For 100 years, the National Park Service has preserved America’s special places “for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” Celebrate its second century with the Find Your Park GeoTour that launched April 2016 and explore these geocaches placed for you by National Park Service Rangers and their partners.
geocaching.com/play/geotours/findyourpark
History
Martin Hansen discovered what became known as Hansen Cave in October 1887, reportedly while cutting timber he tracked cougar footprints high up the side of American Fork Canyon. Unfortunately, many of the features and formations in this chamber were damaged or removed before the cave was made a national monument by the Duke Onyx Company and the general public.
In 1913, a second cave was discovered nearby. While in the area to explore Hansen Cave with their families, James W. Gough and Frank Johnson were climbing an adjacent slope when they discovered the entrance to what is now known as Timpanogos Cave. Several others later entered the cave and viewed many of the formations inside, including the Great Heart of Timpanogos. However, before long knowledge of the cave and its entrance was lost. Some sources indicate that the entrance was lost due to a landslide in the area, while others say it was, in part, caused by the extreme secrecy of the original finders. Several years later, after hearing rumors of another cave, Vearl J Manwill came with a group of associates (which later became the Payson Alpine Club) in search of the mysterious hidden cave. On 14 February 1921 he rediscovered it (although many sources credit him as having discovered the cave). He immediately shared the information with the other members of the group. Having in mind the extreme damage that had resulted in Hansen Cave, that very night, the group dedicated themselves to the preservation of the cave. Of that night, Manwill wrote in his journal that they discussed ways "to preserve its beauty for posterity instead of allowing it to be vandalized as Hansen's Cave had been." Shortly thereafter they reported their find to the US Forest Service
Later that fall, on 15 October 1921, George Heber Hansen and Wayne E. Hansen, Martin Hansen's son and grandson, were hunting on the other side of the canyon. While using binoculars to try to find deer, they came across another hole in the mountain, in between the other two caves. In a few days they came back, with 74-year-old Martin Hansen. Martin was the first to enter the cave, now called Middle Cave.
Current tours of the cave system enter the caves though a manmade entrance very close to the entrance discovered by Martin Hansen. Passing through a manmade tunnel, tours continue on to Middle Cave, before passing though another manmade tunnel to Timpanogos Cave. Finally, tours return to the surface through a manmade exit near the original entrance.
Although the site was designated a national monument on October 14, 1922, the site was initially developed and maintained by the US Forest Service. The National Park Service took over management in 1933. A number of park structures were built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
The Cave
Timpanogos Cave is open seasonally, mid-May to mid-October. Three highly-decorated limestone caves sit at the top of a strenuous mile-an-a-half trail. It is strongly recommended that you carry at least one liter of water per person on the hike to the caves. Temperatures reach over 100 degrees F on the cave trail in the summer. The caves may only be entered with a ranger on a guided tour. Cave tours are offered daily May - Oct.
Because of the steepness of the trail, strollers and other wheeled vehicles are not allowed. See the visitor center for program options for those unable to make the climb. External frame packs, including baby carriers, are prohibited in the cave. Infants may be carried through in front packs. Visitors with large backpacks are asked to leave their packs outside while they tour the cave. Small packs may be taken through the cave, provided they meet size restrictions. No hiking poles are allowed in the cave. Canes or poles for mobility devices are allowed.
Timpanogos Cave is the park's primary resource. The cave system is unique due to its high abundance of helictites, its coloration in its formations, its display of fault-controlled passages, its alpine surroundings, and unique history.
Helictites are spiral formations that seem to defy gravity. In the Chimes Chamber in Timpanogos Cave, there are hundreds of 6 to 10 inch long helictites. These formations are created by capillarity attraction, hydrostatic pressure, and tiny (0.008 to 0.5 millimeter) central canals (Hill & Forti 1997). In simpler words, water is pushed and pulled through small openings where the forces of capillarity attraction and hydrostatic pressure are greater than the force of gravity.
Timpanogos Cave contains formations displaying colors of green and yellow. X-ray analysis shows this rare green and yellow coloring to be from nickel incorporated into the crystal structure. The x-ray analysis of the yellow reveals only calcite, and the green is from mainly aragonite.
The passages in Timpanogos Cave are greatly controlled by faulting. Looking at a map of Timpanogos Cave, one sees many paralleling passages following the fault trends. Along the cave tour, visitors can see these fault lines running along the passages. The initial pathways that water followed were these faults. In some areas of the cave like the Imagination Room, passages dip along the bedding planes and follow the direction of the fault lines. Looking at the map of the cave, one wonders if other cave passages exist above or below these known passageways, following similar fault lines.
For more information and to reserve tickets to the cave see the caves official site https://www.nps.gov/tica/index.htm