Ultimate Guide to Ursa Minor, California (Tours, Pricing, History, Map)
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Ursa Minor Cave is a part of Sequoia National Park, a naturally formed system of caves in the famous Sierra Nevada region of California. It was discovered in August 2006 by explorers from the Cave Research Foundation. They widened the hole to facilitate human entry and found one of the US’s most beautiful and unique caves.
Ursa Minor Cave, California
Ursa Minor has a cave lake around 100 ft across and vertical drops that should be traversed using ropes. There are several passages inside the cave, but the actual length of the cave is still unknown. The new cave is closed for recreational visits till scientific study is complete.
History of Ursa Minor Cave
Four amateur cave explorers in Sequoia National Park have discovered a massive cave formed 1 million years ago. It is a labyrinth that stretches for more than 1000 ft into a mountain, and it has fantastic rock formations ever seen in the world. Millions of crystals shimmer like diamonds, and the flowstones look like spilled paint over the floor.
There is a lake that is 20 ft deep and fills one of the five known rooms in the cave, and the passages lead to utter darkness, thereby suggesting that there is more to see in the cave. The discovery of the caves has managed to excite the geologists; although caves have been discovered in Sequoia National Park with reasonable regularity, this cave is the grandest of all. It is believed that the caves will open the doors for detailed geological study.
Geological Cave Formations in Ursa Minor Cave
The cave has large passages and rooms, and most of these are more than 50 ft in width. They have beautiful cave formations such as long cave curtains, soda straws which are fragile and up to 6 ft in length, and huge areas of multicolored flowstone.
The cave curtains were formed by water flowing from overhangs. Some of these curtains are translucent, while others are red, brown, or orange. There are also cave pearls which are nothing but calcified balls of sand that are of the size of large tomatoes.
Wildlife in Ursa Minor Cave
No specific information is available on the kind of wildlife found in the caves. Still, researchers are exploring the caves in the hope of finding new species of troglobites or organisms that live in complete darkness inside the caves. The cave is teeming with spiders, millipedes, and other kinds of invertebrates.
Is Ursa Minor Haunted?
Ursa Cave is a relatively new cave discovered only in August 2006. There is no information on strange sightings or paranormal activities.
How Big is Ursa Minor Cave?
The geologists are still mapping the cave, but they have not found the end yet. So the actual dimensions are not available yet. The cave has five rooms and, to give you an idea, the biggest room is 200 ft wide and 50 ft tall.
Ursa Minor Cave Tours
The cave is not at all accessible to the public as exploration and research are still going on. So tours are not available here.
Ursa Minor Cave Tour Prices and Discounts
No tours are conducted in these caves.
Is Ursa Minor Cave Cold?
It is expected that the temperature inside the cave would be much lower than the surroundings as it is seen in other caves of the region.
What to Wear?
While visiting any of the caves in Sequoia National Park, we recommend that you wear short sleeves and shorts/sports track pants. The shoes are the most important aspect as they must be comfortable and should be non-slip.
Ursa Minor Hours
If you can find it, the cave is open from dawn to dusk for researchers and explorers.
What to Do at Ursa Minor Cave (Beside Tours)
The cave is not thrown open to the public, and there is not much to do near the Ursa Minor. We suggest that you check out some of the other renowned and accessible caves of Sequoia National Park.
Best Time to Visit Ursa Minor Caves
You can visit Ursa Minor Caves any time of the year but finding it would be an arduous task as park officials are tight-lipped over its official location.
How to Get to Ursa Minor Cave
The park officials have never pinpointed the cave’s exact location, but we do know that it is in the Kaweah River watershed, and, in most probability, it will never be opened to the public.
Hotels near Ursa Minor Cave
There are innumerable options for staying near the Ursa Minor Cave in Sequoia National Park, and the most notable among them is Kaweah Villa and The Kern Lodge.
Download our Ursa Minor Cave Guide (Unofficial)
Visiting Ursa Minor
Do you need more information before visiting Ursa Minor? You can search the internet for more information as no contact details are available with us.
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