Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park Announces Tours for 2024 Season

Staff at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park are pleased to reopen the cave for the 2024 season starting May 1. Tours will be offered from May 1 through Sept. 30. Both first-come-first-served tours and reservable tours will be offered. Visitors are encouraged to check the website frequently as tour options, times, and availability may change throughout the season. Reservable tours are available from May 24 through Labor Day. To make those reservations, call 1-855-922-6768.

During the season, the upper visitor area will be open, and cave tours will be offered seven days a week. The gate opens at 8:30 AM, and the ticket office opens at 9 AM.

The campground and trails are open, and the showers, comfort stations, and water stations will reopen as weather allows.

Paradise Tour: The Paradise Tour includes a view of the cave's largest and most decorated room - the Paradise Room. This 1-mile tour lasts 90 minutes. It has 15 stairs between two rooms, but the path is mostly level and partly wheelchair accessible. Because the Paradise Tour provides better accessibility and easier passage, this tour is recommended for visitors with small children, claustrophobia, or who prefer a less arduous experience.

The Paradise Tour will be offered every day starting May 1 on a first-come-first-served basis until Memorial Day weekend. Beginning Memorial Day weekend, reservations can be made, and tour times will be 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM. These times are subject to change, so visit fwp.mt.gov/stateparks before your visit. Tickets for the Paradise Tour are $10 for visitors ages 62 and older, $15 for visitors ages 15 to 61, $10 for kids ages 5 to 14, and free for anyone four or younger.

Classic Tour: The Classic Tour features a 2-mile journey through the majority of the developed cave and includes the second-largest and longest rooms in the cave. This tour lasts two hours and includes more than 600 stairs, stooping, and tight squeezes. It is not recommended for small children, visitors with claustrophobia, or those who prefer a less strenuous experience.

Limited Classic Tours will be offered from May 1 to May 23. Additional tours may be added as staffing allows. The Classic Tour will be offered every day starting May 24 on the hour from 10 AM through 4 PM by reservable tickets and as staffing allows. Tickets for the classic tour are $15 for visitors ages 15 and older, $10 for kids ages 5 to 14, and $5 for anyone four or younger.

Planning your visit: Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park features one of the most decorated limestone caverns in the Northwest, filled with spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and helictites. The park also offers camping, trails to hike or bike, a state-of-the-art visitor center, interpretive displays, a gift shop, food and beverage concessions, an amphitheater, and interpretive events during the summer months.

Visitors who are not residents of Montana and are not staying in the campground must pay an $8 entrance fee. Residents of the state normally pay the fee with vehicle registration.

Bats occupy some rooms that are part of the classic tour. Bats can be susceptible to pathogens carried by people. For this reason, visitors are asked not to wear any clothing, shoes, or accessories, including glasses, jewelry, and cameras, that have been in another cave or mine in the past two years. This helps protect bat populations in the Caverns. White-nose syndrome, a fungus that kills entire bat colonies, can be transmitted easily and does not come out of clothing or other materials with normal washing methods. While it does not affect humans, it could significantly impact the cave ecosystem.

Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles southeast of Whitehall, along Montana Highway 2. For more information, please call 406-287-3541.