Blanchard Springs Caverns

Blanchard Springs Cavern
Speleothems in Blanchard Springs Cavern
Location in Arkansas Show map of Arkansas Location in United States Show map of the United States
Location	Stone County, Arkansas, U.S.
Nearest city	Mountain View
Coordinates	35°57′49.26″N 92°10′45.58″W / 35.9636833°N 92.1793278°W / 35.9636833; -92.1793278
Governing body	United States Forest Service

Blanchard Springs Caverns is a cave system located in the Ozark–St. Francis National Forest in Stone County in northern Arkansas, USA, 2 miles (3.2 km) off Highway 14 a short distance north of Mountain View.^[1] It is the only tourist cave owned by the United States Forest Service and the only one owned by the federal government outside the National Park System. Blanchard Springs Caverns is a three-level cave system, all of which can be viewed on guided tours.

The Dripstone Trail runs through the uppermost level of caverns for about a 0.5 miles (0.80 km) and opened in 1973.^[2] The Discovery Trail opened in 1977 and loops through a 1.2 miles (1.9 km) section of the cavern, descending to the lower level of the cave, 366 feet (112 m) underground, as well as to the Natural Entrance, about 100 feet (30 m) below ground at that point, following the stream bed of the springs that created the cavern. This trail includes the Rimstone Dams, which create pools along the stream bed, and the Ghost Room, a small but very well decorated room in the uppermost level, with its huge white flowstone. Also offered is a "Wild Cave" tour which allows access to undeveloped parts of the cave to more adventurous visitors. It follows the upstream section of the cave, allowing visitors to see all three levels as the original explorers did, continuing beyond where the Discovery Trail ends.