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    Lewis & Clark Caverns

    4.3 (69 reviews)

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    We did the caverns tour with tour guide Huckleberry and it was amazing! Huckleberry was so informative and funny, and he made an already amazing experience even better. You start the tour with a 15-30 minute walk that's pretty much uphill, but it's doable. There are some parts of the cave that you have to crouch pretty low to get under, but they're over very quickly. There's a lot of steps but you stop a lot and it's not very strenuous. The views are amazing inside the cave! 10/10 recommend doing this tour and make sure to bring a sweatshirt!

    Chelsea W.

    This review is for the visitor center and campground. Staff at the visitor center were very nice, helpful. We did not choose to go on the cavern tour. We did come here for the campground which is excellent. Nice space between all sites, there are some electric spots but we don't need that as it was cool. We use our solar panel , except when it's hot. It unfortunately will not run the AC. We got here as they were just fully opening for the spring. So the bathrooms were not open (flush toilets and showers) but they do have put toilets for cooler times. Great trails, some good for biking. There is a fish access pony too on the Jefferson River which runs along the campground across the highway. Beautiful trip in, well Worth it!

    Lewis and Clark caverns
    Pamela T.

    Beautiful single lane drive up to cavens. Yes there is RV parking lot just before main lot. The road has many hair pen turns and is steep.

    Crystal T.

    WOW! We were on our way down from Yellowstone and decided to stop by Lewis and Clark Caverns and OMG it was so amazing. Definitely worth the stop and half day we spent here. Be warn they get pretty busy so you will be spending anywhere between 2-5hrs depending on the day and tour you take. Make sure to gas up and grab a bite to eat at Whitehall before exiting to the caverns. The cafe up by the visitors center is closed for construction so there is only chips, gogurt, cookies, and applesauce to snack on. They also sell drinks like water,soda and Gatorade. If you are not able to climb stairs, have mobility issues, are on the heavier side or are claustrophobic do NOT do the classic tour. You can do the paradise tour that takes you to the biggest cave room they have and is about an hour long tour. There is a mini hike you have to take to reach the entrance to the cave. If you are up for adventure definitely do the classic tour. We had Tessa as our guide and she was FANTASTIC! She was funny and very knowledgeable about the caves and bats. There is a lot of ducking/leaning especially if you are over 5'7", and there is even a place where you have to slide on your butt because of how small the space is to walk through. You will see some bats, and amazing formations throughout your entire walk. This tour also passes through the crystal clear lake which you can see from about 15 feet from the path. Tips for classic tour: If you have depth perception problems make sure someone is there to guide you because the stairs are not uniform at all. Most of the time you are walking down the stairs sideways because your feet don't fit in the steps. Make sure to take a jacket and a water bottle. Do not take a backpack you will regret it. If you have hiking shoes/boots or shoes that give you extra grip wear them! This is a tour for children who are 8 years or older. There is a small time where they turn off all the lights so you can experience the cave but it only lasts about 1 min.

    Interior of cabin
    Sebastian K.

    This was my first night's stop on my drive from Portland to New York City in June. I was actually surprised I was able to book a cabin at the park, on a Saturday night, about a week before I left. The first thing I noticed is how isolated and beautiful this park is- this was not the first time I had visited Montana, but I'm always blown away by it's pristine beauty and open skies. I arrived at around 11pm and it was DARK. There was a new moon, and absolutely no lights on at all which made a very quiet and serene sleeping experience. The cabin was clean- barren and rustic, but very very charming. Restrooms were serviceable- not the cleanest but not filthy (the showers takes quarters, also.) The caverns, however, were the main attraction and the next day I went on a tour. My only caving experience prior was the Ape Caves in Washington State, but this experience was much more engaging and entertaining. The guide was affable, and I was quite glad that it wasn't super busy (post-Covid, it's kind of hit or miss if these things will be super packed or not.) The views from the trail to the cave are also quite spectacular, and one of the few times I have used the panorama feature on my phone. I absolutely recommend staying the night here, as it is off the beaten track a bit (I had to do a Montana State Parks search to even find it.) It's fun for the family, but also for a single traveler such as myself.

