Dunbar Cave is a 115-acre natural area in Montgomery County. Its significant feature is a well-explored scenic and historic cave, which above ground is surrounded by an upland hardwood forest. A stream exits the cave and has been impounded to form a small lake that is inhabited by many fish, turtles, and other wildlife. The park is open from 8:00am until sundown every day of the year.
The Earthcache can only be completed when the park is open.
Dunbar Cave is one of the most prominent caves in an area where caves and sinkholes are common. This eight plus mile long cave has historical, natural, archaeological, and geological significance. Dunbar Cave formed as the Red River cut through the Mississippian age limestone and lowered the local water table about two or three million years ago. This enabled the flow of water through small cracks and solution joints from the sinkhole plain above it to the Red River drainage. The slightly acidic water dissolved the limestone along its route over millions of years creating the cave.
Dunbar Cave is presently known to contain 8.067 miles (13 km) of explored and surveyed passages. Cave explorers or "spelunkers" working for the State of Tennessee continue to find virgin cave as they push deeper into the more remote sections of this vast cavern system Scientific investigations are also being conducted in the cave. The cave is the habitat for several rare animals including the federally endangered gray bat (Myotis grisescens), a blind cave crayfish (Orconectes pellucidus) and the southern cavefish (Typhlichthys subterraneus). Cave salamanders, crickets and other animals as well as fungi and bacteria live near the front of the cave in the area known as the twilight zone.
Humans have been attracted to Dunbar Cave for thousands of years with its constant stream flow and natural air conditioning. There have been recent excavations near the entrance that reveal it to be an important archeological site. One projectile point found at Dunbar Cave dates back as much as 10,000 years to the Paleo-Indian culture. In January 2005, more than 30 cave drawings, estimated to be a part of the Mississippian Era, were discovered and are now on display . At one time the cave was used as an important community center and even as a country music band shell when it was owned by Roy Acuff.
The visitor's center is a restored remnant of the area's early resort era and has been made accessible for people with disabilities. The building once served as a swimming pool bathhouse, but today it contains exhibits, displays and literature aimed at interpreting the geological and ecological significance of the cave and man's use of the cave through time. It is open daily 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Beginning in the Spring, guided cave tours are conducted Wednesday through Sunday at 1 and 3 p.m. Groups are limited to 20 people per tour and reservations are required. The cave tours are also offered on the weekends during the spring and fall. December, January and February - No cave hikes, so the hibernating bats are not disturbed.
Tours cost $5 per person and participants must be at least 3 years old. All participants should bring a flashlight equipped with fresh batteries. Some flashlights may be available for rent ($2) at the park visitor's center. Call 931-648-5526 for times and dates.
To claim credit for this cache, you must post a picture of you or your group with your GPSr shown standing at the above coordinates, which are near the entrance to the cave.
You must also PM me with the answers to the following questions:
1. What natural forces created the cave?
2. What is limestone made of?
3. Where does the acid in the water come from?
Logs without photos or corresponding emails will be deleted.
Learn more about Dunbar Cave, from these sources.
Tennessee.Gov , Tennessee State Parks , Friends of Dunbar Cave
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This Cacher is a United States Army Veteran and also a Proud Member of the MAGC:
