Woodward Cave and Campground

Route 45 Woodward Pennsylvania

Educational Tours for School and Scouts
EXPERIENCE NATURE'S WONDER AT ITS BEST

Woodward cave offers a wonderful educational resource for school groups, scout troops, and others interested in a unique experience with nature.

Woodward Cave will help teach students about caves in general, gelogic processes, and wildlife within the cave.  In addition to many types of cave formations (speleothems),we explain cave origins, underground water flow, fossils, and cave chemistry.  Students see how stalactites and Stalagmites form and see many oother formations such as rare helictites, Flowstone, ribbon Fomations and Cave Coral.

Often, hibernating bats can be observed reating the highlight of the tour for young children.  Out guides are well trained in bat safety, identification and biology and characteristics of these smallest of mammals.

The tour is an easy one hour, 1/3 mile walk on a gravel path throught five large rooms.  The largest of the five rooms, the Hall of Statues, includes the largest free standing Stalagmite in Pennsylvania, aptly named the Tower of Babel.

Educational programs are available in our assembly hall prior to the tour.

PROTECTING NATIVE WILDLIFE
Woodward Cave is the hibernating site of a sizable colony of about 4,000 native Pennsylvania bats.  The bats, greatly beneficial in controlling insect pests during the summer, reside in tree tops and under bridges each summer and return to Woodward Cave to quietly spend the winter.  Early Spring or Fall visitors experience the rare thrill of observing bats in their native habitat.

Woodward Cave has participated in a collaborative program with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to preserve the cave as a bat habitat.  Recognizing that destruction of habitat is a primary threat to all wild life, the Conservancy funded special bat friendly door for the cave entrance.

The bat population is in hibernation while in the cave.  As with any wild life, we do not disturb them or come in any physical contact.  Don't miss this outstanding educational resource.

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Temperatures are very cool at 48°, so bring a jacket and proper footwear.