    Cassidy L.

    Fun for the whole family. Bring a front pack for your little one, you will need it in the cave--but if you forgot yours, they'll provide you one! Great experience and I've had the privilege of visiting New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns. I'm not which I like better. I think Lewis and Clark Caverns is cooler actually. Be prepared for a little hike up to the entrance. But slides, stairs and ramps will take you down down down. Guides are cool despite their jokes and they have fun with it, which makes it enjoyable. Take lots of pictures. Very memorable.

    Spectacular views from the trail to the cave.
    Jennifer J.

    The only thing I can really say about this place is: wow! I had read about it online as a possible side trip on our way to Yellowstone, but I quickly forgot about it while planning our route. Then while driving along the freeway heading towards our destination, I noticed a sign for Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park and remembered that it was an option to visit. Since it was early in the day, we decided to take the short side route to the park. We were not disappointed. In fact, I would say it was one of the most amazing highlights of our trip. When you enter the park, if you aren't a Montana resident you first stop at the visitor center and pay $6 for a park access pass. Then you head up about a 4-mile road to the top of the mountain, where you purchased your tickets for the cave tour. We opted for the longer, more difficult tour, which was $12 per person. I consider this one of the best bargains in vacation history. We joined a group of 14 people, plus our awesome guide Russ. The tour begins with a semi grueling slightly up hill hike to the cave entrance. Because it was hot, and the elevation was pretty high compared to our home town, this was a bit of a rough slog for those of us who, say, aren't exactly in the shape we were back in college. But there were a few shady spots to rest along the way, and Russ gave us half an hour to make the nearly one mile journey. So eventually the entire group did make it to the cave entrance. Once we had all gathered at the entrance, Russ gave us a history of the cave and how it was discovered. Spoiler alert, Lewis and Clark did not actually discover the cave. But they did explore the area during their journey down the nearby river. It was interesting to hear about early entrepreneurs who charged $1 for what sounds like a pretty grueling, all day journey to and from the caves. Although the stories were interesting, I admit it was hard to stand out in the sun for the extra time it took to hear the history. By the time Russ was done speaking, we were all pretty hot from the hike. If I could suggest a change, it would be to make the speech just inside the cave rather than outside. Still, it was a minor distraction from the adventure that was to come. Once inside the cave, we met in a large room just inside the entrance. Russ pointed out some bats, and talked a little about attempts to preserve the bat population within the cave. At this point he gave the option to leave the cave if anyone was uncomfortable, and three people took him up on the offer and exited. So our group of 11 + Russ proceeded into the magnificent cave. It was truly something that I would describe as a bucket-list adventure, with stalactites, stalagmites, and numerous other cave formations which Russ pointed out to us as we continue the journey. There were several rooms that we visited, all connected by sometimes narrow passages. There were also a lot of steps on the tour, though the overwhelming majority of them were downhill. Still, I appreciated the hand railings as it would not be a fun place to fall. There were some fun surprises along the way, and lots of anecdotes, stories, and history from Russ. I won't spoil it, because the cave is best experience on a personal level. But this was seriously one of the most amazing things I have done in recent decades. I highly recommend it if you have a decent level of physical fitness. If not, there is also a shorter tour which is less strenuous. However, if I can do the long tour, I think most in decent physical condition could do it as well. There is no actual climbing, and very little in the way of uphill stairs. The most grueling part of the tour was the trail getting from where we bought the tickets to the actual cave entrance. I was glad we brought lots of water! Food is not allowed on the tour, but there is a well-stocked deli at the end of the trail. We enjoyed a couple of ice cream sandwiches before heading back to the car. There's also a gift shop with lots of fun souvenirs from the caverns and other surrounding attractions. Overall, it took about three and a half hours from the time we entered the park at the bottom, to the time we left. It was a great adventure, and one I would happily do again.

