Section of Howe Caverns Closed for 115 Years to Reopen

Visitors at one of New York’s most famous caves get a view not seen in more than 100 years.

The “Signature Rock Discovery Tour,” which opens in May, marks the deepest visitors can delve into Howe Caverns since 1900, according to the park's website.

The 2.5 hour tour will take explorers past a dam wall built in the early 1900s and past a waterfall that marked the end of the traditional tour. Then, spelunkers will be able to see an array of rock formations, tunnels, walkways and rooms that have been untouched for 115 years.

"It hasn't been toured or seen by the public in more than 115 years. We could go down there, but nobody else could, so we thought the people are missing out on so much," Howe Caverns manager Bill Gallop tells WBNG. "This is the original entrance to Howe Caverns."

The highlight of the tour will be the cavern’s limestone cave, which was carved by an underground river over millions of years and lies 156 feet below the earth’s surface.

The Times-Union reports the tour will take explorers through the same passages that founder Lester Howe traveled when he first opened the park in 1843. About 200,000 people visit the cavern at Howes Cave each year, making it the state’s second-most-popular natural attraction after Niagara Falls. 

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