Cave visits and white-nose syndrome rules

White-nose syndrome is a disease of bats caused by a fungus. National Park Service guidance explains that people can move fungal material between caves on footwear, clothing and equipment even though the disease is not known to infect humans.

The visitor rule is not one universal cleaning recipe. Parks and cave operators use different closures, screening questions and gear restrictions, and those rules can change. Some prohibit any item that has entered another cave even after cleaning.

Check the exact cave before packing#

Use the official manager's page and contact. Record:

• whether entry is open, closed, guided or permit-only;
• tour date and reservation system;
• required footwear and clothing;
• prohibited prior-cave clothing or equipment;
• on-site screening or decontamination;
• photography, bag and light rules;
• bat-season closures;
• age, mobility and health restrictions;
• arrival time and cancellation policy.

Do not rely on another cave's instructions. Wind Cave and Craters of the Moon, for example, publish site-specific rules that differ in detail.

Use dedicated cave gear when possible#

Keep a record of where boots, clothing, helmet, pack, lights, phone and camera have been underground. The NPS says the best practice is completely different clothing for each cave or mine visit, while also warning that individual parks may reject previously used items regardless of decontamination.

Clean visible soil before any approved disinfecting step. Transport dirty and clean items separately. Never clean gear at a spring, stream, parking drain or cave entrance unless the operator provides the facility.

Respect closures without publishing bypasses#

Caves can close for hibernation, maternity colonies, cultural resources, flood risk, rescue limitations or disease management. A mapped entrance is not permission. Do not share gate combinations, unofficial entrances or GPS tracks around closures.

If an official page and on-site sign conflict, follow the more restrictive on-site direction and ask staff.

Protect formations and cave life#

Stay on the tour path or approved route. Do not touch formations, disturb sediment, stack rocks, write, collect, leave food or shine lights continuously on animals. Keep voices low and never approach or handle a bat.

Tell a ranger about a sick or dead bat without touching it. Direct contact with a bat requires prompt public-health advice because of rabies risk, independent of white-nose syndrome.

Write a safe visitor report#

Add a dated cave condition report with the official permit and gear page. Report tour availability, stairs, surface, temperature, lighting and accessibility as observed; do not reveal sensitive bat locations.

If surface litter around the legal entrance needs work, map it without encouraging cave entry. Any cleanup inside a cave requires manager-led training and disease controls.

Photograph within the rule#

Some cave tours prohibit phones, tripods or photography for safety and flow. Follow the guide. Where photography is allowed, avoid touching a wall for support or blocking the route. Publish only images permitted by the operator and omit vulnerable coordinates.

Recheck before every cave#

Disease status and visitor rules evolve. Put the verification date beside any gear claim and tell readers to check again. A responsible cave guide makes it easier to comply without becoming a copied protocol that outlives the rule.

Keep cave gear from contaminating the next stop#

After exit, place used footwear and clothing in a sealed transport container until the approved cleaning process. Do not shake mud into a parking lot, campground or rental car. Clean reusable equipment before it returns to general hiking storage.

If the trip includes multiple caves, arrange them only after each operator confirms prior-entry rules. The correct outcome may be skipping the second cave. Record that restriction in the itinerary so nobody brings a favorite camera or jacket underground and accidentally makes it ineligible for the next tour.