Witches’ Pantry Cave – a Potentially

Significant Cave on Bureau of Land

Management Lands North of Glenwood
Springs, Colorado

A Report to the Bureau of Land Management,

Colorado River Valley Field Office

December 6, 2019

Prepared by:

Richard Rhinehart
Colorado Cave Survey
Mid-Continent Quarry Committee Coordinator
515 April Lane, Unit A
Grand Junction, CO 81504
(303) 725-9146
ColoradoCaveSurvey.org

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A previously-unknown cave of significance has been discovered within the footprint of the proposed
Mid-Continent Quarry expansion, north of the city of Glenwood Springs. Recent exploration by members
of the Colorado Cave Survey of the National Speleological Society, along the historic Transfer Trail four-
wheel-drive route to the central White River Plateau, came upon the cave.

Named Witches’ Pantry Cave, this new cave has a nearly vertical entrance on the dipping Leadville
Limestone slope that is well hidden (it is not visible using Google Earth imagery). Owing to this
invisibility, the cave has not only escaped visitation by Glenwood Springs residents these last 130 years,
but also has trapped an unknown number of animals who have fallen unexpectedly into its opening.

Preliminary investigation of the cave in October and November, 2019 found a large collection of loose
bones of mammals on the surface of a debris cone. These bones were carefully collected and provided
to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for study and identification.

At the bottom of this large cave collapse, on the southern end of the chamber, a low, tight crawlway
leads southwest. This crawl ends in a very narrow vertical fissure dropping to a lower level. Only three
people have descended this fissure, and they report the cave continues.

From this fissure and tight crawlway, visiting cavers have noticed a breeze at times. Owing to this
breeze, it is anticipated there is additional passage to the south and southwest of the currently-known
cave.

It is also suspected natural cave passages may extend to the north. A 2018 electrical resistivity and a
seismic survey of the region along the Transfer Trail by Collier Consulting of Texas suggests a series of
anomalies may be unknown, evenly-spaced east/west cave passageways. These passageways may be
developed along joints in the Leadville rock strata that extend to the south, down the dip of the
monocline. The new cave is south of the Transfer Trail, on land included within the footprint of the
projected expansion of the Mid-Continent Quarry by Rocky Mountain Resources.

There is concern that the proposed quarry expansion will destroy this cave without any scientific study
of a potentially-rich Pleistocene-era bone yard in the debris cone of rock and sediment found in the
cave’s entrance. Similar caves, such as Natural Trap in northern Wyoming, have proven to be
exceptionally valuable in understanding past life in North America. Also, rare cave life may be discovered
within the cave itself. Additional scientific study is necessary, as a single visit by biologists found some
life in the entrance chamber.

It is very possible, too, that Native and Early Americans knew of this cave. The natural hot springs and
original vapor cave at Glenwood Springs had been visited by hundreds of generations prior to the
settlement of European Americans beginning in late 1881. Researchers have identified a probable
Medicine Wheel of antiquity to the east of the cave location. An archaeologist visited the cave but did
not see any obvious signs of visitation.

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KNOWN AREA CAVES

The monoclinal uplift of the Mississippian Age Leadville Limestone strata from the Colorado River Valley
at Glenwood Springs, Colorado to the heights of the White River Plateau to the north is a region that is
surprisingly little-explored for cave and karst features.

On Iron Mountain immediately north of the city, Glenwood Caverns, the former Fairy Cave, has been
known and visited by the public since 1896. It is the longest known cave in the vicinity, with more than 3
miles of passages surveyed. These passages include some of Colorado’s best decorated and largest
chambers, including the Barn, one of the three largest known natural rooms in Colorado. The cave is a
popular visitor attraction since 1999, and currently attracts more than 200,000 visitors annually. It is one
of the most successful privately-owned commercial caves in the United States.

East of Cascade Creek, caves are known on private and public Bureau of Land Management lands above
Interstate Highway 70 and the community of No Name. These caves include Cave of the Clouds, a nearly
1,000-foot-long private cave known since 1886, which was shown to the public from 1887 through at
least 1897. Drapery Den is nearby, a large, single-chambered cave, also on private land. Just to the north
are two caves on Bureau of Land Management land, Amphitheater Cave, and Upper Amphitheater Cave.
Both have about 200 feet of surveyed passage.

On the eastern rim of Oasis Creek, two caves are known. Surprise Pit is immediately north of the city,
and contains a single chamber and a short vertical entrance. It has undoubtedly been known and visited
since the late 19th century by prospectors, and local residents. North of the pit, a cave on the rim of the
canyon was discovered in about 1985. This cave, Fountainhead Cave, contains some dripstone
decorations, and is apparently mostly unknown to local residents.

