Tours offered starting May 1
WHITEHALL – Staff at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park are pleased to reopen the cave and the upper visitor center for the 2025 season starting May 1.
In addition to tours of the cave, the park offers a variety of other recreational opportunities, including camping, trails, interpretive programs, a gift shop, café and much more.
Cave tours will be offered May 1 through Sept. 30. All cave tour tickets will be reservable until the day of, and any unsold tickets will then become available on a first-come, first-served basis at the park. Reservations can be made online at fwp.mt.gov/stateparks or by phone at 1-855-922-6768. Visitors are encouraged to check the website frequently as tour options, times and availability may change throughout the season. Tours cannot be reserved by calling the park directly.
The campground and trails are open, and the showers, comfort station and water stations will reopen as weather allows.
Paradise Tour
The Paradise Tour includes a view of the largest and most decorated room in the cave—the Paradise Room. This 1-mile tour lasts 90 minutes. It includes 15 stairs between two rooms, but the path is mostly level and wheelchair accessible. Because the Paradise Tour provides better accessibility and easier passage, this tour may be preferable for visitors with small children, claustrophobia, or those who prefer a less arduous experience. 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 4 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 on the cave tour. This tour lasts two hours and includes more than 600 stairs, stooping and tight squeezes. It is not recommended for visitors with claustrophobia or those with mobility limitations.
Tickets for the classic tour are $15 for visitors ages 15 and older, and $10 for kids ages 5 to 14. Children ages 4 or younger are not allowed on the Classic Tour.
Planning your visit
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is a full-service park offering a wide variety of recreational activities, including an extensive trail system for hikers and bicyclists, a large family-friendly campground with a playground and bathhouse, two visitor centers, a café serving hot and cold meals, gift shop, amphitheater, and many interpretive programs and features in addition to cave tours. Camping options include electric and non-electric sites, cabins, a wall tent, and hiker/biker sites. Access to the Jefferson River for floating or fishing is available through several nearby fishing access sites. The cave itself features one of the most decorated limestone caverns in the Northwest, filled with spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, columns and helictites.
During the summer season the upper visitor center, café and gift shop will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gate for the scenic drive to the upper plaza, roadside picnic areas and Greer Gulch Trailhead will be open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. May through September.
An $8 entrance fee is required for visitors who are not residents of Montana and not staying in the campground. 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 at the Caverns. White-nose syndrome, a fungus capable of killing 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 have significant impacts to the cave ecosystem.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles southeast of Whitehall along Montana Highway 2. For more information about the park, click here or call 406-287-3541.