    Tunnel into the cavern
    Joy D.

    This could be a really cool adventure into the caverns but the only tour available was the Paradise tour. We had to pay $8 just to get into the state park and then $15 each for the tour. The tour was to be an hour long so we expected a tour like we have had in other caves. Not even close. We walked half a mile on a gravel path with amazing views. That walk was one of the highlights of the tour. We then stopped and our guide told us lots of interesting things about the cavern. We walked to the door and then down a really dark really long hallway to another door. Once we got in the cavern it was really cool. We entered in a small area and our guide told us briefly about that room. We moved to another amazingly cool room and that's where we stayed for the rest of the tour. Our guide tried his best to keep us interested but there is only so much you can say in that small area. We did stay in that area to kill the hour but honestly I would have rather left instead of just hanging out. We heard a tour of school kids down below us so we assumed we were waiting for them to leave so we could go on. Nope. We were done and we followed them out. We were really disappointed. They do have a Classic tour where we could have seen lots more. I get that they were understaffed but we should have been told we we would only see a tiny fraction of the cavern. Paying $38 for that tour was crazy. Had we paid $5 we would have been happy.

    Cave "bacon"
    Lee D.

    This was the third tour of a "live" cavern we enjoyed in four months. Mac, our young but mature guide, gave an informative and entertaining tour. There are three different tours; we did the Classic, which lasts about two hours. Please note that to do this tour, you need to walk about 3/4 of a mile uphill to get to the entrance of the cave and when the tour is completed, you walk about a 1/2 mile back to the visitor center so you do need to be in reasonably good shape. The Paradise tour is shorter and easier (you enter at the exit of the cave, eliminating the uphill walk but you do not see the entire cave system). Both of these tours are $12 per person and well worth the money. No advance reservations are allowed but we had no problem getting a tour that left a half-hour later on a Friday evening. The third option is the Wild Cave tour for $30 per person; this one you reserve and pay in advance and there are no refunds if you cancel. This is more like spelunking and is offered on a limited basis. The other thing to note is that they, like the other live caverns we toured, are concerned about white-nose disease that is affecting the bats. Make sure you do not wear clothing, watches, or other jewelry that you have worn in another cave for the past two years. We did see some little brown bats and it was very interesting to learn about their history.

    Thomas B.

    The Caverns were closed, as were the roads going to the caverns and the hiking trails. This review is of the park ranger who was behind the counter. She was on a personal call, refused to get off and watched me walk around for about 10 minutes before she got off the phone. When she did acknowledge me she said, curtly "sorry about that". She wasn't. I asked her a few questions and was given short answers in a rude manner. I am sure the L and C Caverns are beautiful, the area sure is, but this woman was the worse Ranger I have encountered in the many, many places I have been with Park Rangers over the past month. Horrible people shouldn't take jobs working with people. But in this case, I bet even the bears and bats asked the Park Service to keep her in the visitor center.

    Mitch C.

    Amazingly beautiful, adventurous, educational, and fun! Came here on our way from Billings to Hamilton (on tour), and we had an amazing time! The tour was cheap ($12) and it lasted 2hrs. It was a heavy climb to the beginning of the Caverns, but the view was amazing! Even got to see some bats and their new cubs! Our tour guide, Heather, was witty and knew her stuff! Made us all laugh a bunch during the tour! There was a section where we turned out all the lights, it was both exciting and terrifying! Overall, an amazing stop on our trip! 5/5 Totally Recommend!

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    Refer to Joy D.'s review! The cave is pretty cool, but a waste of time and money...........

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    4 years ago

    Well-run, low-key, just fine. No problems at the campground. But it would be nice to have a dump station and water.

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    Ask the Community - Lewis & Clark Caverns

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    Review Highlights - Lewis & Clark Caverns

    We were on our way down from Yellowstone and decided to stop by Lewis and Clark Caverns and OMG it was so amazing.

