Going Underground

Day Two of our family vacation in Western Montana found us spending the morning in the Fairmont Hot Springs pool. It was good to just relax in the water and watch the kids swim and play.

We took a break for lunch and headed about an hour east of the resort to Lewis & Clark Caverns, Montana's first state park, and one of the largest limestone caverns in the Northwest. I wasn't sure what to expect, having only learned of the place the day before. It turned out to be a fun and memorable trip through some truly spectacular caves.



The facilities are first-rate, with easy access to the trailhead, a large visitor's center, restrooms, cafeteria, and gift shop. Guided tours, at $5 per person, begin about every twenty minutes. We were lucky to get an awesome guide named Jacob, who would've been right at home on Disneyland's Jungle Cruise with his quick wit and confident manner. My son still laughs uncontrollably at the joke about Romeo, Juliet, and a wheelchair. Don't ask, you'll have to take the tour.



I have to confess that the 3/4-mile uphill hike to the entrance of the caverns nearly did us all in. Even the kids were huffing and puffing up that trail. But at least we beat the middle-aged smoking couple from Arizona! Jacob waited patiently for everyone to arrive before going over a few rules. Once inside, the 90-minute walk/climb/stoop was relatively easy for everyone. The constant 50-degree temperature definitely helped.



You might not want to tour these caverns if you're claustrophobic. There were three or four extremely tight spots where I had to twist myself into odd shapes to pass through. At one point you have to sit down and slide about ten feet to get to the next chamber. The kids loved watching me awkwardly squat and shuffle on my bottom (good thing I had the camera). The caverns are well lit, and they are in the process of switching to a new LED light system that will improve the visual impact of the limestone formations. The trail is extremely safe, with concrete platforms and steps, and steel handrails, all courtesy of the CCC.

I think I may finally know the difference between stalactites, which hang from the ceiling, and stalagmites, which are built up from the floor. There are thousands of them, in every kind of strange configuration, spread throughout the caverns.



It was more than a pleasant surprise to discover the Lewis & Clark Caverns. The kids loved twisting and turning through the caverns, not knowing what was coming next. That's sort of how our entire Montana trip went... I didn't have it all planned out. We made our decisions at the spur of the moment, relying on recommendations, brochures, and road signs to figure out what to do next.

At the end of the afternoon we were back in the pool, thinking about the strange and wonderful world hidden underground, and wondering what surprise Day Three of our trip would hold in store for us. It turned out to be crystal clear.