Day trips from Pittsburgh can take us to some pretty fascinating places – from hiking through a forest cathedral at Cook Forest State Park to coming face-to-face with giraffes, goats, and other animals at Living Treasures Wild Animal Park. The deepest cave near Pittsburgh also offers a fun way to spend a day, including taking a traditional tour and playing a round or two of miniature golf.
Go deep underground when you visit Laurel Caverns, in Hopwood, just under 60 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The cave has earned distinction as the largest and the deepest in Pennsylvania.
Laurel Caverns boasts a depth of 464 feet, although visitors will generally go down 150 feet below the earth’s surface on the cave’s traditional tour. While the cave boasts three miles of passages…
Traditional tours generally span 3,000 feet in an hour of walking. Before you head down into the cave, however, make sure you’re dressed appropriately for the 52-degree Fahrenheit temperature the cave maintains all year around.
Follow a seasoned tour guide on the tour that requires quite a bit of walking, and you’ll have to walk what’s equal to about five flights of stairs. However, don’t worry if you can’t set off on the traditional tour.
Instead, opt for the shorter 30-minute tour that provides a spectacular firsthand look at the sandstone caverns without the stairs.
If you’re a bit of a daredevil, sign up for a spelunking/caving session. Choose between the upper (two-hour tour) or the lower (three-hour tour) cave, both of which offer different views of Laurel Caverns.
After your tour and caving experience, head over for a game or two of miniature golf at Kavernputt, a massive mini-golf course that spans 10,000 square feet. The mini golf course is even wheelchair accessible.
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The cave also offers gem mining, particularly popular with the kiddos, and a souvenir shop.
Laurel Caverns welcomes visitors daily from April 18, 2020 through October 27, 2020. The day’s first tour sets off at 9 a.m. with the final tour departing at 4:30 p.m.
Click here for the official website of Laurel Caverns. Or, go here for Facebook.
Have you ever been to Laurel Caverns, the deepest cave near Pittsburgh? Share your experience in the comments! Do you consider Laurel Caverns one of the natural wonders in Western PA?
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