Further north, on the west wall of Oasis Creek, the large Oasis Spring erupts from the contact between
the Dyer Dolomite and underlying quartzite strata. This large spring is the apparent resurgence of an
underground stream that is fed by snowmelt and water draining from the Oasis/Mitchell Creek drainage
divide with No Name Creek to the north. It may be the reason the canyon received the name “Oasis
Creek” in the late 19th century. No enterable cave is currently associated with the spring, but it is likely a
natural cave follows the strata down the dip of the Leadville Limestone strata from the high plateau. The
geology beneath the Transfer Trail is similar, and water drains from the high Plateau near Windy Point
south to the West Glenwood Fault, then along the fault to feed the deep underground reservoir that
feeds the hot springs.

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DISCOVERY AND INITIAL INVESTIGATION OF WITCHES’ PANTRY CAVE

Rifle, Colorado caver Rob McFarland and Grand Junction, Colorado caver Richard Rhinehart were the
first known persons to come upon the entrance to Witches’ Pantry Cave in late October, 2019. Following
the rigging of a hand line in the entrance for safety, Rob carefully climbed down into the entrance
chamber. He was greatly impressed with the cave’s size and potential. While in the cave, he noticed the
large number of bones scattered about on the surface of the dirt and rock floor.

The following weekend, a group of cavers returned to more carefully examine the cave. They looked into
the low crawlway, and carefully moved some of the bones out of the way for a better view. These were
collected and provided by one of the team biologists to associates at the Denver Museum of Nature and
Science for identification and study.

A larger team visited the cave the following weekend. This group spent time moving aside large, loose
rocks from the entrance collapse that choked the crawlway at the cave’s southern end. Included in the
team were specialists in biology, geology, and archaeology. A photographer took multiple images of the
cave to document the feature.

Trips later successfully pushed through the low crawlway, finding a narrow, descending crevice that
leads deeper into the Leadville Limestone strata. Beyond the crevice are a few nicely decorated
chambers. A cool breeze issues from a continuing passage which was not explored owing to a limitation
on time. During the trip, the team noticed a pack rat that appeared at one point, apparently curious as
to the commotion in the previously-quiet underground lair.

Future visits in the spring of 2020 will include a paleontologist, who will carefully examine the debris
cone in the entrance chamber. This cone may very well contain additional bones from unfortunate
animals that tumbled unexpectedly into the cave and died from their fall, or from injuries sustained in
their unfortunate descent into the cave. It is possible that bats may also live seasonally within the cave.
No significant piles of guano were noticed in the cave, but a bat specialist should visit and see if the cave
is used as an overnight roost.

Cavers will also begin exploration beyond the first chambers below the crevice. With the cool breeze, it
is likely there may be hundreds of feet of passage.

During the November trips, cavers examined the entrance room to see if any historic penciled signatures
or Native American pictographs were present. None were found. One team member carried a sensitive
metal finder and checked the region immediately around the shaft to see if there were any metal
fragments. He found none.

A formal survey of the cave is in order, as only a rough sketch of the cave was completed during the
November visits.

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CAVE DESCRIPTION

At present, Witches’ Pantry is the most significant cave known north of Glenwood Caverns, with at least
150 feet of passage. From an entrance that is perhaps six feet wide by ten feet long, a steep, at times
nearly-vertical slope leads south to the end of the entrance chamber.

This chamber appears to be a large canyon passage that was a high point in the cave system and
breached the surface through years of erosion. The collapse is relatively recent in geologic time, but
probably thousands of years before present. There may be a continuing passage to the north, but a large
limestone rock is currently blocking view in that direction.

From the bottom of the entrance slope, a low crawlway with a ten-inch squeeze provides access to a
tight, descending fissure less than a foot in width. This feature is reminiscent of the Jam Crack within
Glenwood Caverns. In the early 1960s exploration of that cave, the narrow, tight Jam Crack was a critical
discovery to find the larger, lower level of the cave system.

Beyond this crevice are small chambers that are well decorated with wet, dripping stalactites and
flowstone. Airflow was detected blowing from at least one of the leads, strongly indicating continuing
passage to the west.

The entrance chamber also contains some dripstone decorations – draperies and flowstone. This room is
probably 15 feet in height, so it is spacious and comfortable to visit.

The entrance chamber was dry and dusty, so any rain that falls into the entrance or snow melt that
allows water to drip into the room, is most likely evaporated by the exchange of air from the surface,
and moist air blowing from deeper in the system.

