Devils Den in NW Arkansas

Arkansas Caves

Devils Den
 Many outdoor enthusiasts visit Devil's Den State Park with the express purpose of exploring one or more of its many caves and crevices. Most of the park's caves are crevices associated with a unique sandstone crevice area. The longest of these is Devil's Den Cave (550 feet). You can visit on your own (flashlights required), or participate in a strenuous guided cave exploration hike offered once a week during the summer. Others may wish to explore Farmer's Cave, a relatively small, gated limestone cave located at the west end of the park. Parties interested in exploring this cave must meet set guidelines in order to obtain a free first-come, first-served permit at the visitor center. The presence of both sandstone and limestone caves at one park is quite rare and makes for a unique caving opportunity at Devil's Den State Park.

Credit ~ adventurestateparks.com~

Petit Jean

 Rock House Cave - On the north side of Cedar Creek Canyon a large rock shelter awaits those who would venture across the turtle rocks and walk down a draw to step back in time. Archeologists are unsure, but estimate that thousands of years ago Native Americans lived throughout this area. Inside Rock House Cave, walk gently and look carefully. You'll see a deep red pictograph, and then others will come to view as you look high on the walls of this rock shelter. Native Americans left their mark here by illustrating their stories on these rock walls. These are stories told in graphics that we are unable to read in their entirety, but ancient drawings we can appreciate for their symbolic artistry. As you experience Arkansas's original state park, you, too, will feel the sensation that others who were first attracted to Petit Jean Mountain's enchanting beauty felt
credit ~adventurestateparks.com~

An Introduction to Caves and Caving

Exploration of caves takes us into a world much different from that above ground, a world of darkness surrounded by rock and mud. Exotic formations, streams and waterfalls, tight crawlways, deep canyons and pits, huge rooms with large blocks of breakdown, crickets, bats and cave rats await the cave explorer.

Caving can be a strenuous sport, a casual hobby, a means to conducting scientific research, or all of these and more. Caves are found around the world and in a variety of settings, from cold alpine environments to warm tropical rain forests, and are formed through a variety of natural processes

Caving can be a strenuous sport, a casual hobby, a means to conducting scientific research, or all of these and more. Caves are found around the world and in a variety of settings, from cold alpine environments to warm tropical rain forests, and are formed through a variety of natural processes

Exploring a cave in the Ozarks

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Less than an hours drive south of Amarillo,Texas, is the mysterious terra cotta badlands of Palo Duro Canyon. Coming off the staked plains of the Texas Panhandle, this 60-mile-long and 800-foot-deep canyon is surprise among these treeless plains. Surrounded by miles of open land and endless skies, visitors will be amazed at the towering cliffs, banded by a myriad of colors, and the amazing rock formations carved over millions of years by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River.

The first European explorers to come upon the canyon were members of the Coronado expedition in 1541. At that time, the Apache people called the canyon home. However, they were later run out by the Comanche and Kiowa tribes, who had the advantage of horses brought over by the Spanish.

Today the park, which includes more than 16,000 acres, annually receives over half a million visitors. Sixteen miles of scenic drives wind through the canyon and park activities include hiking, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, picnicking camping, and wildlife viewing

The park is located about 12 miles east of Canyon on State Highway 217. From Amarillo, take Interstate 27 south to State Highway 217, and go east 8 miles.