Well, that piqued my interest. And when I read that the caverns are filled with a vast array of glittering crystal-like formations, that made it even more enticing. I love sparkly things. Stars, crystals, fireflies, fireworks, champagne…the sparklier, the better.
On the other hand, I really don’t like caves. I don’t like being underground, I don’t like pitch-black places, and being underground in the dark in a tight space does not bring out the best in me. Nonetheless, this cave was irresistible because it promised treasures. Sparkly treasures.
The Caverns of Sonora happened to be conveniently halfway on our route from the Big Bend area to San Antonio, off Interstate 10 about 15 miles southwest of Sonora. There’s not much around here—so it’s pretty sweet to not only have the caverns to visit, but to also have a place to stay the night.
The campground at Caverns of Sonora (there’s an RV area if you don’t want to stay in a teepee)
The welcoming committee
We pulled into the campground and chose our site for the night—$25 for water and electric hookups. The next morning, we walked over to the gift shop to purchase our tickets for the first tour of the day. The tours cost $20, are offered every two hours starting at 9:00 a.m., and are first-come, with each tour limited to 12 people. The small group makes for a great experience (we had only eight people on our tour).
The gift shop is where you buy your tickets for the tours, and also has a pretty spectacular array of gemstones and rocks for sale
We lucked out with an excellent tour guide, a college student with a passion for speleology who spends his summers and winter holidays guiding people through the caves. Raphael was patient, knowledgeable, and convinced me to leave my down vest behind. Trust me (and Raphael), you do not want to wear anything more than a lightweight shirt in the caves, even if it’s 35 degrees outdoors (as it was in January).
The caves are about 72 degrees year round and 98 percent humidity, which makes it feel like Florida on a hot summer evening. You are not allowed to remove your jacket and tie it around your waist because the formations are delicate, and many of the passageways narrow. The owners of the caves are doing their best to protect the cave, and the only thing you’re allowed to bring along is your camera.
As the story goes, the entrance to the cavern was first discovered in the early 1920s by a dog chasing a raccoon down a hole. Decades of exploration followed, hindered by a 50-foot pit just 500 feet in from the entrance. Those intrepid early explorers eventually fashioned a network of stairs, narrow pathways, and bridges. On our journey, we traveled 155 feet below the surface through two miles of spectacular formations. For two hours, I forgot my dislike of caves. It is truly an otherworldly experience.
Our guide Raphael at the entrance to the cavern
Descending into the cavern
The first little bit of the cavern is nothing to write home about. But as forewarned, it was warm and humid. Really, really humid. My camera immediately fogged up and I had to resort to using my phone for photos.
Things soon got really interesting. No wonder this cavern is regarded as one of the most highly decorated caves in the world.
Before too long, the formations start to get interesting
So fancy! These are reputed to be some of the finest cave formations in the world.
I think these were called toilet brush formations (not really, but that’s what they look like)
The passageways are narrow through the walls of cave coral. Kind of feels like walking underwater through a coral reef.
Paved pathways traverse what would otherwise be inaccessible parts of the cavern
Our wonderful guide pointed out formations along the way
A cave pool filled with pennies, sacrificed to the universal impulse for making wishes. The copper pennies turn the water green.
Halo Lake; the green cast is from pennies tossed in long ago.
Enjoying the Crystal Palace. This is truly a remarkable cave.
Cave bacon, always a favorite in any cave. Doesn’t that look delicious?
The Caverns at Sonora are known for their concentration of rare helictite formations. All caves have stalagmites and stalactites (stalagmites grow upward from the floor, stalactites grow downward from the ceiling—they “hang tight”). But helictites grow outward from the walls of the cave. How the heck they do that, I have no idea. Apparently, scientists don’t even know for certain. But they’re beautiful.
A rare helictite formation
I still don’t like caves. But this was a totally cool experience, and I’d do it again.
About the campground:
The Caverns of Sonora offer electric and water hookups, with level gravel pull-through sites. There would be little privacy if the campground was full, but there was no one else in the campground while we were there. Bathrooms and showers are available (we didn’t use them). Weak Verizon connection. The best part is that you’re walking distance to some of the most unique caverns in the world. And it’s a great stopover should you be traveling between Big Bend National Park and San Antonio.
Pull-through sites at Caverns of Sonora
Next Up: Biking To The Missions (And So Much More): San Antonio, TX
WOW, all I have to say is I would not go
into those caverns, you guys are brave. I have
done it before and nothing would change my mind.
Beautiful never the less.
Peggy
Peggy, it was wonderful and really an easy adventure. You know I’m not fond of caves, but this one was worth it!
We drove by those caverns last year and should have stopped. We visited the Oregon Caves today and find the critters in them interesting.
Put it on your list for next time, Debbie. By far the most beautiful cavern I’ve seen (well, that’s from a list of about three, but still…).