Like all caves in this region, this is an hypogenic cave. The cave was formed approximately 2 million
years ago through the upwelling of hot mineral water from great depth. The Colorado River valley was at
the level of the cave, and the hot spring water emerged from a point somewhere above the cave
elevation. This is the same aggressive water that feeds today’s hot springs along the Colorado River in
Glenwood Springs. Caves are forming below the city in the Leadville Limestone strata today.

Although Witches’ Pantry Cave is relatively short in its current extent, it is worthwhile to recall that
Glenwood Caverns from its discovery in 1895 to the mid-1950s contained about 700 feet of known
passage. Through exploration by National Speleological Society cavers, the cave was greatly expanded to
its current extent as one of Colorado’s longest known caves. Additional exploration in this new cave is
likely to extend it significantly.

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CHALLENGES

Using GPS, it was determined Witches’ Pantry is located within the footprint of the expanded Mid-
Continent Quarry. As such, the proposed expansion will destroy the cave completely through the
quarrying process. It is also possible that the drilling of Groundwater Well #1 to the north as proposed
by Rocky Mountain Resources may intersect natural cave passages. If this potential cave is connected
underground to the newly-discovered cave, this new artificial entrance will create a chimney-effect wind
between the higher well bore to the north and the lower cave entrance. Depending on the outside
temperature, wind will flow up and out, or down and out. This could be very significant, with the airflow
drying out any pools and the active, dripping speleothems in the unknown cave. Cave of the Winds at
Manitou Springs is an example of such a chimney-effect system. Here, the winds over the last century
have completely dried out the cave from any moisture and future growth of speleothems.

Owing to the location of Witches’ Pantry Cave near the City of Glenwood Springs and the Transfer Trail
route to the high White River Plateau, it is vulnerable to damage by uncaring visitors. The preference of
those cavers who have visited the cave is to keep the location private, outside of federal knowledge. It
has completely escaped attention for more than a century, so it will be tragic to see it damaged through
vandalism. Cave of the Clouds was once Colorado’s best-decorated cave, similar in some ways to
Carlsbad Cavern. More than a century of unregulated access by local residents left it scarred forever by
thoughtless collection of speleothems and graffiti.

The bones within the debris cone may be a significant scientific resource. Additional scientific study is
required to determine the nature of this resource.

The cave represents a significant hazard to any potential quarrying operations, since the entrance
passage is immediately below the surface. Heavy earth moving equipment may unexpectedly collapse
through the surface into cave only a few dozen feet below, injuring or killing the operator. Even drilling
in the region can be harmful to the caves, in that drilling fluid can be lost into the pristine cave
environment, debris can fall into passageways, and unnatural air flow from a new drill hole entrance will
affect cave conditions through free and unregulated exchange with the surface.

Use of the cave by Native or Early Americans is unknown. The recently-discovered Medicine Wheel to
the east on White River National Forest lands indicates Native Americans ventured up the mountain
from the springs at Glenwood for religious and ceremonial purposes. Native American use is known at
remote locations on the White River Plateau, such as Shield Cave in eastern Glenwood Canyon on BLM
lands, and at the privately-owned Sweetwater Indian Cave above Sweetwater Lake. It is logical to
assume that these individuals most likely knew of the entrance to Witches’ Pantry, but whether they
used rope to enter is unknown (skilled climbers do not need the handline to safely descend or ascend).

This discovery strongly indicates additional cave passages and chambers almost certainly exist in the
footprint of the quarry expansion project. Additional close examination of the terrain, along with
geophysical surveys will almost certainly identify areas where caves exist. The challenge is being able to
have the time to walk the region in a systematic manner.

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IMAGE GALLERY

Rob McFarland rigs a rope to descend into Witches’ Pantry Cave on the day of discovery. Richard Rhinehart photograph.

Draperies in Witches’ Pantry Cave Entrance Chamber. Rob McFarland photograph.

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The low crawlway at the southern end of the entrance chamber, and bones when discovered. Rob McFarland photograph.

Loose sediment in Witches’ Pantry Cave. Rob McFarland photograph.

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A caver stands at the hidden entrance to Witches’ Pantry Cave. Norman R. Thompson photograph.

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 A view of pristine decorations in the lower level. Kristen Levy photograph.

Stalactites in the lower level, Witches’ Pantry Cave. Kristen Levy photograph.

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 A view south to Glenwood Springs and the Roaring Fork valley from the approach to Witches’ Pantry Cave.
Norman R. Thompson photograph.

QUESTIONS

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding this new White River Plateau cave on
Bureau of Land Management lands.

On behalf of the Colorado Cave Survey of the National Speleological Society, our members look forward
to working with our partners at the Bureau of Land Management in the protection and preservation of
this important discovery.

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