Laurel Caverns opens as Pennsylvania’s 1st underground state park

By MEGAN TROTTER
TribLive

Laurel Caverns, the popular Fayette County tourist attraction, has officially opened as Pennsylvania’s first underground state park.

On Monday, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Laurel Caverns State Park’s official opening alongside Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn and local Fayette leaders.

“Right here in our backyard, we have one of the most unique natural attractions in the country,” said Vince Vicites, Fayette county commissioner, in a news release. “Laurel Caverns already brings about 50,000 visitors each year and today’s designation will help bring even more — that means more support for our local businesses, restaurants and workforce.”

Laurel Caverns is now Pennsylvania’s 125th state park and the first subterranean state park in the commonwealth’s history.

The 435-acre park centers around the largest and deepest limestone cave in Pennsylvania, which includes 4 miles of wide cave passages that go as deep as 476 feet. The cave also houses the largest bat shelter in the Northeast, the release said.

The Caverns see roughly 50,000 visitors annually.

Muriel Nuttall, executive director of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, said the one-of-a-kind attraction should help bring money into the county.

“Every day, we welcome so many people to the county and today builds on momentum to give people another reason to visit, to explore, and to really impact our local economy,” Nuttall said in the release.

The Laurel Caverns’ history is centuries old.

Native Americans found the entrance to the caves hundreds of years ago. While no one is sure when the first non-Native Americans entered the caves, historians estimate it was likely in the 1760s.

By the summer of 1776, there was a quarry operating at the edge of the limestone bed. Then in 1794, Richard Freeman acquired the land from the state.

In the early 1900s Uniontown resident Roy Cale, district manager of A&P Food Stores in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and his cousin, Norman Cale, purchased the property above Laurel Caverns.

On July 1, 1964, the caves officially opened for tours.

The caverns stayed in the Cale family until David and Lilian Cale, who created the Laurel Caverns Conservancy to manage the park’s operations in 1986, donated the land to the state.

“Our state parks are rich in history and have some of the most dedicated community members to help the parks thrive,” said Corie Eckman, park manager of Laurel Caverns State Park. “Thanks to the Cale Family, the Laurel Caverns have allowed generations of visitors to experience the beauty beneath its surface and it has been my privilege to help in the park’s transition to the commonwealth.”

Recreational activities such as hiking, birding and picnicking will remain free at the Caverns, but fees to enter the cave for one of five guided or self-guided tours will be in place throughout the 2026 season, the governor’s office said in a news release.