HORIZONTAL CAVES

In general, most caves have horizontal passages. Pits or very steep slopes can interrupt many times the passages. Horizontal caves are usually those that have a majority of its passages somewhat level in nature. This doesn't mean that you will walk on a perfectly flat floor but it does mean that you won't have to use vertical equipment through out the whole cave. You might have to climb, crawl or even rig a pit, but most of the cave should not have you rigging ropes constantly. Cave entrances can be a variety from simply walking in to tight crawling. Some may even require a handline (or even vertical gear) just to get in but this usually changes into a horizontal type passage once on the bottom. In some rare cases, you might have to be a cave diver to get in.

 VERTICAL CAVES

The word "vertical caves" is sometimes deceiving since many cavers consider a vertical cave one that has a vertical entrance (and the use of vertical gear). Usually caves with long vertical entrances or that the majority of the cave passage is made up of vertical drops are considered as vertical caves. This can sometimes fool you where there are caves with thousands of feet with horizontal passage yet the entrance might be a mega-drop challenge. Cavers will refer this as a vertical cave because the entrance has such magnitude of vertical challenge and the need for special gear to get inside.

 WATER CAVES

Those types of caves have you getting wet! Water caves are such that you are in the water more than out. Sometimes this might be a little stream of low depth, while at other times you might have water up to your chest (if you have to explore the whole cave by raft or boat then you are certainly in a water cave). Water caves can have underground streams and lakes. Some water caves can be only explored by cave divers. Caution must be seriously taken in water caves since flooding can sometimes occur leaving you either trapped from getting out or dead by drowning.

 TECTONIC CAVES

The movement of bedrock forming chambers and passages forms tectonic caves. One example of a tectonic cave would be a mass of boulders piled up creating voids inside big enough to be explored (this can also be considered a talus cave). They can occur in any type of rock and are usually small in size. Although some weathering may be noticed in tectonic formations, it is not hard to tell the difference between tectonic caves and the regular solutional limestone caves.

 SAND CAVES

Sand caves are formed by the abrasive action of wind and or water-borne particles. Although sometimes solution type features are noted, sand caves do not dissolve away as in the case of limestone caves. However, it is also possible to find caves with a high content mixture of sand, where the limestone has dissolved away that was once there or in small matrix quantity. Most sandstone caves in Pennsylvania are quite small ranging not more then a few hundred feet in length (but are usually still larger than tectonic caves). True sandstone caves do not have the beautiful hanging speleothems formations as limestone caves.

 EX-COMMERCIAL CAVES

Those types of caves can be found in any rock formation but the importance of this category has nothing to do of its origin nature but of its purpose. Simply put, excommercial caves are caves that once were show caves where a person paid money to be guided through. These caves may have had a variety of fixed lights, handrails, steps and excavated passages or rooms. Excommercial caves are ones that are no longer being operated as a business for pay. Pennsylvania has over six major excommercial caves that were open at one time or another to the paying public. Many of these caves were opened to the public around the late 1920's and later closed by the mid 1950's (one closed in 1983). Reasons for the closings seem to have a common answer .... profitability! Many of the caves were not making the money because of location proximity from major roads or that the cave was small and had nothing to really show. Couple that with the financial debts that many of these businesses were in left the caves too expensive to operate and no profit to pay bills. Many cavers like to visit excommercial caves because of the historic nature involved. Once caves of this type are closed, many are surprised at how the historic information disappears too! Some cavers collect old post cards, brochures, photos and books as a hobby connected with excommercial caves. While few excommercial caves still look almost as good as the day they closed, many do not. Once the cave business operation ceased, many caves were terribly vandalized. This was a result when cave doors or gates were broken off and accessed by people who didn't give a damn. Many once beautiful commercial caves are today a broken mess of formations and spraypaint. A trip into one of these sad caves can quickly remind a person of how destructive human beings can be. As a result, some excommercial caves have been cleaned up and protected by cavers. In many cases you won't find any hanging lights, bridges or railings from the past business operation. In fact, many of these caves are starting to look like "wild caves" again as nature takes back its own.

COMMERCIAL SHOW CAVES

Commercial show caves are those that are in a business operation status where you would pay to see the cave. The cave is equipped with its own lighting system, paths, steps, bridges, railing and tour guides. Although some cavers do not consider show caves as "real caves" because of the exploitation of the commercial nature. The truth is, commercial caves are of great value to caving. Many are as pristine as the day they were discovered which allows you to see a cave that hasn't been vandalized or mistreated. Of course the commercial cave owners have the advantage of controlling this situation where private owners of wild caves elect not to do so. Commercial caves interests are the cave beauties, that if destroyed means financial ruin. The wild cave owner concerns are of liability and if sued could mean also financial ruin. Since most cavers do not own caves, they get to explore usually vandalized or caves that have been neglected by usage (that is why many cavers keep secret virgin finds unless they can get the owner to accept some form of cave protection). Some cavers have felt that commercial caves have made themselves a bad reputation as using the cave for financial gain purposes. This is changing since many commercial caves now offer educational tours (and wild tours) that teach the public about conservation cave animal life, geology, etc. They are doing this while making the learning process fun. Cavers on the other hand, would like to keep their hobby restricted to only those that takes caves and caving serious. While this is a form of cave protection, it does leave out the many curious flash light "spelunkers" that usually create many problems with cave owners and caving. So, commercial caves that do more then point out a formation that looks like the Capitol Dome, actually are very beneficial by trying to educate the public about caves. As caving becomes more popular, commercial caves might play an important role in getting more people concerned with the proper attitudes towards caves.

 MINES

What is a mine or a tunnel? We'll it surely isn't a cave but rather a man-made hole in the earth. Some cavers are intrigued with mines as a different aspect of underground exploring. Some mines are bigger then most Pennsylvania caves and their huge passage size can astound you. Then there are some mines that are small or narrow. In some rare cases, you can even find caves intersected by mine passages (remember, most caves do not have entrances yet). Some of the bigger sized mines were being excavated in the last 50 years or so. The smaller mines appear to be much older (1800's) since everything was dug by hand. Mines have little to offer the explorer since speleothems formations do not exist and about every passage looks like the next. While some mines look quite sturdy, many do not (and probably aren't'). Although, some caves may have breakdown (many rocks on the cave floor) and cracked ceilings, they are not about to collapse. This can not be said for mines. Caves have gone through millions of years of dissolving evolution where mines have gone through years of explosive charges that have disturbed the rock strata and perhaps weakened rock formations needed for ceiling stability. While cavers will sometimes explore mines, they prefer a cave any day. The old saying, "if it looks bad, then it probably is", holds very true for mines.