Overview

Hype:

Blowhole cave is a fun Utah cave where you can spend a full day exploring underground. The cave is very muddy, so plan accordingly.

Cave Type: Vertical

Time: 5-6 hours

Length: 1,165 ft

Depth: 340 ft

Gear: 300 ft of rope, webbing, harness, descender, ascenders, helmet, headlamp, backup flashlights, first aid kit, food, water

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Permits: Gated Official Website

Links: Access Request Form
Wikipedia
CaveXploring.com
Jon Jasper’s Cave Map Gallery

Maps

Closest City or Region: Utah County, Utah

Coordinates: 0.000000, 0.000000

Printable Maps

February 11, 2012 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Zac Dye, Chris Erickson, Daniel Erickson, Kami Erickson, Savannah Erickson,

Story

On Saturday, February 11, 2012, Zac and I went to Blowhole Cave with Chris, Daniel, Kami, and Savannah Erickson. We met in Santaquin, UT at 10:30 am then drove out to the cave. We took a wrong turn that set us back about 10-15 minutes, but we still got to the cave around noon. We got all our gear on while Chris dropped down into the entrance pit to unlock the gate.

There was a slight problem though. The combination that Mike gave us didn't work. Actually Mike didn't give us just one combination; he gave us four: three possibilities for the lock that was currently on the gate and one for the new lock (they switch the lock periodically). So Chris sat down in the hole for most of an hour trying random combinations while I called, texted, and emailed lots of people trying to see if anyone knew the correct combination. Turns out the combination of the old lock was the exact same as the combination of the new lock. So we finally got in.

Blowhole Cave is basically a long passage that is inclined close to 45 degrees for most of the cave. Obviously some parts are steeper than others (see the cave map to the right). On this trip, we headed straight for the bottom first. Then we explored side passages on the way back up. At the bottom of Miner's Pit, there was a dead rabbit. Stinky.

Zac and I were the first ones to head back up.

We explored the fossil passage for most of an hour. When we finished exploring the fossil passage, we returned to the main passage. We got there less than a minute before Kami did.

Once everyone else finished ascending the middle section, Zac and I pulled that rope while Chris and Daniel explored the fossil passage and while Kami and Savannah started ascending out the rest of the cave. We got the rope pulled up halfway when a tangle in the end of the rope got wedged in a rock. So Zac rappelled back down to untangle it then ascended back up. He had a fun time figuring out how to switch from rappelling to ascending without unclipping his carabiner to remove his ATC. He ended up just attaching his ascenders then pulling the rope through his ATC. Smart kid.

The rest of the ascent out was pretty uneventful. I took a few pictures of Zac ascending. I'm sitting at the gate and holding the camera out so you can see the drop.

We finished up around 6:00 pm. Not bad for a day's work.

Pictures

January 16, 2010 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Timpanogos Grotto,

Pictures