Go Caving

So, you want to go caving?
The easiest way to get underground is to come with us on a club trip! If you are an organization or a group, you may also be able to make more specialized arrangements (read below for details).

Club Trips

We announce club trips in two main ways:

If you need to prepare for your first (or first few) trips, read our guide on this page.

Beginner trips usually set out on Saturday or Sunday morning from near campus. Although we typically spend only a few hours underground, plan to be gone most of the afternoon. If everyone’s having a great time, you might stay underground longer!

Group Trips

It is common for groups to request assistance from our club to help lead caving trips. Groups that have made such requests in the past include Boy or Girl Scout troops, outdoor adventure groups, youth groups, or school groups. These are led on a volunteer basis if a member of our club is available.

We are a small club and most of our members are students (either undergraduate or graduate), so please understand if we are unable to help lead/guide your group caving trip.

If your group is not from around the Blacksburg area (Montgomery County, VA), you might have better luck contacting another caving grotto closer to your home. There may not be one, but you can check on the National Speleological Society’s list of caving organizations (“grottos”).

To organize a Group Trip with the club:

First, please email our club president and let them know some details:

  • When you want to go caving
  • How many people will be on the trip
  • The caving experience of the group
  • The age range of the group
  • What equipment your group can bring (such as helmets and headlamps)

The president will then try to find someone from our club who is qualified and able to lead your trip. We can only accommodate one group per weekend (depending on size), and usually only one weekend per month. So planning early will help ensure you reserve a weekend to cave with us.

Boy Scouts must follow BSA guidelines on caving in this brochure. More info can be found here.