Discover one of the most highly decorated limestone caverns in North America. Camp, hike and experience amazing geologic wonders at Montana's first and best-known state park.
Caution:After August 15th, several guide staff return to school.
If current record numbers of visitors continue to come to the park, tour tickets will sell out long before the last tour set at 4:30 pm. Come early.
Tickets are only sold at the Park for that day first come, first served.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park features one of the largest known limestone caverns in the Northwest. Cave Tours are by guided tour only and will be offered May 28 – September 30. Tickets will be available daily only on site from 9 am through 4:30 pm or until tickets are sold out; no reservations except for educational groups. Two tour types, the Classic Tour and the Paradise Tour will be offered.
Extra precautions are being taken for the park’s bat populations. While White Nose Syndrome (a fungal disease that affects bats but not humans) has reached Montana, Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park staff strive to decrease additional stressors that might affect bats such as exposure to Covid-19. Any visitor choosing to take the Classic Tour of the Cave will need to bring and wear a face mask just in the areas where the bat colony resides. Those needing to go mask-free can still see the cave by taking the Paradise Tour that visits portions of the cave where bats do not live.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park also features camping and trails to hike or bike, a state-of-the-art visitor center, interpretive displays, a gift shop, food and beverage concessions, amphitheater, and interpretive events presented during the summer months.
The park has a large campground with 40 campsites, a tipi, and three cabins, which you can reserve online, and a group camping area, which you must contact the park to reserve. There is a $5 charge to use the dump station.
The site encompasses 3,015 acres. The entry area is at an elevation of 4,300 feet and the caverns area is at an elevation of 5,300 feet.
Alerts & Closures
Caution: After August 15th, several guide staff return to school.
If current record numbers of visitors continue to come to the park, tour tickets will sell out long before the last tour set at 4:30 pm. Come early.
Tickets are only sold at the Park for that day first come, first served.
Stage I Fire Restriction for Jefferson County in the Helena Fire Restriction Area: The following acts are prohibited until further notice:
Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire,
Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
Cave Gulch Trail is closed.
Help us conserve the bat population at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. White nose syndrome is a fungal disease, well established in the eastern portion of North America and recently found in the west. It does not affect humans, but has proven lethal to bats. If you have been to a cave or mine in the past two years, do not wear the same clothing, shoes or accessories as you wore there on our caverns tour. If it cannot be avoided (for example, eye glasses or shoes) please contact park staff the day of your visit in order to obtain a disinfecting wipe.
Seasons & Hours
Hours listed below are normal operating hours and may not apply when there is a special restriction or closure. Check Alerts and Closures in the tab below.
Contact the park manager for open volunteer positions at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park.
For complete position descriptions, application forms, and details about Montana State Parks volunteer programs, visit the Volunteers page.
Fees
MONTANA RESIDENTS
Day use entrance is free*
NONRESIDENTS
Day use entrance fee with a vehicle: $8
Day use entrance fee as a walk-in, bicycle or bus passenger: $4
With a Nonresident Entrance Pass: Free
Guided Cave Tours
Tour Name
Adult 15+
Youth 5-14 yrs
Child 4 & Under
Seniors 62+ yrs
Classic Cave
$15
$10
$5
$15
Paradise
$15
$10
Free
$10
Wild Cave
$40
Must be 15+
Must be 15+
$25
Candlelight
$25
$15
Must be 5+
$25
*Educational Group
$12
$8
$4
$12
Guided Hikes & Tours: $4 per person or as posted
Specialty Tours (i.e. Photography Tour): $50 per person or as posted
Interpretive & *Educational Programs
*Please call the park at least 2 weeks prior to visit to receive the Education Rate
Campsites
Campsite fees range from $4 - $34 per night, depending on season and available amenities.
Montana State Parks offers hike/bike, rustic, tent, rv, and boatslip campsites.
Cabins
Residents and Nonresidents with a Park Pass:
$54 per night.
$50 between third Monday in September - third Thursday in May
Nonresidents:
$66 per night.
$60 between third Monday in September - third Thursday in May
Tipis
Residents and Nonresidents with a Park Pass:
$30 per night
$26 between third Monday in September - third Thursday in May
Nonresidents:
$42 Per night.
$36 between third Monday in September - third Thursday in May
* Montana residents who pay the $9 state parks fee with their annual vehicle registration have no daily entrance fees to state parks. For residents who don't include this in their vehicle registration, non-resident day use fees apply.
Contact Information
Mailing Address:
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park
PO Box 489
Whitehall, MT 59759
To keep our state parks safe and accessible to all, make sure you know before you go, practice physical distancing, plan ahead, play it safe, explore locally, leave no trace, respect wildlife, and do your part to build an inclusive outdoors.
Rhea Armstrong began working for Montana State Parks as a seasonal tour guide at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park in 1986 while attending Western Montana College in Dillon majoring in Elementary Education. She continued working summers at the park throughout her teaching career, and in 2005, became the assistant manager. Rhea was promoted to Park Manager of Lost Creek, Anaconda Smoke Stack, and Granite Ghost Town State Parks in 2013.
CONTACT INFO Mailing Address:
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park
PO Box 489
Whitehall, MT 59759
