Lower Entrance of Crooked Creek Ice Cave
Photo by Colin Gatland
Crooked Creek Ice Cave - Rockcastle County, KY
This cave is within walking distance of the campground
Lower Entrance of Crooked Creek Ice Cave
Photo by Colin Gatland
Upper Entrance of Crooked Creek Ice Cave
Photo by Colin Gatland
Crooked Creek traces a meandering path southward down the eastern border of Rockcastle County, Kentucky. With headwaters in the Goochland section of northern Rockcastle County, the creek cuts through an especially rich karst area, on its way to its southern juncture with Roundstone Creek. The two longest caves in the county border this scenic little stream. While not one of the longest, Crooked Creek Ice Cave, at over 6100 feet of mapped passage, is a significant example of the caves of Rockcastle County.
Crooked Creek Ice Cave, or CCIC, has been known for many years, having been mined for saltpeter in the early-to-mid 1800’s. The beautiful ice formations in the first 300 feet of the cave in the winter are responsible for the cave’s name. After an especially cold winter, these ice deposits can last into June. A local farmer, currently owns the cave.
CCIC still contains remnants from the saltpeter mining era, mainly pole ladders and trenches, along with assorted planking used for vats. No completed vats remain, however. In addition, the remains of a more modem iron kettle attest to the use of the cave for another important industry the production of moonshine. This particular product has not been made here in the recent past, however.
Cavers have studied CCIC beginning in the 1960’s. The cave has four levels, spanning a vertical relief of 135 feet. The lower level of the cave was first mapped by James Rebmann and Gary O’Dell with members of the Eastern Kentucky University Grotto and the Bluegrass Grotto. The map and a description of the lower section were published in their book, The Caves of Rockcastle County, Kentucky, in the early 1970’s. This section included the areas used for mining and "shining".
In 1974-76 the longer upper sections were found and mapping was begun by John Rausch and Tom Staubitz of the Greater Cincinnati Grotto (GCG). They also remapped the lower sections. When this data became unavailable, GCG began a remapping of the entire cave, including several newer sections, in 1978. A complete map was published in 1982. Since then, two additional small sections have been discovered. Although surveyed, they do not appear on the map in this issue.
The cave has two entrances and lies high on the hill at least 200 feet above Crooked Creek. Flooding is obviously not a problem. The cave lies in the St. Louis member of the Newman Limestone.
The larger Lower Entrance enters the lowest of the four levels. This first level is the one most visited and contains the saltpeter workings. It’s generally the easiest part of the cave, although the 15 foot drop about 200 feet inside the entrance, negotiated on ancient pole ladders, is a bit nerve-racking to the first-time visitor. The canyon passage, a vadose trench cut below a phreatic tube, travels northwest for a third of a mile. Near the end of this passage are three interconnected domes. A low right-side crawlway from the first dome proceeds further into the cave, ending in a low crawlway, currently impassable, but could possibly be dug.
The smaller upper Entrance (about 200 feet up the hillside from the Lower Entrance) is a conical pit about 20 feet deep. It can be carefully free-climbed. The bottom of this pit enters the third, and longest, level of the cave. This phreatic level proceeds horizontally along the face of the ridge. A particularly nasty ledge must be traversed just 50 feet from the entrance pit.
Thereafter, the passage is generally safe. Although fairly large, this level is full of breakdown and mud fills, causing you to crawl and climb through nooks and crannies to get back to the walking passages beyond. Four different dome complexes lie along this route. One dome is 110 feet high with the passage intersecting it about halfway up its height.
The Big Room, a large breakdown room, lies three quarters of the way back into the passage. Beyond this room the passage takes on a multi- level character, meandering farther to the southeast and terminating in a dome system in an area of "rotten" limestone, imbedded with layers of shale. Raccoon tracks and roots indicate nearness to the surface, although no surface holes have been found.
Crooked Creek Ice Cave is both interesting and challenging. There are three connection routes between the first and third levels (also a fourth voice connection). One route is a challenging wiggle through tubes and cracks. Two routes are simple climbs. If you can find the fourth level, you’ll be treated to nice formations. A leader is suggested though, if you want to see this section, as it’s hard to find.
Cave life is plentiful in CCIC. we used to even find pigs in the entrance, enjoying the cool air on hot summer but not in the last few years. Cave species of crickets, salamanders, beetles, flies, and spiders are abundant. Since CCIC is high on the ridge, there’s no large water passage. However, several pools, containing various tiny life forms, are found on all the cave’s levels.
Written By: Gary Bush