Carroll Cave

Carroll Cave is a privately owned cave located in Camden County in the U.S. state of Missouri. The cave is not open to the public. It is registered as a National Natural Landmark.

History

Carroll Cave was discovered in 1954. Serious exploration began in 1956, during a period when the cave was open to serious cave explorers. The explorers eventually mapped approximately 20 miles of passageways leading to speleothem chambers and a large underground waterfall. After about three decades of exploration, the cave was completely closed to all visitors.

Description

The U.S. National Park Service describes the Carroll Cave system as “a dendritic system of subsurface karst streams and tributaries.” A cave explorer has described wandering through and exploring the complex system of braided passageways implied by this description. The cave was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1977.