I’ll be back to read the post in its entirety tomorrow, but I had to comment when I noticed where you’re writing from. We’re hustling to Oregon/Washington after a brief stay in San Antonio and had lunch at the Sonora rest area today. It is indeed a small world … staying in Ft Stockton tonight … onward to El Paso tomorrow. Happy trails.
Erin, yes it is a small world…but I’m really far behind in posting. We were there in January. Safe travels as you head to Oregon! Have you been to Hueco Tanks near El Paso? It’s a special place if you like unique pictographs.
Glad to know I’m not the only one who has to play catch-up with the blog and write about experiences after-the-fact ;-) When we stayed in El Paso for two weeks in 2016 we went to Hueco Tanks … really enjoyed it. The area offers a lot of interesting places to visit.
Meant to say that I just finished reading this post. We’ve visited quite a few caves and caverns around the US and overseas … and have always enjoyed seeing Mother Nature’s underground artwork. I’ll add these to our future sightseeing list.
Oh good, glad to hear I’m in good company! I can’t seem to keep up with our journey in a timely way. But I do enjoy writing about our adventures and sharing them, and I don’t think it really matters when the posts happen. Not worth stressing myself out about it.
I’ll have to check out your ideas for El Paso. The only thing we’ve ever done is to stay at Hueco Tanks and explore the pictographs, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Since you enjoy caves, you’ll love the Caverns of Sonora.
Amazing
Christine, it is a beautiful and unique cavern. We’re happy we stopped.
The formations you call toilet brush formations look to me like you just walked into a lighting store specializing in hanging lanterns. So, beautiful. I especially love the little butterfly formations in your last picture.
Happy Trails to you.
Hanging lanterns sounds ever so much better than toilet brushes! Thanks, Sheila. :-)
Those particular helictites really do look like butterflies. One of those in the photo was a double, and looked exactly like a butterfly with its wings spread. It was a very rare formation. Sadly, a poorly behaved person broke off part of the wing about ten years ago. Because of that incident, Texas enacted strict laws to protect cave formations.
I love sparkly things too including glitter which you didn’t mention. Also love caves so this was an interesting post for me. How DO you find all these things I’ve never heard of and quotes from folks about them no less. LOVE LOVE the dark. The darker the better. I’d love to stay in that tipi and hang around the welcoming committee. What type of sheep are we talking about here with their long shaggy coats. Not wild I assume. I cannot believe you got those great pictures with a phone. WOW! The detail is great and in low light too. Hardly dark. I’ve been in numerous caverns from Wind Cave to Mystery to Mammoth to Luray and have never seen helicite formations. They are amazing. I sure do hope some day to be traveling from Big Bend to San Antonio.
Glitter! Of course it should be on the list! And sequins. Sherry, I probably spend too much time reading about areas that we’re visiting and looking for interesting things to do. I guess I don’t want to miss out on anything. :-))
I know you like caves, and you’ve been in a lot of them. You would love this cavern.
Thanks Laurel for a great post…we love caverns and will put this on our itinerary for Texas!
Brenda, if you like caves, you will love this one! It’s beautiful and so different from any other cavern. Glad I could help with your Texas list!
We visited the caverns last Oct. You didn’t mention the deer in the campground. They are quite tame and the owners feed them each morning and evening.They were great to view meandering through camp.
JR, I remember some deer cruising by, but because we have so many deer in our neighborhood in Oregon, I tend to associate them with eating our veggie garden and mowing down our landscape. I appreciate them more when I see them in nature or walking through a campground. Sounds as though they’re almost pets at the caverns. :-)
After spending most of a day underground in Carlsbad Caverns a few years ago I pretty much moved visiting more caves waaaay down on the list. Not that the caverns weren’t beautiful. They were amazing. I just prefer my ceiling to be the sky. Caverns of Sonora looks like one that might lure me back underground at some point. Great post as always!
Haha, my thoughts EXACTLY. You said it perfectly, Henry—I prefer my ceiling to be the sky, too. But truly, you and Loretta would enjoy the Caverns of Sonora. I know you’ll pass by at some point in your travels, so put it on your list!
Haha! I was telling John about your post…and he said I’m worried because I am a couple days behind and your a whole season behind!! Gotta love him!! Too funny:) But love that you are still posting whenever you can.
This is a spectacular cave!! I don’t care for the cave claustrophobia, but I am usually very distracted by the beauty that I am all right. I love the “toilet brush” section (perfect name). That is a WOW!! Now I do believe that is the best piece of bacon I’ve seen in a cave. I’ve never seen helictites before. Way cool! When we decide to visit Big Bend, this is a must stop! Awesome cave!! Your photos came out really nicely.
Thanks, Pam. That was the best piece of cave bacon we’ve ever seen, too—so crazy how it really looks like bacon! And those helictites are apparently rare formations and are extraordinarily beautiful. You would really enjoy this cave. You’re going to have to return to Texas, hehe!
Tell John I’ll catch up eventually. Hopefully. Probably not.
