Blanchard Springs Caverns announces winter schedule
MOUNTAIN VIEW — Blanchard Springs Caverns, located 15 miles northwest of Mountain View near the town of Fifty-Six, has begun its winter schedule.
Blanchard Springs Caverns will be open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, from November through March. The Caverns are closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
The Discovery Tour is closed in the winter because of bat hibernation, but the Dripstone Trail Tour and the Wild Cave Tour are open year-round.
• The Dripstone Trail takes visitors through the most spectacularly decorated part of the caverns. The tour takes about an hour to walk through, and it’s a constant 58 degrees in the caverns. The trail is accessible to people in wheelchairs, but they need two strong helpers to assist them on the tour. The Dripstone Tour has set tour times of 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. during the week, Wednesday through Friday; and 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekends, with other tours added as needed.
• The Wild Cave Tour is a strenuous four-hour trip through undeveloped sections of the middle level. The tour involves climbing, crawling and sliding over red clay and rocks and is available by reservation only. The Wild Cave Tour begins at 9:30 a.m.
• Call ahead and inquire about the caverns’ Saturday Discovery in the Dark Tours. This 70-minute tour gives those who do not feel up to the more strenuous Wild Cave Tour a feel for what the early cave explorers saw. The guide leads visitors through the Ghost Room, the Christmas Tree Room and the Giant Flowstone wearing helmets and headlamps. The entire tour is on a sidewalk and includes 200 stairsteps.
Blanchard Springs’ Visitor Information Center is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors can watch an informative movie and tour the exhibit hall to explore the wonders underground. Books, gifts, and other items are available for purchase at the Eastern National gift shop.
For more information and schedules, call the caverns at (870) 757-2211. Reservations for Blanchard Springs Caverns tours can be made at www.recreation.gov. More information can be obtained at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ Blanchard or by writing to the U.S. Forest Service, 1001 E. Main St., Mountain View, AR 72560.