Caves of Oregon

Oregon now has about 1000 caves so this will take some time to add all named caves. Check back later for updates.

611 is Deschutes National forest cave.

last updated redesigning webpage to Oregon Caves by Area 2023.

Acoustic Cave
Stream-eroded cave in ash flow. One of the Castle Creek caves is higher (above the creek) than the others. There is a very large pile of
dripline debris, including some large boulders, suggesting that the cave may have migrated upward. It is large,
with extraordinary (even for these caves) acoustical qualities. © Charlie Larson

Agate Beach Caves
Sea caves.
There are several small talus caves, and sea caves, at the south base of Yaquina Head, accessible from
Agate Beach. The talus caves are near water level and accessible only at low tide. © Charlie Larson

Allwine cave. Allwine Cave
Solution cave. Allwine Cave is a solution cave in limestone, opposite the Flatiron on the Snake River, a few miles above Hells
Canyon Dam. Its 15-foot-diameter entrance near the upper, right hand side of a wide cliff, is clearly visible from
the Idaho side of the river. (There is no road on the Oregon side.) The only recorded visit to Allwine was by an
Oregon Speleological Survey party in June, 1961. They gained access by rappel from above. It was named after
Arthur Allwine who lived near the north end of the nearest road on the Oregon side of the Snake River.
Described as initially at right angles to the cliff face, a “large” passage trends upward for about 125 feet, ending
in breakdown. A three-foot-diameter opening to an unexplored side passage high on one wall was noted but not
entered. A large colony of barn swallows occupied the entrance area at the time of a 1961 visit. A three-footdiameter
opening about 15 feet north of Allwine could not be entered for lack of rock climbing gear. © Charlie Larson

Almost Cave
Lava tube cave. A 50-ft long segment of the Wingo Cave System. ©Charlie Larson

Alpine Ranch Cave
Lava tube collapse. Like many other blowing holes and cave entrances in central Oregon, the entrance to Alpine Ranch Cave
was once enclosed by a building, to take advantage of the cold air that sometimes issues from it. The building
burned in the mid-1970s, exposing a rectangular excavation including the entrance. The entire cave appears to
be surrogate; that is, the space that may be entered was once occupied by the talus on the floor. The exact
nature of the original cave lava tube or fissure isn’t known. © Charlie Larson

Alvord Shelter Caves
Rockshelters. In the rimrock about nine miles east of Fields there is a series of weathering caves. The largest was described
by K. Block (#4367) as about 30 ft deep, 20 ft high, and 40 ft wide. All had been potholed and there were some
numbered stakes left in the floors. © Charlie Larson

Anna River Resurgence
Large spring. 42.99596-120.74741
The Ana River rises from lacustrine deposits as a large spring, to feed Summer Lake; not known to enterable. © Charlie Larson

Another Roadside Attraction : (611-39) Lava tube cave. Aka: Cave No.1 [1] (#3107); USFS 611-39.
One of the first discovered, and westernmost, of the segments of the Late for Lunch System, did not get a
proper name until 1992. It is about 55 feet long and attains an eight-foot ceiling just inside the entrance. The
entrance is a ruptured tumulus from which smaller lava tongues radiate downslope. Ceiling and walls are lined
with sharp, spiny, and granulated lava; small coralloids are locally abundant. A short extension has been dug in
dirt at the rear of the cave.

Angels Rest Caves: Length 350 feet. Several complex talus caves located in the broken slopes near Angels Rest in the Columbia River Gorge. Bats hybernate during the winter in them.

Antelope Creek Rockshelter
Rockshelter. A rock shelter on Antelope Creek, near the Antelope Corral, yielded many artifacts of prehistoric man (#3936). © Charlie Larson

Arch: (611-152)

Arch Cave No.2
Lava tube cave. Aka: USFS 611-152.
Discovered by Forest Service employees Ric Carlson, Bill Engstler, and Jim Parker in the mid 1970’s Was
recently named by Ric Carlson to associate with Toe Cave, in keeping with the ‘foot parts’ theme (#5875).

Ariel Lava Tube: Deschutes AKA Skeleton Cave #2.

Arnold Ice Cave , Deschutes. This cave was block by ice for years and in 2011 the ice started melting fast. See more in the history page. A 1967 Trip report Sepeleograph Jan. 1986. Photo 2011 . Report Speleograph Vol. 22, page 81.

Arrowhead Cave: A Rockshelter in Rhyolite. Cave name after arrow head found in cave.

A.S. Hole: (611-53) Lava tube cave. Aka: USFS 611-53.
Despite its name, this cave is a pleasant refuge for lots of wildlife. It is a drained pahoehoe lobe, collapsed
at both ends, with a sandy floor. The east end, large enough for human entry, is littered with carnivore
droppings. The west end, blocked by talus, has a number of pika-size skylights, and that end has been occupied
by many generations of the furry little animals. Scores of moths, in varying stages of torpor were seen clinging
to the walls (in August). The cave was named after Adam Stellmacher (a USFS employee looking for cultural
litter) who first reported the cave in July, 1988 (#5875). © Charlie Larson

Atkenson Trail Trap: (611-114)