We drove back to the caverns again because we had only taken one of the two walks that one can take w/o supervision. The first day was the Big Room and today we took the Natural Entrance path which starts about 200 yards from the visitor’s center and winds 750′ down into the main cavern. When we initially arrived at the visitor’s center, we were able to see a sign indicating the Natural Entrance was closed to the public due to slippery conditions from last night’s snow. We inquired at the desk and found that the info on the sign was not entirely correct and we would be able to head down our chosen path after a 20 minute delay.
We nosed around the visitor’s center for a while and then started down the long route to the Big Room via the Natural Entrance. The path down is very scenic but it slopes at about 20% all the way down except where it has some steps going both up and down. There are some neat spots on this excursion but, being lazy by nature, it seemed pretty hard on the knees and thigh muscles to me.
If I were to suggest one of the two trips that can be made to someone who only had one day at the Caverns, I would surely recommend the Big Room. Elevator both ways and spectacular views make this the top choice.
Interestingly, we encountered two or three park rangers going up the steep entrance path at different times. One ranger stated that he can eat whatever he wants because he goes up the path a couple times each day. Another ranger indicated he liked going up better than going down because it is easier on the knees.
We rode up in the elevator.
After leaving, we bought diesel for Charlotte and headed home to Brantley Lake. Still cold at night – high 20s.