Cherney Maribel Caves County Park
This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing anything from Amazon you would normally buy, even if it is not what I suggest, through one of these links, you help keep this blog going so I can continue to share great travel ideas for you, your family and friends, at no additional cost to you. It's a win, win! By taking that one extra step when shopping on Amazon by clicking one of my links first, you keep posts like this coming your way. Thank you for your support. All photographs in this post were taken by me and are available for sale. To purchase high-quality stock photos from my portfolio, please visit www.dreamstime.com or click on the links underneath the pictures.
When I am on a road trip and happen upon a county park sign, it raises a level of curiosity. My friend and I chase county park signs like some would get distracted by and chase a garage sale sign. I find that it is often those spontaneous experiences, along the way, that brings the most unexpected sense of wonder. Such was the case when we came upon Cherney Maribel Caves County Park located at 15401 County Road R in Maribel, Wisconsin. It is a system of caves and crevices that are open to the public entirely for free. It is a 75-acre park that offers cave tours, walking trails, springs, a river and lots of areas to hike, bike, ski, picnic, explore and enjoy nature. There is also a playground for the children. Join me for a look at some of what we discovered while at the park.
A Visit to Cherney Maribel Caves County Park You Tube video shows the depths of the New Hope Cave system. You can tour this cave for free on the third Sunday of the month, May through October. However, we were not there at that time, so we were unable to tour which is why I include a link of a Youtube video, so you can see just how big this cave is. There is a lot of excavation work that went into this cave system to make it accessible to the public. It is quite interesting to read about it all. You will find signs like the one pictured, explaining the steps that were taken in restoring the caves.
The staircase leads down to a rugged cliff line that parallels the river and has several cave openings along the cliff line. Coopers Cave, Staircase Cave (located underneath the staircase), Pancake Cave, Tunnel Passage, and Spring Cave are a few of the cave entrances you will encounter in your explorations. The staircase helps to make these caves accessible to explorers.
The cliffs are full of fascinating rock formations with natural abstract coloring showing through on the rocks. We visited in the fall, so the tree colors and the rock colorings were a pleasurable sight.
The trails are all well-groomed with a nice gravel stone layer that makes hiking a very gratifying experience. While we were there, they were actively laying new gravel on top of the trails.
One of the creatures that find their home in caves is bats. Specifically, small brown bats are found in these caves. Here is a video of a small brown bat at Maribel Caves County Park. Caves are critical for bats because they provide shelter and habitat that actually protects bats from many of their predators. By hanging from the ceiling, most of the bat's adversaries cannot reach them.
If you get to go inside the caves, you may encounter stalactites and stalagmites. A fun way to remember which is which, is that stalactites have to hold on "tight" to the ceiling, while stalagmites, "might" reach them someday. I learned that from a tour guide at Cave of the Mounds located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, years ago when my husband and I went on a tour there.
You can read about a few of the different cave systems by visiting Maribel Caves website.
On the Wisconsin Speleological Society website, you will find some interesting diagrams along with information about how these particular caves were formed.
If you plan to bring children here, a nice little picture book that breaks down cave formation in a way a young child can understand is, "Caves - Mysteries Beneath Our Feet" by David L. Harrison. It is geared toward 6-8-year-olds and would be an excellent introduction to caves before they visit Maribel Caves County Park.
I am always amazed at how big trees can grow out of rocks. It creates some interesting looking formations as the tree roots wrap around the rocks.
There are so many, well-labeled trails to follow. Each one offers unique things to explore and discover.
There is a 50-foot limestone bluff, which is supposedly a rare thing in this region of Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin DNR website, the park contains beech, maple, hemlock, and white cedars. Polypody, bulbet, walking ferns, and endangered plant species are also present. Unique birds such as winter wren, solitary vireo, blackburnian warbler, and the yellow-bellied flycatcher can also be found here.
The West Twin River was beautiful with the fall colors being reflected in the water. This river is an 18.5-mile-long river that is a tributary to Lake Michigan.
My next time visiting this park, I hope to be able to actually tour one of the caves. I think it would be a delightful experience to explore an area of Wisconsin that only gets seen by a few people each year.
Have you ever been here before? If so, I would love to hear about your experience. Please leave a comment and let me know about your time here.
What you need to take with you if you go caving:
A flashlight for each person.
Helmet to protect your head.
Jackets and warm clothing for cooler temperatures inside the cave.
Sturdy shoes or galoshes if it's going to be wet.
Waterbottle
Binoculars for the trails.
Enrichment Ideas for When You Come Home:
Make your own stalactites and stalagmites science experiment. All you need are two glass jars, a saucer, woolen thread, and either baking soda, washing soda or Epsom salt.
Printable Bat Craft
Build a snow cave.
Learn to read an underground cave map like this one.
Until next time, always choose the scenic life!
Hannah Babiak is a stock photographer and travel blogger. For writing assignments or ideas for future posts, please contact her at alwayschoosethesceniclife@gmail.com or leave a comment below.
Comments
Post a Comment