Laurel Caverns

Laurel Hill Cave - Delaney's Cave - Dulany's Cave


Useful Information

Location: East of Uniontown. Off US 40, 8 km south of Mount Summit Inn.
Open: MAR to APR Sat, Sun 9-17 (last tour).
MAY to OCT daily 9-17 (last tour), tour every 20 min.
OCT to NOV Sat, Sun 9-17 (last tour).
DEC to FEB closed.
[2007]
Fee: Adults USD 10, Children (12-18) USD 8, Children (6-11) USD 7, Children (0-5) free, Seniors (65+) USD 9.
[2007]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave Mississippian Loyalhanna limestone.
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: L=4,972 m, VR=136 m, T=12 °C.
Guided tours: D=55 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography: Kevin Patrick (2004): Pennsylvania Caves & other rocky roadside wonders, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pa, USA, 248 pp, illus. p 10, 19, 22-23, 26, 31, 70-73, 75, 79, 89-90, 162-65, 167-68, 169, 175-176, 220, 226.
Ralph W Stome (1932): Pennsylvania Caves, Pennsylvania Geological Survey Fourth Series, Bulletin G3, p 70-75, survey, 5 photos.
Address: Laurel Caverns, P.O. Box 62, 2 Skyline Drive, Farmington, PA 15437, Tel: +1-724-438-3003 or (800)515-4150, Fax: +1-724-437-1925.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1816 first described by John Paxton as Laurel Hill Cave.
1926 Roy and Norman Cale buy Delaney's Cave and make a parking lot near the entrance.
1931 cave visited by 1,780 people.
1964 opened to the public and renamed Laurel Caverns by Norman Cale.

Description

Laurel Caverns is located on Chestnut Ridge at the head of Cave Hollow. The cave formed in a unusual sort of limestone containing a high amount of quartz aka silica. This mineral is not soluble in water under the conditions of karst, so it remains nearly unchanged when the limestone is dissolved. The silica minerals form a fine sediment on the cavern floor, looking rather similar to beach sand.

The upper level of the cave is looking like a maze, with passages in two main directions with 90° in between. So the survey of this level looks similar to the map of an American city. The passages are tilted with about 15°, following the layers of the limestone, which is a little irritating at first. The regular tours show this level of the cave.

The lower level is mainly a spacious meandering passageway with the typical quartz sand on the floor. This part of the cave may be visited on cave trekking tours with flashlights and caving equipment. Once this level was visited in self guided cave trekking tours, furnished with a cave map. Today the cave trekking tours are guided.

Former names of Laurel Caverns are Laurel Hill Cave and Delaney's Cave, also spelt De Laney, Delany and Dulany.