close

Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve Camping

notifications Text me when there's a cancellation at Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve
Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve - Wikipedia
Photo: Wikipedia
Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve - Wikipedia
Photo: Wikipedia
Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve - Wikipedia
Photo: Wikipedia
Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve - Wikipedia
Photo: Wikipedia
Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve - Wikipedia
Photo: Wikipedia

Campgrounds

Campgrounds in Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve

Oregon Caves National Monument And Preserve Tours

Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve

Overview

A brief introduction to Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve

Deep within the Siskiyou Mountains are dark, twisting passages that await your discovery. Eons of acidic water seeping into marble rock created and decorated the wondrous “Marble Halls of Oregon.” Join a tour, get a taste of what caving is all about, and explore a mountain from the inside and out!

Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve is a protected area in the northern Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon in the United States. The 4,554-acre (1,843 ha) park, including the marble cave, is 20 miles (32 km) east of Cave Junction, on Oregon Route 46. The protected area, managed by the National Park Service (NPS), is in southwestern Josephine County, near the Oregon–California border.
Elijah Davidson, a resident of nearby Williams, discovered the cave in 1874. Over the next two decades, private investors failed in efforts to run successful tourist ventures at the publicly owned site. After passage of the Antiquities Act by the United States Congress, in 1909 President William Howard Taft established Oregon Caves National Monument, to be managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS). The growing usage of the automobile, construction of paved highways, and promotion of tourism by boosters from Grants Pass led to large increases in cave visitation during the late 1920s and thereafter. Among the attractions at the remote monument is the Oregon Caves Chateau, a six-story hotel built in a rustic style in 1934. It is a National Historic Landmark and is part of the Oregon Caves Historic District within the monument. The NPS, which assumed control of the monument in 1933, offers tours of the cave from mid-April through early November. In 2014, the protected area was expanded by about 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) and re-designated a National Monument and Preserve. At the same time, the segment of the creek that flows through the cave was renamed for the mythological Styx and added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Oregon Caves is a solutional cave, with passages totaling about 15,000 feet (4,600 m), formed in marble. The parent rock was originally limestone that metamorphosed to marble during the geologic processes that created the Klamath Mountains, including the Siskiyous. Although the limestone formed about 190 million years ago, the cave itself is no older than a few million years. Valued as a tourist cave, the cavern also has scientific value; sections of the cave that are not on tour routes contain fossils of national importance.
Activities at the park include cave touring, hiking, photography, and wildlife viewing. One of the park trails leads through the forest to Big Tree, which at 13 feet (4.0 m) is the widest Douglas fir known in Oregon. Lodging and food are available at The Chateau and in Cave Junction. Camping is available in the preserve at the Cave Creek Campground, at a local USFS campground, and private sites in the area.

Read more about Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve at Wikipedia

ARE Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve campsites SOLD OUT?

We can help! Many campsite reservations are cancelled daily. Just tell us when you’d like to camp at Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve, and how long you want to camp for. We’ll text you when a suitable spot opens up!

Scan for cancellations

Contact Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve

Spotted an error?

Whoops! Sometimes we make mistakes. Want to help improve the Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve listing? Please suggest a correction.

Other nearby parks

Open to camping at other nearby parks? Here are a few other parks you'll find in the vicinity.

Reviews

Camper reviews for Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve

Post a review for Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve

Be the first to post a review of Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve!

How was your visit to Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve? Share your review of Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve and help fellow nature-lovers make an informed decision.

Post a review
Please be nice. Around here, we try to be helpful, inclusive, and constructive.

Map

View a map of Oregon Caves National Monument Preserve

UNABLE TO RESERVE A CAMPSITE?

Get notified when a sold-out campground has availability

Tell us when, where, and how long you want to camp for. We’ll notify you (via SMS) when a suitable spot opens up at that campground—so you can nab that sold-out campsite reservation!

Create a scan