Timpanogos Cave National Monument
add photosTimpanogos Cave National Monument is known for its high abundance of helictites, its coloration in its formations, its display of fault-controlled passages, its alpine surroundings, and its unique history. The 1-1/2 mile long paved trail with a 1,160 feet elevation gain to the cave is a popular attraction and provides spectacular views of the geology of the American Fork Canyon and the expanding cities of the Utah Valley. Although the park is only 250 acres, it has a respectable diversity in wildlife.
Expanded (Summer) Hours: May through Labor Day, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cave tours are available through out the day. First hike time to caves is at 7:30 a.m., last hike time to the caves is at 4:30 pm.
Fall Hours: Visitor center hours: 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. First hike time to caves is at 8:00 a.m., last hike time to caves is approximately 3:00-3:30 p.m. on weekdays and 3:30 p.m. on weekends. Please call to confirm last hike time during the fall.
21 Reviews for Timpanogos Cave National Monument
10
51 family found this helpful
"So fun!"
Love hiking up to Timpanogas Cave! I (age 31) hiked there with my 4 year old boy and 7 year old daughter and my 62 year old mother. It's great for ALL ages. It's a challenging hike. The trail is all paved but you cannot take a stroller. My kids trucked to the top with no problem. The cave is so cold that you have to bring a jacket, especially if you are wearing shorts! The cave is pretty tight in some areas but it's fun! Hiking down was a bit harder. My 3 year old had enough about half way down. My 7 year old about 1/4 mile left. My mother went ahead and took my daughter down and a kind man let her ride on his back. I let my 3 year old go at his pace and carried him some of the time. I buckled my kids in when we got to the car and they instantly fell asleep! Talk about a workout! Tip: The cave is VERY busy especially later in the season. Make your reservations early! There was a fire in July/August in American Fork Canyon and that shut the cave down for awhile. It's affordable and fun for any active family!
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0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful caves, but quite a steep hike"
We visited these caves, which are very close to our home, when our daughter was 3 and our son was a few months old. We took the baby in a front-style carrier. (Don't bring the backpack style carriers because they don't allow any backpacks in the caves--don't want you to accidently damage something.) Then I just took him out and held him as we went through the caves. That was difficult, but it worked. Our three-year-old did a great job hiking up the steep mile-long trail, taking breaks on my husband's shoulders when she got tired, but the hike might be too difficult for some children. Make sure to go on a cool day or earlier in the day because you are in the sun the whole time and it's very hot! The formations in these caves are gorgeous, but watch children closely to make sure they don't touch anything.
0 families found this helpful
"Small cave, good family trip"
Timpanogos cave is a fun family outing for kids who are not afraid of the dark places. The hike up to the cave entrance is steep, but with a few rests the kids will make it. You have to take the tour, and the script is a little hoaky, but kids will be entertained.
0 families found this helpful
"Well worth the hike"
We hiked to the caves with two small children, 3 and 1. Both loved it. The 1 year old had to be carried the whole way in a backpack, but the 3 year old walked almost the entire way. They both really enjoyed the cave once we got inside. The hike is steep and has some drop offs on the side, so be prepared physically and mentally. Well worth the hike if you are up to it!
0 families found this helpful
"Amazing formations, great for older kids"
We have gone here 3 times with family and always enjoy it, but the walk up is a bit of work for anyone who isn't very active. Also scary edges for kids, but I think I've heard they have fenced it now? Tight squeezes and darkness are also factors. But its cool in the cave on a hot summer day!
'11, '12, '131 family found this helpful
"Can be a little scary for toddlers"
I love exploring caves, and have been to Timpanogos Cave a few times since I was a child myself. It can be a little pricey if you are taking a big family, but it is worth it to get a glimpse at the underground world. It can be pretty dark in some places though, and there are some tight squeezes, so be aware that young children may get a little frightened. Bring jackets, even in the hot summer months, because it can be chilly inside the cave. Also, the cave is closed in the fall and opens up again in spring.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun cave, but quite a hike to get there!"
We went to Timpanogos Cave last summer and enjoyed it. The cave was very fascinating, and the tour was interesting for us. The big factor in visiting the cave is the issue of getting up there. If you are going just as adults, or with older children, it's a great workout and can be fun. With little kids though, that hike can really be a nightmare. My 5 year old did pretty well, but that's probably because his grandpa walked with him and they had a good time talking and looking at things. My 4 year old did not like the hike at all, and I ended up carrying her for the majority of the time, making the workout that much harder for me. When we go again, it will be when our kids are older and can enjoy it more.
0 families found this helpful
"very steep, but great at the top"
I have been here several times with school field trips. The paths are very steep, you will need to watch your kids going up and down, it would be easy for them to slip if they are going to fast. Once inside it is very dark, so little kids get scared easily. Based on the darkness and steepness, I recommend it for older kids and families. The formations inside are pretty amazing, and the tours are informative. Their is a picnic area across the street from the visitors center that is a great place to eat lunch.
0 families found this helpful
"I'm not athletic"
I didn't enjoy our trip there because I thought I was going to die before I made it to the top. Don't let the peppy "it's only a short hike" people fool you. It is tough and then they keep warning you about falling and rattle snacks and I thought that this might be the end of me. But I gave it three stars because my husband had our baby in a back pack and he loved it. If your family is realy fit then this is a great choice. But if you don't exercise regularly then you will just have a bunch of complaining kids on your hands.