So cool…
Thanks, Kyle! So happy to hear from you. oxoxo
Loved the caverns. It was tight camping when we were there. Phew. I love caverns and there are a bunch all over that part of Texas.
I’m so behind on my blog too. You’re doing much better than I am.
Oh, so you guys were there, too! I hope you’re going to post about it. Pam. It’s such a unique place, and not that many people seem to know about it. I didn’t realize there are a lot of caverns all over that part of Texas.
I swear, I have no idea how I get so far behind. There always seems to be so much going on…
We love caves! And glad you forego your dislike of caves and went nevertheless to the Sonoran Caverns. We have seen those billboards but ignored it since we thought, ahh, yet another cave.How foolish we are. That is such a fascinating cave and the decor is beautiful. Love it!
Thanks so much, MonaLiza! When you and Steve make it back to Texas, be sure to visit the caverns. I know you would love it. And you would get great photos, I’m sure! I’m glad I could share something you haven’t done, because you seem to have done just about everything. :-)
Very cool! Looks like a truly unique and extravagant cave!
Lisa, extravagant is the perfect description. It really is a uniquely beautiful cavern.
We stopped at the Caverns of Sonora on our way to Big Bend. I loved it. Sparkly and full of gorgeous formations. I was so fascinated looking at things that I had a hard time remembering not to touch anything in those close quarter places. Your photos are beautiful.
Thank you, Barbara—I’m so glad you enjoyed the photos. I haven’t figured out how to take good photos in poor lighting but the formations were so beautiful I had to try to capture them. You’re right, it was really tight quarters in there, especially in some of those passageways! I had to remind myself to keep my hands off of the pretty things. :-)
Hmmm, two hours and two miles…underground? Not sure xanax and tequila would last that long. Glad you took pictures! ;)
Haha, yeah, not sure your homemade tranquilizer concoction would last that long….and they won’t let you bring a flask into the cave! Not even water. Still, if you’re ever in the area, think about seeing the cavern, Brenda. You would be fine. (I think. :-))
Not even water? I suppose you can’t lick the walls if you’re thirsty.
Noooo….no touching allowed! :-)
We’ve been to a couple caves over the years, but I’ve never seen this type of crystal formation. I agree – very pretty. I am surprised it was warm though. Every one we’ve been to has always been significantly cooler than the surface temp, and I don’t recall any major humidity. Interesting that these are so different than the ones we’ve been to (in Virginia and Florida). On another matter, at first glance, that green water is pretty – until you realize why it’s green. Ugh… Disheartening to say the least. I’m glad they are working hard to preserve and protect the caves now.
Laura, we’ve been in a couple of other caves, and as you said, they were always chilly. This one was really different, and even in January was warm and humid. I think that’s part of the reason the formations are so different.
People just can’t seem to resist tossing pennies into pools of water…that’s why they sacrificed one pool to be the “wishing pool.” The owners seem to be doing a great job of protecting the cavern.
Wow, all those years in the hill country and I never got there! You two really do find all the sparkling gems.Missing you as the redbuds and dogwoods bedazzle me daily…. Love and light, xox Dia
The caverns are magical, Dia. Next time you’re in Texas, maybe you could plan a little field trip?
Ashland must be beautiful right now…bedazzling is the perfect description of springtime there! Love you, miss you!
I’m with you Laurel in that I’m not a fan of caves either, although we have been in several. I have to be reassured that I will not have to get down on all fours and shimmy my way through narrow openings. This cave looks fascinating. I have never seen a helictite formation before…so interesting. And who wouldn’t like the cave bacon?
LuAnn, this really is a fascinating cave. Although there are some tight spaces, there’s no crawling or shimmying involved! Although if you want, you can sign up for a special “adventure” tour. (No thanks!) :-)
Another WOW post Laurel! I don’t care if you are behind if you keep showing us these beautiful places, through your artistic eyes and camera lens.
Looking at your pictures of walking through the cave, I got just a little bit of the “squeezees”. I don’t usually like being too far below ground, and in a narrow spot especially. But….so much to keep the mind busy so I probably could do it. My last experience walking through a narrow slot underground was at a 5000 year old Passage Tomb at Newgrange and I made it through so this cave should be a piece of cake for me, right?
I think you would love this cave, Sue! You’re right, there are so many beautiful and interesting distractions, it kept me from thinking about how narrow some of the passageways were or how far we were below ground. Plus, the cave is lighted very artistically, and each room is illuminated as you walk into it so you’re not left in the dark.
I’m glad you’re still with us even though I’m so far behind in posting. :-)
It would be nice to see it in a small group like you had – much less “snug” I think. The sparkles are wonderful! I’m so glad you made the stop and shared it with us. Some of our favorite surprises have been at those “good stop in between” places :-)
Jodee, they limit the tours to 12 people, which is better not only for the participants, but helps protect the cavern. We were lucky with even fewer on our tour. I agree, we love the unexpected treasures in our travels!