Pettyjohn Cave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pettyjohn Cave |
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First Room of Pettyjohn Cave
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| Location | Walker County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nearest city | LaFayette |
Pettyjohn Cave (also known as Wilsons Cave, Pettyjohn's Cave, Petty John's Cave, and other similar spellings) is a karst cave located in Walker County, Georgia on the east side Pigeon Mountain in the Appalachian Plateau of Northwest Georgia. It has a surveyed length of 31,490 ft and reaches a depth of 235 ft. The cave is accessible via a path from a gravel parking area on the side of Rocky Lane. Out of the 242 listed, it is 119th longest cave in the United States as declared by the Georgia Speleological Survey.
Pettyjohn Cave is a very popular cave for local students and spelunkers. It is a horizontal cave, but a 50 ft handline is the recommended kit when visiting the cave. Pettyjohn Cave is a wild cave, not a commercial cave, and one should only enter with the proper equipment and training, e.g. three sources of light, water, a helmet, boots, and appropriate clothing. Many would-be explorers are injured here each year. Those interested in exploring this cave and others should contact a local caving club, or grotto. Some of the best grottoes in the country are located very near Pettyjohn Cave. Grotto members are involved in conservation, cave rescue, and exploration.
Contents
Passageways
It starts with an easy climb down into a large breakdown passage. A handline is recommended for the climb down to the stream level. One of the most popular and most challenging of passages in the cave is the Worm Tube. The Worm Tube is a long 150 ft crawl. It is a very tight passageway and unavoidable if venturing to the Echo Room and beyond. Other intriguing passageways include the Mason-Dixon Passage and the Pancake squeeze. When going to the waterfall or Raccoon Room, the stream canyon passages and the Z bends can be an alternate route to the Pancake Squeeze.
Do not use or trust any ropes or lines left in the cave. Please also help this much abused cave by not damaging formations and packing out trash.
Destinations
The Bridge Room is a good place to take a rest. You can hang your legs over the edge and listen to the stream that is 80 ft below. The Worm Tube leads to the Echo Room, which is the biggest room of the cave. The Volcano Room is shaped like a large funnel and it leads to the stream passage and the sump. The Over-Under Room and the Signature room are also other popular destinations of the cave.
Formations
Formations in Pettyjohn Cave include:
- Stalagmites that are a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate.
- Stalactites are also found in the cave. These formations hang from the ceiling or wall of the cave.
- There are also pillars, soda straws, cave pearls, flowstones, and cave popcorn are other formations in the cave.
- Waterfalls can be found in the stream passage section.
Wildlife
This cave hosts tricolored bats and little brown bats during their winter hibernation because temperatures are low but remain above freezing. Their food consists entirely of insects such as small beetles, moths, and gnats.
