverns is one of the most geologically active caves in the south - meaning the mountain could be growing by movement of the earth's plates, volcanic activity, earthquakes, and water & wind erosion.

You'll be thrilled by the discoveries in Raccoon Mountain Caverns: formations of stalactites (stalac ends in C = grows from the ceiling) and stalagmites (stalag ends in G = grows from the ground). You'll also see sparkling mineral deposits and maybe a salamander, cave spider, and ancient fossil.

Perfect for a 1 day trip. Raccoon Mountain - consider anyone with a fear of darker or slightly confined spaces. The underground caverns are a constant 58 degrees F. Nickajack Bat Cave - specific viewing times below, best views by boat or take the trail.

The caves offer the thrill of exploring what's below our feet in an underground world. Both beginning cavers & unknown for beginners to advanced spelunkers (one who likes to explore caves) will enjoy Raccoon Mountain Caverns.

Personally, we're not fans of the tight squeezes or rabbit holes in the dark, underneath tons of rock. The cave has 5.5 miles cavern mazes, secret passageways, and different levels. Since we're total newbies to cave exploration we chose the 1/4 mile tour which lasts almost an hour.

After your Guide explains a few facts about the cave, you're led down a staircase into a spacious, cathedral sized cavern called Crystal Palace - and it's lit up like a Christmas themed drive-thru. Prepare to be dazzled.

This place is totally worth a 2nd visit for a longer tour. If you're braver than we are - go for a deeper tour.

I was really fascinated by a few formations that sparkled like tiny diamonds. The fluorescent sparkles are made when calcite minerals are able to absorb light - producing a glow-in-the-dark substance. The minerals present will determine the glow stick color like blue, red, green, or white.

WHOA, what just happened? The lights went out. It's dark down here..... and I mean TOTALLY dark! Focused on the best photo angle, I didn't hear the Guide say: this is what life is really like in a cave. SPOOKY - no lights for 10 seconds.

Besides the Crystal Palace walking tour that we chose (minimum age = 3), you have other options that dive deeper into the underground world. FYI: Review: minimum age, height, and weight requirements. These cave tours provide everything you need including a helmet light. The 2 hour Canyon Crawl tour is an adventure clearly for the brave because you'll be crawling thru a maze of beautiful caverns and squeezing thru holes to experience more underground wonders.

The 3.5 hour Waterfall Dome tour is for the crazies! Their website describes it as "not for the faint of heart". The course is challenging - climbing ropes, navigating slippery mud & tight crawlspaces, and crossing a body-bridge over a 35 foot deep canyon. WAIT.... WHAT? A body-bridge? This is scarier than rock hopping across a molten lava field to find the treasure inside the Temple of Doom. And once you start.... cue spooky music.... there's no way out except forward.

I know there's cavers out there that would love this kind of heart-stopping rush. I'd LOVE to see photo's of your crazy, other world experience. The red hole below is one of the openings, which is barely more than shoulder width wide. Have fun with that rabbit-hole. * I'll add a blog section and highlight you and your spelunking bravery. I'd also love pics of the underground pools.

Location = Nickajack Cave Wildlife Refuge parking lot. Mapleview Road is the parking lot in South Pittsburg, TN. It's about 25 miles west of Chattanooga. FYI: Bring a flashlight if you're walking to the viewing platform, or lights for your boat. Arrive 20-30 minutes prior to sunset. The short trail starts at the parking lot next to the water, and goes into the woods.

Tennessee has over 10,000-11,500 caves (reports disagree on the count). Because there's so many underground streams that erode the limestone rock, Tennessee has 20% of the country's caves. Nickajack Cave was originally 140 feet wide & 50 feet high, but 25–30 feet of the cave is now under water due to the Dam. It's now a Wildlife Refuge for the Gray bat.

Gray bats are only 3.5 inches long with little mouse ears and live in Nickajack Cave from May thru September. They are an endangered species with the largest populations being in northern Alabama. Human disturbance has caused their declining numbers because gray bats are sensitive - which is why the cave is blocked off. The bats migrate here and give birth to their young, and emerge every evening just before sunset to search for food - mostly flying bugs.

The gray bat uses echolocation to find it's bug food and navigate. Echo-location is like sonar where the bat emits a sound which bounces off an object and returns an echo.

The echo tells the bat how far away the object is, the size & shape of the object, and what direction it's moving.

This means - they're flying all around you at lightning speed trying to ping a tiny little bug.... so you might wanna duck.... like NOW, duck now!

It's a sight to see - imagine 100,000 bats flying out of Nickajack Cave in huge waves. Seriously, these little guys are zippin' fast, changing direction faster than your eyes can keep up. Talk about a serious case of ZOOMIES. Every evening, the gray bats take flight to get their daily quota of bugs.

They estimate bats eat approximately 274,000 pounds of insects every year. If they're at the cave for 4.5 months - that's roughly 767 pounds of bugs per night. Dang.... wish they'd come to my house!

Interesting tidbit: In 1967 Johnny Cash went into the Nickajack Cave to commit suicide - being intoxicated and distraught over his divorce. He says he had a spiritual experience that changed him so much that he gave up using drugs and lived until 2003.

The first time we visited Nickajack Cave we walked the short side trail with flashlights for our walk back. The viewing platform is rather small at the edge of the woods. We were there with 6 other people, and our view was limited since the trees were on either side, and it was dusk and the small gray bats were getting harder to see.

We went a second time and brought our kayaks and floated in front of the cave and a short distance further east. This is where you want to be - the bats are flying basically just above your head and at shoulder level in the kayak. It's pretty awesome to see all the action over the water.

Vacation Travel Tips

• Average temps high/low = Summer 89/64 degrees F. Winter 49/29. TN ranks 7th for humidity. Expect snow in mountain regions.

• Backpack essentials - water, bug spray, sunscreen, whistle, flashlight, cell phone, pocket knife, and a light jacket.

• Winter Essentials - thermal blanket, waterproof boots, warm clothing.

• Hiking conditions - trails can be wet & slippery after summer rains. Prepare for snow in higher elevations.

• Vehicle safety – Keep a spare blanket, boots, jacket, gloves, and snacks in the car. Winter roads can be icy & snow covered - use “winter” tires. If you only have "all season" tires, take snow chains.

• Wild animals - black bears are becoming bolder in parks/campsite areas mostly due to food. Coyotes, cougar, bobcat are also present.

• Trash - Pack out what you pack in.

• Rivers/lakes – river shoes really help on the rocky bottom. Heavy winter rains mean deep, ice-cold & fast moving water in spring.

• Poison oak & ivy - always know before you touch. The common Oak has 3 leaflets per stem but can have more. Ivy always has 3 leaflets.

• Poisonous snakes - 4 types, found on land, water, and trees. They generally prefer to avoid humans, usually biting only if threatened.

• Wilderness areas – take a buddy & tell someone your travel plans.

Next Blog...