Tucked in Oregon's southwest corner near the town of Cave Junction, about 15 miles from the California border, the 488-acre Oregon Caves National Monument features a marble cavern system decorated with natural mineral sculptures including helicites, draperies, and soda straws.
Discovered in 1874, the Oregon Caves are a three-and-a-half-mile winding tunnel of caverns set deep in the heavily wooded Siskiyou National Forest. Pleistocene-aged jaguar and grizzly bear fossils have recently been found in some of the deeper chambers of the cave system. Besides the cavern system, the monument also includes old-growth coniferous forest and a historic lodge.
Although the caves are only accessible spring through fall, the monument is open year-round and includes several trails through the old-growth forest. The aptly named Big Tree Trail traverses beautiful mountain meadows to pass the Douglas fir tree with the widest known girth in Oregon. Trails wind in and out of the monument, and some connect with the Pacific Crest Trail.
Oregon Caves National Monument is located in southwest Oregon. To learn more about the area, please select a topic of interest from the navigation bar on the left.
