With five out of 12 of the longest caves in the United States located in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, our country’s Midwest, it seems as though this region was the ideal spot for the growth and development of long and winding caverns thousands of years ago. Indiana Caverns ranks in as the 11th longest cave in the U.S found to date! That’s not too shabby considering there are over 45,000 known caves in the lower 48 states.

Along with being the longest cave in Indiana, Indiana Caverns is also considered a hotspot for subterranean biodiversity. In layman’s terms, this means that it holds over 21 species of cave dwellers known as troglobites, like our friend the cave salamander.

Indiana Caverns also holds many Pleistocene or Ice Age animal bones from 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. While touring Indiana Caverns on our boat ride, you will be able to admire various black bear wallows where these bears hibernated for the winter. We are also home to a juvenile bison skeleton that is completely intact.

Many of the other longest caves in the U.S. similarly have very unique traits hidden in their depths. For example, microbes in Lechuguilla Cave are helping scientists possibly find a cure for cancer.