caves in Madison County area

[travcojim]

Has anyone ever done any exploring of all the caves out in the Madsion Wildlife Managment area? We have been to a few of them but there are over 100 of them out there, just wondering if anyone out there has ever been into any nice ones out there.

[White Rabbit]

I have. We've gone out there several times just to explore the caves there. They're freaking everywhere.

My favorite is this one in a grassy area where you can drive up to it. It's where a lot of people camp, so people just camp right inside the cave.

[travcojim]

That one is good, it doesn't go too far back but it has a cool opening.

[White Rabbit]

Here's the one I'm talking about. Is it the same one?

[Anne]

Off subject, but isn't there a movie about The Bridges of Madison County?

[Willard]

Off subject, but isn't there a movie about The Bridges of Madison County?

Yes, and I find it an enjoyable movie, though I'm a James Garner fan anyway. (Rockford Files are awsome!)

[travcojim]

Thats the same cave, now if I can just find some of the bigger ones out there. About 1/4 mile from there are 3 that are right together but they are small ones also.

[travcojim]

I did some checking and found a good source with some info about alot of the caves out there, here is the link http://www.kcgrotto.org/guano/guano200402.pdf
seems like the big one out there is the whipporwill cave.

[youthsonic]

Off subject, but isn't there a movie about The Bridges of Madison County?

Different Madison County. The one depicted in the movie is in Iowa. I almost stopped there on the way back from Des Moines after seeing the signs about the bridges, but I didn't have the time. Maybe next year.

[youthsonic]

Yes, and I find it an enjoyable movie, though I'm a James Garner fan anyway. (Rockford Files are awsome!)

James Garner? He wasn't in the movie! Clint Eastwood was though. Clint even directed it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112579/

[Willard]

James Garner? He wasn't in the movie! Clint Eastwood was though. Clint even directed it.

Oops, my mistake... I guess I was thinking of a different movie, but I sure don't remember the title. How frustrating!

[vetteboi88]

The cave in the picture is Picnic Cave I believe. Just around the corner from there, to the west is another cave, Pine Creek cave. Pine Creek cave is in the bluff above the head of the stream on the west side of the valley. It has a nice ~25' waterfall at the end of the main passage and can roar pretty nicely after a good rain. There are several other passages as well.

You can't go more than 100' along the bluffs in that valley without finding somekind of solution feature, most of them will be short passageways, but a few are caves.

[greenbush]

James Garner? He wasn't in the movie! Clint Eastwood was though. Clint even directed it.

Oops, my mistake... I guess I was thinking of a different movie, but I sure don't remember the title. How frustrating!

You might be thinking about 'The Notebook'

[ambrosian_spelunker]

how do I find this area and these caves. i'd like to check the area out and do some exploration there.

[travcojim]

the best thing to do it just go out to the Madison County Wildlife Man. area and if you have a good truck start driving the small roads, you can find plenty of things to check out for a few weekends. Whippowill cave is out there and it has a lot of passages, but finding it is a challenge in itself, I can't even begin to tell you how since it has been a few years. But once you find it you will be amazed how easy it is to find.
Best turn off to take into the WMA is the frist one from the town of Forum, there is a closed gas station and a dirt road that turns off towards the right from the main road, go a few miles back down that road and you will be in a playground of trails and small caves and roads that go nowhere but are fun to take just for the heck of it. I spent many weekends out there a few summers ago. The roads that say private drive just means that there is a house somewhere on that road, it does not mean you cannot go down it.