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Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a protected cave system in Utah County, Utah. Covering 250 acres (1 sq km), it is in the American Fork Canyon in the Wasatch mountains. The caves are famous for its helictites, an attractive rock formation that look like straws. In addition, there are other formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, cave popcorn, flowstone, and others.
Timpanogos Cave National Monument comprises three cave chambers namely Hansen Cave, Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cove. Hansen Cave was discovered by Martin Hansen in 1887 while he was tracking a cougar in the American Fork Canyon.
Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Utah
Author: Scott Catron (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Timpanogos Cave was discovered by Vearl J. Manwill, a member of the Payson Outdoors Club, in 1921. That same year Middle Cave was spotted by the son and grandson of Martin Hansen, George Heber Hansen and Wayne E. Hansen. They saw it on the binoculars, and returned a few days later Martin Hansen, who was the first person to enter the cave.
Unlike Hansen Cave, whose formations were damaged before any form of protection could be placed on them, by the time Timpanogos and Middle caves were discovered, there was already greater awareness of protecting the environment. Today the caves are under the management of the National Park Service which is continuing to preserve and maintain the caves while at the same time enabling them to be appreciated by new generations of visitors.
Visiting Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Utah
Timpanogos Cave National Monument is reached from Salt Lake City heading south on Interstate 15 (view location and direction on map), turning off at Exit 284 to head east on Timpanogos Highway (State Highway 92). Just continue on this route until you reach the site on your right. Do note that the road and the monument is closed in winter. Cave tours are available throughout opening hours, which is 7:00 am to 5:30 pm during summer and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm in the fall.As the Timpanogos Cave National Monument is within the American Fork Canyon, you need to pay an entrance fee to the canyon, which is $6 per vehicle, valid for 3 days, and $12 for 7-day pass. In addition, the cave tours cost $7 per person aged 16 and above, $5 for juniors between 6 and 15 and $3 for children aged 3 to 5.
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