Deep in Oregon’s fir-covered mountains lies a secret. Just south of Grants Pass in the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest, visitors can explore an underground landscape of marble halls and an underground stream. Oregon Caves National Monument offers seasonal tours. After exploring the cave, travelers can hike through its dense fir forest on top. Read on for what to do at Oregon Caves National Monument.
What to Do at Oregon Caves National Monument
Stop by the Visitor Center
Take a Cave Tour
Hike
See Wildlife
Earn a Junior Ranger Badge
Picnic in the Park
Spend the Night
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Visitor Centers at the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve
Visitor centers are the place to grab maps or Junior Ranger booklets. Most offer interpretive areas to learn more about the area.
This is the place to ask questions and learn about park ranger programming, too. Restrooms and water bottle fillers are usually located in the area.
Illinois Valley Visitor Center
Since the cave is up a winding road about 45 minutes from the highway, the Illinois Valley Visitor Center offers information about the Oregon Caves National Monument. Visitors can check tour availability and buy same-day tickets at the Illinois Valley Visitor Center.
Located at 201 Caves Highway, Cave Junction. Open daily during the summer from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. From early November to mid-March, it is open Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. 4 p.m.
Oregon Caves Visitor Center
Located at the cave entrance, the Oregon Caves Visitor Center offers a small interpretive area along with cave check-in. Cave tours run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily May through September. This is a cash-free location.
Cave Tours Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve
Find several different tours to explore Oregon Caves National Monument. However, all kids will have to be 42″ to take a tour. No strollers or infant carriers allowed on the tour. The cave temperature is 44 degrees Fahrenheit.
Discovery Tour
A 1 ½ hour walk through the Marble Halls of Oregon. The .6-mile trail passes by stalagmites, stalactites and drapery formations along with flowstone.
This tour includes 500 steps and walks by the cave stream. It’s not accessible and considered moderately strenuous. Adult (16+) tickets are $20, and kids under 15 are $15 with an interagency pass ticket for $10. Reservations are recommended.
Kids and Family Cave Tour
A 1 ½ hour walk that piques the interest of kids. Intended for visitors 13 years and younger, though must meet the 42” height requirement.
Adult (16+) tickets are $20, and kids under 15 are $15 with an interagency pass ticket for $10. Reservations are recommended.
Candlelight Tour
Take a one-hour candlelit historic tour through part of the cave with only the flickering light of a lantern to light the way. Rangers recall the history of Oregon Caves.
Kids must be 10 to participate. Adult (16+) tickets are $20, and kids under 15 are $15 with an interagency pass ticket for $10. This tour is not offered daily.
Off-Trail Tour
This 3-hour tour steps off the trail with boulder scrambles, belly crawls and squeezes through passages 11”x19” all by the light of a headlight. Participants must be 15 years old for this very strenuous tour.
Tickets are $45 and include equipment, though cavers must wear over-the-ankle hiking boots. Best for adventurous families of teens for the challenging experience of exploring the cave.
For cave tour advance tickets, check out Recreation.gov. Advance reservations are available seven days in advance.
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Hiking at Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve
The cave isn’t the only landscape to discover in the Siskiyou Mountains. The wooded forest offers several shaded trails for families to explore together. Hike any of the following to earn a Junior Ranger Trail Button.
Cliff Nature Trail–a .7-mile trail from the cave exit to the visitor center with a 75-foot elevation gain.
Old Growth Trail–a 1.0-mile loop from the main parking lot to the visitor center.
No Name Trail–a 1.3-mile trail features waterfalls.
Big Tree Trail–a 3.3-mile loop is an ambitious hike with a 1,125-foot elevation gain.
Spot Wildlife
Located in the Siskiyou Mountains, hikers can experience diverse ecological zones on a short hike. The forested landscape offers wildlife food and shelter.
Visitors can spot mammals like Black Bear, Mountain Lions, Deer and even Bats. For birders, Steller’s Jays, Owls, and Woodpeckers are found in the area.
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Kids and Pets in Oregon Caves National Monument
Traveling with your kids or pets is part of the fun. Oregon Caves makes a great trip with lots of activities and things to see.
