As West Virginia’s Only Self-Guided Commercial Cave Tour, There’s No Need To Rush At Lost World Caverns

Two hundred thirty-five feet beneath the rolling Greenbrier County countryside, near the scenic town of Lewisburg, West Virginia, lies the underground treasure Lost World Caverns. This self-guided cave tour in West Virginia is an absolutely amazing exploration of the alien world beneath our feet. Dig out your spelunking gear and join us for a wild adventure.

Lost World Caverns offers visitors a number of unique attractions.

Foremost is the cave itself: this massive limestone cave features a soaring 120-foot high rock ceiling, 80-foot stalagmites, and many striking rock formations.

Among its magnificent flowstone structures are the Snowy Chandelier, the Bridal Veil, and the War Club stalagmite, which has the distinction of being the site of the world’s stalagmite sitting record (almost 16 days).

After wet weather, a subterranean waterfall runs; you can also hear the sound of an underground stream that vanishes into the rock and later appears on the surface eight miles away to form West Virginia’s largest spring.

Next, Lost World Caverns gives you an opportunity to experience history both ancient and modern. On your tour, you pass below the cave’s original entrance, a vine-covered hole in a farmer’s pasture. Back in 1942, the cave’s first explorers rappelled 120 feet down this opening.

On the cavern floor beneath lies a pile of animal bones, rusted farm implements, and an old cable ladder - remnants from the days when the cave was a burial place for farm animals. The cable ladder was the original means of accessing the cave from the hole 120 feet above.

Beyond the recent past, Lost World Cave has harbored secrets of ancient history. In 1967, the remains of an extinct cave bear (Arctodus Pristinus) were discovered within the cave. Later, more prehistoric bear remains were found.

In the gift shop, a small natural history museum features many of the bones discovered within the cave, as well as other fossils and gemstones.

But the final feature that sets Lost World Caverns apart is the freedom it offers to visitors. The cave tour is self-guided, offering you a unique opportunity to go at your own pace, enjoy each facet of the landscape, and retrace your steps around the 0.5-mile loop as many times as you wish.

Photography is also allowed, so be sure to capture the beautiful and fascinating sights.

Lost World Caverns is one of 2,500 caves known to exist in Greenbrier County, and underground passages continue to be newly discovered. Besides the self-guided tour, the caverns offer a taste of more extreme underground adventure with its six-hour Wild Cave Tour, which takes you deep into the cave for a test of your spelunking mettle.

Management promises it will be a rewarding, muddy experience! A trained tour guide, a hot meal, and all the needed caving gear are provided.

One additional benefit of Lost World Caverns: the temperature in the cave stays a constant 52 degrees year-round, making it a cool break from the oppressive summer heat above ground.

As we finish up our self-guided cave tour in West Virginia, what did you think about this cool underground landscape? Are you going to add Lost World Caverns in West Virginia to your bucket list?

If you’re in the scenic Lewisburg/White Sulphur Springs area, don’t miss the unique adventure of Lost World Caverns! Learn more at the Lost World Caverns website. Have you been on any other cave tours in West Virginia? Be sure to tell us all about it with a comment.