Q: I’ve heard Georgia has a lot of caves. What can you tell us about them? Where are they? Can you explore them?
A: Before we get too deep into this subject, you should know there are more than 500 caves scattered throughout the state, mostly in Georgia's mountainous northwest corner of Walker and Dade counties.
Sorry, but as far as I can tell, none of them resemble the Batcave.
Georgia’s caves are immensely popular among cavers because there are so many of them and because of their variety, said Christine Rose, co-owner of Georgia Girl Guides (georgiagirlguides.com), which leads tours of caves.
“That area of north Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama is so well known for its caves that it has its own nickname – TAG,” Rose said.
TAG, simply, stands for Tennessee-Alabama-Georgia, so it loses points for originality, but that’s just fine with cavers.
“They come from all over the world to explore Georgia’s caves,” Rose said. “Georgia’s caves are known for being muddy and wet.”
Rose and business partner Amy Gonzalez take groups on tours of Sitton’s Cave at Cloudland Canyon State Park and Pettyjohn’s Cave at Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area.
While some of Georgia’s caves offer horizontal explorations, Ellison’s Cave, which also is at Pigeon Mountain, features two long drops.
One, called “Fantastic,” goes straight down 586 feet. The other, called “Incredible,” is a 440-foot drop.
“I haven’t done it myself, but it’s on my caver’s list of things to do,” Rose said.
Be warned. Ellison’s Cave, and others, can be dangerous.
Two University of Florida students died in there in 2011 and another man was rescued in 2013.
Rose said there are plenty of caves perfect for exploring, but cavers might drive you batty if you ask for their location.
People have defaced so many of Georgia’s caves with trash, graffiti and broken formations that cavers have become protective of the pristine ones. They’ll publish incorrect GPS coordinates to keep folks away because they don’t want folks using baseball bats to destroy “geologic time,” Rose said.
“If you prove yourself as a caver, you’ll be told where the secret caves are,” she said.
The Georgia Girl Guides’ tours last one, two and four hours, depending on the package, and can be booked on their website.
If you want to learn more about caving, contact the Dogwood City Grotto (dogwoodcitygrotto.com), a group of caving enthusiasts based in Atlanta.
“You can seek advice from the old timers,” Rose said.
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