Oregon Caves History

The area of Oregon Caves in the Siskiyou Mountains and the cavern itself were discovered in 1874 by Elijah Davidson, but they'd been around for a few million years. About fifteen hundred years prior to 1874, humans inhabited the Rogue River basin in permanent villages. When gold was found in the valley in 1851, miners came, but not necessarily in droves. Josephine County had just over a thousand settlers in 1852.

It soon became apparent there was resort potential, despite its rather out-of-the-way location, although two private efforts failed prior to 1900. In 1909, it became a National Monument through the Antiquities Act by President William Taft, but with little early plans about how to realize that potential. The Oregon Caves Company was formed in 1923 and a Visitor Center/dormitory was built, the Chalet. It is still there, although predominantly rebuilt by 1946. They also built a Chateau in 1933, six stories tall in Rustic architecture, tent houses, and Concession Cottages, see photo below. There were originally seven cottages and seven other buildings. All of the cottages were removed by 1988.

Photo above: Automobiles on their way to Oregon Caves, 1913, Weister Company. Courtesy Library of Congress. Below: Past Concession cabins at Oregon Caves, date unknown, Historic American Buildings Survey. Courtesy Library of Congress.

The Cave

Once you acquire your tour ticket for the cave, you'll enter at four thousand feet above sea level into caves made of Marble. For the first half of the tour, for the most part, you'll be walking level to the entrance, but don't let that fool you. Whether you exit at the 110 meter mark or go all the way to the top, which is the Main Cave Exit, you will be climbing. The Main Cave Exit sits at 4,220 feet above. There are fifteen thousand feet of passages inside.

What you will be seeing, however, is a spectacular display of a limestone built marble cavern. At first, you pass Watson's Grotto and the Petrified Garden, then the Dry Room and Imagination Room. The first climb takes you to those two spots. Banana Grove, Niagara Falls, and the Spiral Stairs are on the next level, along with the Wind Tunnel to Miller's Chapel.

Now up you really go into the rooms of the upstairs level, the Ghost Room and Paradise Lost, then out and up past the Clay Pocket to the Main Exit Tunnel. Hope you'd done you're cardio. Please don't attempt to walk the cave if you are not capable of a steep climb.

Photo above: Winter scene of the snow, trees, and mountains above the caverns at Oregon Caves. Courtesy National Park Service.

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Oregon Caves Activities

Besides just watching nature from any point in the 4,554 acre park, one of the best above ground activities is hiking one of the six trails that meander around the mountains.

They range from the Cliff Nature Trail, one mile long, with an elevation gain 371 feet from the Visitor Center; to the Big Tree Trail, 3.3 miles, elevation gain 1,125 feet (only for the hardiest and most experienced hikers). At a lower pace, try the Old Growth Trail, 200 feet elevation gain and about 1 mile long. The No Name Trail starts at the Chateau, is steep, with 268 feet elevation gain over 1.3 miles. Finally, you could try the difficult Cave Creek Trail that runs down from the Chateau to the Cave Creek Campground, 3.6 miles and 1,245 feet elevation gain.

For an all day hike, there's the Bigelow Lakes to Mt. Elijah Loop Trail, 9 miles, 2,390 feet elevation gain to the top of Mt. Elijah (6,390 feet high). Only experienced fit hikers here.

Photo above: Cliff Nature Trail along the mountain at Oregon Caves. Courtesy National Park Service.

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