There are special activities for kids. As for pets, forests are a haven for wildlife, so care must be taken when traveling with your pets in the park.
Junior Ranger Program
The Junior Ranger Program is the go-to program for families to learn more about Oregon Caves. It’s free and takes about two hours to complete. My kids love the badges that the park rangers present to them after completing their booklets.
Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve offers a badge for Oregon Caves as well as the Junior Cave Scientist badge for young cave explorers, or speleologists. Kids explore, learn and protect the fragile underground landscape.
BARK Program
Oregon Caves welcomes pets as long as they practice the principles of the BARK program. For more information, visit the webpage for visiting with pets.
B–Bag waste and dispose of it in the trash
A–Always leash your dog for their safety and others
R–Respect wildlife
K–Know where you can go
Pets aren’t allowed on cave tours. They can explore roads and road shoulders, the campground, picnic areas, and parking lots. They are allowed to be left in cars if the conditions are mild.
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Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve History
Discovered in 1874 by Elijah Davidson, Oregon Caves still beckon cave explorers to the fir-covered Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon. Early explorers used candles and a ball of string to navigate the marble passages.
President Taft declared it a national monument in 1909. It took another 10 years before the road was completed to drive to Oregon Caves National Monument. Then the Chateau was built in 1934 for overnight guests.
Picnicking at Oregon Caves National Monument
Everyone enjoys a picnic. Oregon Caves National Monument doesn’t offer dining or food service at the moment.
There are picnic tables near the cave. The No Name Trailhead features a nearby picnic area.
Camping near Oregon Caves National Monument
Located a few miles from the entrance, find the Cave Creek Campground at mile marker 16 on Cave Highway.
First-Come, First-Served
Seasonal for the Summer Only (Late May to the first week of September)
17 Sites, no RVs.
Potable water with vault toilets
Oregon Caves Chateau
The Chateau is closed for ongoing renovations. In 2025, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the building on its Register for America’s 11 Most Endangered Places.
This National Historic Landmark was part of the PBS series, Great Lodges of the National Parks. Built in 1934 by local contractor Gust Lium for $50,000, the building is cedar bark-covered with six stories. The structure includes 10 sides and an example of the rustic parkitectural style.
During my 2016 visit, I stayed at the Oregon Caves Chateau, with 23 rooms. It offered the most extensive public collection of original Monterey furniture, fabricated in California.
In order for it to reopen, it needs extensive structural repairs. Its targeted reopening is slated for 2030, if it meets its fundraising goals in 2027. For more information or to make a donation, visit the Friends of the Oregon Caves Chateau website.
I also had dinner in its dining room. The Cave Creek flows through the dining room. The original lodge also offered a coffee shop.
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Where’s Oregon Caves National Monument
Oregon Caves National Monument is located at 19000 Caves Highway, Cave Junction. It’s open year-round for surface hiking, though Cave Highway might be temporarily closed during snowstorms. It’s about 60 miles from the Redwood State and National Parks.
Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve doesn’t charge a fee, though cave tours require tickets.
Oregon Caves National Monument offers tours from Spring until the beginning of November. Tours are scheduled from Thursday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the summer season, with fewer tours in Spring and Fall.
Bats and White-Nose Syndrome
If you plan on visiting Oregon Caves National Monument and Bend, Oregon’s Lava Cave, you can not wear any clothing, including shoes. Caves are trying to prevent the spread of White-Nose Syndrome. A ranger will stop all cave visitors at both locations and ask.
White-Nose Syndrome kills hibernating bat colonies across the U.S. and Canada. A fungus that thrives in low temperatures and high humidity has killed 6 million bats since its discovery in 2006.
Know Before You Go
Kids under 42” are not permitted on any cave tours.
Make cave tour reservations in advance during the busy summer season. Tours fill to capacity early in the day.
From Cave Junction, along U.S. Route 199, it takes 45 minutes to get to the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve.
Arrive 45 minutes before your scheduled tour departure.
RV and travel trainers are not recommended beyond Milepost 12.
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