Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon

Oregon Caves National Monument
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orca_millers_chapel.jpg
Author: Roger Brandt, NPS


Oregon Caves National Monument is a nature site protecting the marble caves in Josephine County, Oregon. The site covering 488 acres (197 ha) is located about 48 miles (77 km) by road from Grants Pass.

The caves in the area were first discovered in 1874 by a local settler, Elijah Davidson, whose dog chased a bear into the cave. By the 1890's, developers were cashing in on the caves by giving cave tours.

Oregon Caves
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oregon_Caves_p1080458_1024.jpg
Author: David Monniaux


Oregon Caves National Monument was established by President William Howard Taft on 12 July, 1909, and placed under the care of the US Forest Service until 10 August, 1933, when jurisdiction was transferred to the National Park Service.

Oregon Caves National Monument contains the largest assemblage of endemic cave-dwelling insects in the United States. Deep inside the caves were also fossil remains of Pleistocene jaguar and grizzly bear.

Outside the cave, the landscape is one of old-growth coniferous forest. It has a Douglas fir tree with the widest girth in Oregon, measuring 13 feet in diameter.

Visiting Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon

From Interstate-5, turn off at Exit 58 to the Redwood Highway. From there, turn right to US Highway 199. 28 miles down the road, turn left to State Route 46 (Caves Highway). The site is 20 miles from the junction.

Outside of summer, the road to the site may be closed when the weather is severe. Tickets to the cave tours, which last 90 minutes, are sold on a first-come-first-serve basis.

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