Tytoona Cave

     

     Tytoona Cave Pennsylvania is home to countless caves and sinkholes. Many are due to the large amounts of limestone leftover from prehistoric bodies of water. Many small caves are found by simply walking through the wooded areas of Central Pennsylvania. One of the larger cavern lies in

Entrance to Tytoona

Sinking Valley and is called Tytoona Cave. The name comes from its location which is between Altoona and Tyrone in Blair County. The Cavern is listed in historical texts as far back as the 1780s and has had a few attempts at commercialization with no luck. However, the cavern remains a rich historical and educational attraction for the public community. 


     Tytoona cave is about 1 mile beginning-to-end, but has never been traveled through completely due to an underwater blockage of rock. The cave has been confirmed by dye-testing to come out at another landmark known as Arch Spring, but that is for another blog. The cave can be accessed about 900 feet by a novice and than permission and more experience in cave diving is needed. The entrance to the cave is a beautiful wooded sinkhole and is more easily accessible in the dryer seasons

A view inside

when the water flowing thought it is lower. History and folklore tell tales of the cavern being found by early pioneers in the 1750s. One tale is of Bedford Rangers chasing 2 Indians into the cave. The Indians supposedly had killed a few settlers near by and were followed by the rangers. The ranger set up camp and took turns watching for the Indians to emerge. After some time the Indians never came out and it is said that you can still hear them wading and talking in the cave; still trying to find their way out. A more recent and tragic account of the cave tells of women in 1988 who was an experienced cave diver trying to find the end of the cave and never returning. Even after a search party of divers the women was not found until a few days later her body was recovered in the Arch Spring outlet. People speculate that she lost her compass and was unable to retrace her route.

Alternate route inside the cave

The compass was not on her person when they found her body. Tales of a phantom compass being seen in the cave then disappearing have been documented by divers. 

      The cave is now available to the public and is also used by local schools and universities for training and education about caving and conservation. A set of rules to follow are at the entrance and visiting hours are from 6am-9pm. The cave can be found by traveling on Kettle Rd. and then turning onto Morrow Rd. There is a pull off with multiple signs explaining the times permitted to be at the cave. If you wish to visit the  cave bring a flashlight and please be respectful.

Pull off area for Parking