timp cave

A couple weeks ago we visited Timpanogos Cave. It's a "living" cave, meaning that everything is wet inside and the formations in the cave are still growing and changing. A big part of visiting this cave is the 1.5 mile hike to the entrance in which you are rising 1100 feet in elevation as you hike. It's a bit steep sometimes, but the trail is nicely paved and there are some amazing views along the way. We were lucky enough to get tickets for early morning, so the hike was cool and pleasant. Mark carried Matthew on his shoulders, so we made great time hiking to the top. There are a few benches along the way to sit on for a rest, or you can find your own places to take a break.

Here's a few shots from inside the cave:

Check out this pond of water:

The formations inside are amazing:

Matthew was a stinker inside the cave. Visitors are not supposed to touch anything -- he wanted to touch EVERYTHING. There's lots of stairs and narrow trails inside too -- he wanted to go up and down and run all over the place freely -- I don't think so. I think our ranger guide was glad to show us OUT of the cave. A favorite thing they do during the tour is turn out all the lights so you can see just how dark the caves would have been when they were discovered. Amazing --you can't see your hand in front of your face or anything, there is absolutely no light whatsoever. Another favorite was when the ranger shined a red laser pointer on my diamond ring and the light bounced around on the ceiling to make it glitter all over, kind of like a disco ball effect. Cool. It was a fun adventure.