Family Caving in Lost River Gorge

by Julie Brooks

One attraction families on Cape Cod are not likely to find on their peninsula is a commercial cave.    There are only two commercial caves in New England, both in New Hampshire's White Mountains.    We recently experienced Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves and our sandbar-bred kids were absolutely amazed at the huge rock structures.   Located in North Woodstock,  NewHampshire, in the White Mountain National Forest,   Lost River is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from the mid-Cape area.    It's a perfect addition to a summer or fall trip to this popular area.   Lost River consists of  about 16 small caves you can go through (by walking, crawling, or slithering), all connected by a walking platform which descends down into the Gorge and back up again.   The whole thing takes about an hour to do. You begin your descent at the visitors center and after walking down through verdant, lush foliage, you begin at the cave called Sun Altar.

These caves do not have stalactites and stalagmites;  rather, the cave walls are solid Kinsman Quartz Monzonite.  There are lanterns illuminating each cave, which are rated for difficulty.  Some caves required more agility than others, and some were simply more foreboding-looking which caused some people to fear entering.

I am proud to say that all members of our two-family party successfully went through all the caves in the park with one exception:  The Lemon Squeeze.   All four of the junior members of our party were under 12 and therefore not old enough to go in the Lemon Squeeze unaccompanied. The adult members of our party were not sufficiently lean to squeeze into the entrance without extreme pain. We have all since vowed to do the Lemon Squeeze on our next visit after crash dieting.

I saw people of all ages enjoying the Gorge, even toddlers, who, while not able to go through the caves, were awestruck by the depth and magnitude of the rocks and waterfalls.

The walk ends up back where you started, at the Visitor Center. There you can have lunch on a sunny deck overlooking the mountaintops, or shop in the gift store. There is also a new addition --the Lost River Mining Co., a very cool trough with running water in which kids can pan for gemstones. A geological display and Nature Garden with over 300 varieties of native flowers, ferns and shrubs add to Lost River's appeal.

The view from almost-the-top. Lost River is open mid-May to mid-October. July and August 9 am - 6pm. May, June, September and October 9 am - 5 pm. Last ticket sold 60 minutes before closing.