1 family found this helpful
"Hard Hike, cool caves"
This 1 1/2 mile hike was hard on my 3 little ones, but my 5-yhr-old daughter walked the whole way, my 3-yr-old son walked most of the way with minimal complaints, and my 1 1/2 year old did great in the Ergo baby carrier (no strollers allowed, but honestly, that would have been much harder). There are lots of benches to stop at along the hike, and the views are beautiful. Make sure you plan enough time for stops on your walk up. They tell you are certain time to meet at the bottom of the trail but I suggest starting at least 15-30 mins before that. We got to the top with about 5-10 minutes to spare but a family who left the same time as us had to go straight into the caves with no time to rest. There are mostly railing along the trail now but there are some steep drop offs so keep your kids against the cliff wall if you can. You cannot bring back carriers into the cave and there is a place to drop them off at the final turn. It is not well marked though so look for it. And bring snacks and water. Save some snacks for the way down too.
Inside the cave was really cool looking. We gave each of our kids flash lights so they had something to play with and control over everything they saw. The kids weren't too interested in what the guide had to say but my husband and I liked it. The tour is about 45 mins. Some place you have to duck which is tricky if you are holding a baby.
Our kids all liked it and I would do it again. I would recommend it only if your kids are good little hikers and do well in somewhat confined spaces. And go when the weather is cool. We went in late October and the weather was perfect for the long hike. It would be dreadful in the summer.
0 families found this helpful
"Incredible Beauty"
Timpanogos caves are incredibly beautiful. Accessible only in the summer by a medium length trail. You meet your tour guide at the mouth of the cave and are shown around and told the stories of the mountain. You see the famous Salt and Pepper shakers that adventures used as a land mark in the cave as well as the heart of Timp. Is is a magnificent site. The hike is a little ways, but I made that hike as early as 5 or 6 years old on foot. Just be prepared to carry the littlest ones in a pack to help them reach the cave.
1 family found this helpful
"Beautiful Cave"
The hike to Timpanogos Cave is very steep and a little dangerous for younger children because there are no rails on the side of the path and sometimes it is just a drop off. Once you get to the top you can go on a tour of the caves which is very interesting and beautiful to see.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun Hike and Cave"
this is a good 3-4 hour hike to the top of the timpanogas mountain, so areas have a wide trail, and others.. not so much. Last year there were 2 deaths because of people not beibng safe, so I wouldnt bring small children there unless you trust it. Once at the top of the mountain you go inside a beautiful cave and get to view beautiful crystals and old stuff.
1 family found this helpful
"Watch your little ones - This steep hike is worth it!"
Timpanogos cave is a unique family outing for any nature loving family. Please note however that the hike to the cave base is steep so it is not for everyone. My kids, age 6 & 10 (and baby in backpack) had no trouble on the hike. But we are an experienced hiking family. The upper part of the trail is carved in to the rock and is fairly narrow with huge drop-offs. There have been injuries and deaths due to falls from this trail but incidents like these are rare as this is heavily used. It is is important to watch your kids closely and warn them of the dangers on the trail. I would suggest that you have your kids to slow down and hold your hand on the upper part of the trail. The park service has recently made some safety improvements to the trail and added more handrails.
Be sure to leave any baby backpacks at the "backpack storing area" a few yards below the entrance. We missed this sign and had to run back to leave our baby backpack. There are some areas in the cave too tight for carrying baby backpacks so you are required to store these (don't leave valuables because the storage is just a place on the trail, not a locked storage area). The cave tour walk is short enough that you can just hold your little one.
The tour of the cave is so interesting, unique and educational. There is one part where the tour guide turns off all of the lights. Be sure to be holding your children's hands and have fun experiencing "true" darkness.
Make reservations in summer months as spots for the tour fill up quickly.
0 families found this helpful
"Timpanogos Cave"
The inside of Timpanogos Cave is amazing with all of the different rock formations coming out of the ceilings and floors. My 7 year old son is very much into caves so he really enjoys things like this. The hike up the mountain to get to the cave is a little strenuous, but worth it! Just be careful with little kids because there is not any railing and the edges are steep!
0 families found this helpful
"Amazing"
Stunning views with an amazing experience! We really enjoyed the drive to get there, too. They had lots of information along the way, which was a great experience for our home schooled children. We will definitely be back again and again. I would not suggest going on a day that is too hot and uncomfortable, though.
0 families found this helpful
"DEFINITELY NOT family friendly, but still fun"
This requires a mile long hike up the mountain WITH NO RAILS ON THE SIDES OF HUGE DROPOFFS. We went with an 18 month old in a backpack carrier, and our 5 year old, and I swear, i could NOT relax for the trip up nor down. VERY precarious and I know that someone fell a couple of years ago as well. VERY SCARY. Why in the world don't they fix this??? The "trail" is not more than about 6 feet wide up the whole thing, so I"m sorry, I don't recommend this unless you are traveling with much older kids/teenagers or yourself. The caves are cool, they DO turn off all the lights at one point so you can see how dark it is, and they was freaky for our kids.
0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful wonder of nature "
This is a little bit more difficult of a hike but once you get to the cave it is well worth it. the tour guides are very imformative and the cave is spectacular. make sure you bring a light jacket. The cave temperature is in the 50's and can get a little cold.
0 families found this helpful
"Cool Caves"
These caves are sooo cool. I found the hike very hard but manageable, even smaller kids (5 and up) can do it with some patience. The cave itself was great. They have done a great job preserving the cave. The ranger giving the tour was a great presenter and shared lots of really interesting information about the history of the cave as well as the formation of the cave.
1 family found this helpful
"Beautiful, HARD hike"
Plan for a lot of time on this one if you got little ones along. Our 4 girls took over an hour per mile. The hike is UP, UP, UP, UP, and more UP. Brings lots of water and snacks. And make sure to use that last bathroom at the top BEFORE the cave tour. My 5 yr old nearly lost it halfway through the cave and made her own puddle next to all the historic ones. The cave is cold--bring jackets. Is it worth it? Yes.
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