These pages list caves in several counties of Western Pennsylvania that are closed or where access is in some way restricted. For each cave a status is listed.
 | Closed. These are caves which are closed by their owners. Cavers attempting to visit these sites run the risk of being arrested for trespassing, and they run the risk of angering the owners of these caves, which in turn could cause the caves to be physically closed. There are hundreds of other caves in the region, so until a cave is removed from the closed list, please refrain from visiting it. The Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy may be attempting to resolve the landowner problems with some of the caves on the list. Other caves are considered closed, permanently, until the property changes hands, if it ever does, such as many of the ones in the Hillside area of Westmoreland County. Please respect the rights of these landowners and DO NOT enter these caves until their names are removed from this list. Thank you. |
| Seasonal. These are caves that are open for only part of the year. For each such cave, the dates that it is open are listed. The most common reason for seasonal closures is to protect bats. There is a shortage of good scientific study and an excess of heated debate on when caves should be closed to protect bat populations. We have listed here the current "common wisdom" on local bat closures. The MAKC plans to review these dates and based on the best information available, revise these dates as necessary. We strongly request that no one enter any caves during listed seasonal closures. We also request that everyone entering any cave at any time of year do their best to avoid disturbing any bats or any other wildlife in the cave. |
| Commercial. These are caves that are open to the public on a paid tour basis. For each commercial cave, a phone number and/or web site link are given where more information about tours can be obtained. |
| Managed. These are caves that have a written management plan that gives rules for when and how the caves may be accessed. Each such cave includes a link to its written management plan that should be read and followed in detail before and when visiting the cave. |
The fact that a cave does not appear on a closed list should not be taken to imply that the cave is open. Every cave is owned by someone: a private individual, a company, or a government agency. In general, the permission of the owner is needed before visiting any cave.
The Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy strongly encourages those who are interested in exploring Western Pennsylvania caves to contact a local grotto of the National Speleological Society. Joining a grotto will put you in touch with people who can give you some training, recommend proper gear, instill a conservation ethic, and take you on trips to local caves. Local grottos with web pages are listed on our links page or check with the NSS for a list of all grottos in Pennsylvania.
Each of the buttons below will take you to the restricted access cave list for a county in Western Pennsylvania.
Find other closed and restricted caves in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia published by the Pennsylvania Cave Conservancy and the Virginia Area Region (VAR) at http://www.caves.org/conservancy/pcc/Caves_PA.html and http://www.varegion.org/var/conservation/closedcaves.shtml.
Anyone who has information about changes or additions to these cave lists or has a good list for other Pennsylvania counties not listed here should contact webmaster@karst.org.