Virginia's Luray Caverns - 16 Fun Facts
Published October 23rd, 2023
All photography via Jay Kana.
Tucked in Virginia's stellar Shenandoah Valley is the Town of Luray, home to the Luray Caverns, which happen to be the largest caverns in the eastern United States.
During a visit to the Shenandoah Valley in mid-2023, I ventured into the caverns and a few hundred photos and videos later, I emerged from the other side.
Here are 15 fun facts about the remarkable Luray Caverns.
1. The Great Stalacpipe Organ, found within the cave, is the largest musical instrument in the world. Sound is evoked via stalactites being gently tapped across the three acres of the caverns.
2. We can thank Mr. LeIand W. Sprinkle of Springfield, Virginia, a mathematician and electronic scientist at the Pentagon, who in 1954, started a three-year project by scouring the cavern chambers and picking stalactites to precisely match a musical scale. Electronic mallets were wired throughout the caverns and connected to a colossal console.
When a key is hit, tone is produced via the rubber-tipped plunger striking the specific stalactite matching the note desired.
3. Luray Caverns is open 365.25 days a year. Fine, 365 but technically each year has an extra 0.25 of a day, giving us a leap year/February 29th every four years.
4. We can thank the vast amounts of iron in the caverns for the vibrant reds and yellows you'll see.
5. It was 1878 when Luray Caverns were first discovered. That's 145 years ago in 2023!
6. How are formations made way underground? It's due to a solution of calcium carbonate releasing some of its carbon dioxide, enabling a precipitation of lime to form.
7. Impressively, Luray Caverns remains "active," meaning new deposits accumulate approximately one cubic inch every 120 years.
8. Dream Lake is not only the largest body of water within the cavern, it's also an optical illusion. Its deepest point is between 18 to 20 inches but looking at it, it seems much deeper. It's my favourite part of the Luray Caves as it creates a mirror effect of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling meeting the shallow water.
9. Contrasting that is The Wishing Well, a pond where you can toss coins and make a wish. (I wished that you'd subscribe to the Modern Traveller newsletter...)
It's three feet (1 m) deep at the bottom and just like the aforementioned Dream Lake,it'll make you blink a few times. Why? It looks three to four feet (90 to 120 cm) deep but at its deepest point it is actually six to seven feet (180 to 210 cm) deep.
10. The cavern is cool and so is the temperature, as it steadily sits at 54 degrees F (12.2 C) and high humidity makes it feel like 65 F (18.3 C.)
Pro-tip; dress in layers and water closed-toe footwear as it's damp in there.
11. The Colour and the Shape is more than a Foo Fighters album; it's what is impacted formation-wise by the rate and direction of the seepage in the caves.
12. Giant's Hall is aptly named. Gigantic chambers are filled with majestic stone columns, shining draperies and near-transparent pools. In fact, The National Park Service and the Department of Interior designated it a Registered Natural Landmark.
13. Double Column, at a whopping 47 feet high, is the tallest and one of the most astounding formations here. It illustrates how two basic cave formations, the stalactite and stalagmite, join as one to create one helluva visual masterpiece.
14. The walking route/path of Luray Caverns is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and features both mild uphill and downhill sections. At a decent pace, stopping often for pictures and video (which are encouraged by Luray Caves,) you can easily spend 60-90 minutes being awed by this nifty source of nature.
15. Luray Caverns is currently privately owned by the Graves family, who have lived in Luray for quite a while.
16. With every ticket to the caverns comes admission to The Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, Shenandoah Heritage Village, and Toy Town Junction.
To plan your experience, visit luraycaverns.com
