King's Row Cave Tour
King's Row Tour
On the King’s Row Tour visitors will journey deep into the mountain on a well-lit boardwalk with handrails to the most highly decorated cave room in Colorado! The King’s Row Tour lasts approximately 40 minutes and is appropriate for most fitness levels.
What to expect. Visitors enter via an airlock tunnel and emerge into an enormous cave room so big it is named The Barn. From there, be prepared for a little stair climbing workout—there are 120 stairs, with spacious platforms for viewing and resting. The staircase descends to King’s row, after which visitors climb back up. With room to spread out and railings that prevent coming into contact with cave formations, this tour is especially suitable for families with small children. See more details below.
A little history. The Barn and King’s Row were discovered by cave enthusiasts in 1960. One of the spelunkers was Peter Prebble, who eventually bought the property from the Darrow family. Prebble was one of the first explorers though the tight squeeze known as Jam Crack which opened up into the The Barn. At the lower end of the two-hundred-foot-long room, cavers dropped through a short, tight pit into an exquisitely decorated room which they named King’s Row because the formations reminded them of chess pieces. Prebble had hoped to open the caves to the public, but like his predecessor his plans didn’t come to fruition. Having seen its treasures first-hand, Prebble was fiercely protective of the caves. After a decade of getting to know one another and building trust, Prebble eventually sold the caves to its current owners, Steve and Jeanne Beckley, who succeeded in opening the caves to the public — a dream shared by Darrow , Prebble and the Beckleys.
Highlights of the tour include:
- 150 feet down from the surface, travel through spacious passages to King’s Row, the most highly decorated cave room in Colorado
- 40-minute walking cave tour. Cave tour times are posted at the Glenwood Gondola ticket counter and the customer service gazebo in the Plaza.
- Stunning formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws and cave bacon
- A staged light show highlights the most striking formations
- Exceptionally beautiful
- There are no worries if you don’t like tight places: you will be exploring mostly huge wide-open underground rooms. The smallest passage you will be walking through measures 6 ft 4 in tall x 3 ft wide.
The most highly decorated cave room in Colorado!
40 min guided walking tour suitable for most fitness levels.
For those seeking an authentic cave adventure.
Learn more about the rich history of our caves!
