Timpanogos Cave National Monument

Timpanogos Cave is a system of three connected caves filled with colorful mineral deposits such as stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, and draperies in its chambers. The caves sit in American Fork Canyon and are accessed by hiking up the mountainside.

Martin Hansen stumbled upon the first cave in 1887 while tracking a mountain lion, triggering further exploration that uncovered the other connected chambers. This chance discovery shaped how the caves were later studied and protected.

The Ute people held Mount Timpanogos and the surrounding caves as sacred ground tied to their creation stories. This spiritual connection remains woven into how visitors experience the landscape today.

Plan for a steep climb to reach the caves, gaining significant elevation over the hike to the entrance. Once there, a ranger-led tour takes you through the cave passages and formations for about an hour.

The caves maintain a steady temperature of around 7 degrees Celsius throughout the year, creating the right conditions for rare helictite formations to grow. These stable conditions have allowed the intricate mineral deposits to develop over thousands of years into the formations you see today.

Location: Utah County

Inception: August 10, 1933

Operator: United States National Park Service

Website: https://nps.gov/tica

GPS coordinates: 40.44056,-111.70944

Latest update: December 22, 2025 10:01