• ABOUT THE SPOT

Caving / Spelunking in Olentangy Indian Caverns, Delaware, Ohio USA

Explored levels:
3
Type of rock:
Solid Limestone
Descent:
55 ft/16.7 m concrete stairways
The City of Delaware is the county seat of Delaware County in Ohio, USA. The city is located near the Ohio center, approximately 30 mi/48 km north of Columbus and is part of the Columbus - Ohio Metropolitan Area.

One very interesting attraction in Delaware is the Olentangy Indian Caverns. It is a cave system that attracts a lot of caving enthusiasts or just curious people, who want to see how it feels to be in that huge underground massive rock hole.

This majestic cave is near the city of Delaware and was formed millions of years ago by the terrific force of an underground river that cut through solid limestone rock. Today this spectacular cave is  a maze of wonderful winding passages and capacious underground rooms, offering an exciting excursion into the ancient Indian lore.

Evidence support that the cave was used by the Wyandotte Indians as a haven room from their enemies, the Delaware Indians and from the weather. In one of the large rooms, you will come across the Council Rock, that was used for tribal ceremonies.

In order to visit the accessible area, follow the 55 ft/16.7 m concrete descent stairways to discover the warren of rooms and natural passages, occupying three different levels.

At the second level, you will meet the Battleship Rock, the Crystal Room and the Indian Lover’s Bench. Then follows the Fat Man’s Misery, that is a quaint passage leading to the The Bell Tower and the Cathedral Hall room, situated 105 ft/32 m below the surface of the earth.

Beyond that, there are more rooms and passages still unexplored. A fourth level has partially been explored, but it is not open to public yet. Through that level, an underground river flows to the Olentangy River, located 0.5 mi/0.8 km east. The river has formed a lake, but its size has not yet been determined.

The cave has still many passages and rooms to be explored, leaving mysteries deep in the cave and safe for the moment, but ready to be unfolded. Do you accept the challenge to explore this glorious cave and feel both amazed and speechless?