Timpanogos Cave is one of the more difficult stamps I have earned. Just from a physical standpoint. Sure, other parks have longer, more strenuous hikes, but at least there are usually easier options that also qualify you for the stamp: a scenic drive; a quarter-mile walk from the parking lot to an overlook (with little to no elevation gain). No, the purpose of this National Monument is the cave. That means making the hike.*

The visitor center elevation is listed as 5,638 feet, while the cave entrance is at elevation 6,730 feet.

You've Made it!

I think they normally allot you 1.5 hours to make the hike. It was a nice September weekend, and the hike was quite busy, so the tours scheduled for my estimated arrival time were already full. Between giving me a later tour time and an earlier one, the Park Rangers decided that I could make the earlier tour time. Although flattered by their confidence in my fitness, I wasn’t so sure that I was up to the challenge. I think I bought my ticket about noon and they had me booked for the 1:10 PM tour.

Up I went. It was like climbing stairs for an hour straight. No flat sections to speak of; just incline or steep incline. With different layers of rock exposed on the canyon wall, numbers informed you of what description to read in a trail brochure for a geology lesson. I stopped counting at #18. Some children were still excited when they saw #14, but you could tell from the faces of their parents that they just wanted to know how much farther it was to the cave entrance and who’s stupid idea was this cave hike, anyhow?

Timpanogos Cave NM is actually three separate caves, independently discovered, that were eventually connected by man-made tunnels. Hansen Cave, Middle Cave, and…the third one.

A constant 45 F in the cave

Each has a lot of fantastic geologic features. You can find a little more information about some of them here. I think I am always most fascinated by Middle Cave, which runs along a fault. There’s something neat about thinking that the wall on the left and right are two different plates and that you’re walking in a crack in the earth.

The Heart of Timpanogos

I felt like I didn’t have the time or breath to enjoy the view on the way up. Afterwards, taking a moment to enjoy the view was well worth the hike. The view was as breathtaking as the hike up to the cave.

I came from down there

Vehicle entrance into the Uinta National Forest is $6 and the cave tour is $7 per person.

I got a park ranger to verify that I completed the hike:

[I'll scan the page in here soon].

*There is a picnic area and nature trail across the road from the visitor center that are within the bounds of the National Monument. One could make the argument that these should count (but you’re a wimp if you do).