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    Cardwell Store & RV Park - Cardwell General Store

    Cardwell Store & RV Park

    4.1(16 reviews)
    5.7 mi
    $$$

    Great Alternative to the State Park…read more This is a small, well-kept campground just off the highway, about 15 minutes from Lewis & Clark Caverns. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was peaceful. We had a tent site in the back, and all sites are conveniently close to the bathrooms, which were extremely clean and recently updated. A nice bonus--there's free use of a washer and dryer, plus stream access. The highway is nearby, so there is some road noise, but it didn't bother us. We were initially disappointed that we couldn't get into the state park, but this ended up being an even better option. On-site, there's a food truck serving amazing BBQ, live music, a small bar, a general store, and even a gas station. Everything you need is right there. Would definitely stay here again!

    I really wanted to like this place. But 2 things rubbed me wrong. If you don't reserve, you still…read morehave to use a website once you get here to check in. And then are charged an additional $6 service fee. THEN, they were mowing the lawn while I was here, and a rock busted the driver's side window on my car. The owner( I think he never fully introduced himself and had been on one of the 2 lawnmowers) helped me get the glass cleaned up and triied to call for repairs, but after that, radio silence. He still hasn't answered my text 8 hours later. He said he didn't cut through site #2 on his mower ( I was in site #1), but later that evening, I saw the tractor mower cut through site #2. The least he could do was offer to refund the night's fees. Cute general store, and they serve ice cream, but no integrity as a business owner.

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    Cardwell Store & RV Park - Coffee

    Coffee

    Cardwell Store & RV Park - Ice cream

    Ice cream

    Cardwell Store & RV Park - Campground, coffee shop, ice cream shop, candy shop, general store, gas station

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    Campground, coffee shop, ice cream shop, candy shop, general store, gas station

    Fairmont RV Park

    Fairmont RV Park

    2.5(58 reviews)
    48.3 mi

    Overall I'd say the camp ground is just okay. It certainly filled our needs as we were heading back…read moreto Idaho, but wanted to stop and explore Butte on the way. The view from the back row is amazing. There are very few trees or grass and it gets pretty hot during the day. The entire park is gravel and the spots are relatively level. There is a laundry facility, bathrooms and showers, which were all nice. The hot springs resort is close by and the pools were very nice, but that is a separate charge and they're not connected to the park. But you will get a discount ticket upon checkin. However, we got off to a rocky start with our group of four campers when we checked in. We had booked four beautiful spots in the back row in "January" and even paid the $10 lock fee. We had hoped to spend the last two nights as a group enjoying the beauty. This was the last stop of our crews 12 day camping trip. As we checked in, we were told by the young lady at the counter that we had been separated. Since I had made the reservations, I stepped up to question the girl as to why we were moved. At this time, Dan (owner) stepped up and got a little snotty with us and said that he moved us and we don't need to harass his employee. He explained that two of our group was moved due to a pipeline crew staying longer bc their job wasn't complete. His attitude didn't get any better and he gave us back out $10 lock fees. I understand his reasoning for moving us, but we should have been advised prior to arriving and we could have went somewhere else if we chose to do so. But what good is a lock fee if it doesn't really work. Dan did come by later and made peace with us which was appreciated. His attitude seemed to change for the better. Overall we had a good time but only wished we could have been together as booked. Having group dinners was a little more of a challenge, but we made it work.

    This is a similar story from a lot of other customers. Dan was very rude to myself and my 80yr old…read moremother. He yelled at my 15yr old daughter. Put his stinky fingers in my face and called the police and animal control on us. The police came while I was packing up and looked bewildered as to why they were there. I said I was asked to leave and I am but a 15 minute pack up is unrealistic. We left and now I am seeing this is a pattern of his. Beware of this place. Don't plan on ANY fun while you're there. No rugs, no awnings, and beware of the grass!! Just go somewhere else really.

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    Fairmont RV Park - View from the back spots.

    View from the back spots.

    Fairmont RV Park
    Fairmont RV Park

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    Lewis & Clark Caverns - hiking - Updated May 2026

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