52 Weeks of Fun

Not Just Destination Finders, But Destination Storytellers

Michigan Karst Conservancy

Hendrie River Water Cave

The Hendrie River is a 30.7-mile-long tributary of the Tahquamenon River on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It is the longest cave system in Michigan. The cave is part of the 480-acre preserve owned by the Michigan Karst Conservancy since 1987. It was the site of a limestone quarry from 1905 to 1936 which supplied high-calcium limestone to Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Remnants of the quarry are still visible today including the railroad house and ore-car loader in the heart of the old quarry and foundations of other various structures.

Karst features such as sinks, springs and caves were formed by water from swamps and streams south and west of the preserve dissolving limestone along joints and bedding planes in the escarpment as it drained underground toward Hendrie River to the north and east. The Hendrie River flows through the water cave, forming the cave at 1500 feet in length. A stream exits from the cave to form the west branch of the Hendrie River.

As caves go, Hendrie River Water Cave appears to be quite young, carved in the past 7,000-10,000 years since the last glaciers in the area melted. The cave “ends” and the stream sumps in a circular passage known as the Goop Loop. The stream resurges in a spring about a mile away. Lower passages of the cave are prone to flood after heavy rains.

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Yooper

A 52 Weeks of Fun Fascinating Fact about Hendrie River Water Cave

Not suited for amateur explorers, the preserve has four other caves on the property, including the Quarry Cave, which is probably the remnant of a larger cave destroyed by the quarry operations.

Attraction Advice

This cave is managed by the Michigan Karst Conservancy. The Michigan Karst Conservancy arranges guided trips through Hendrie River Water Cave. The cave is totally undeveloped; visitors should be prepared for rough conditions. A permit is required to enter the cave, for reasons of safety, and White Nose Syndrome, a contagious fungal infection decimating bat populations. Hendrie River Water Cave is closed to visitors from mid-October to mid-May every year to avoid disturbing the bats.



Michigan Karst Conservancy

The Hendrie River flows through the water cave, forming the longest cave in Michigan at 1500 feet in length.
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The Hendrie River Water Cave is a geologically young cave, about 7,000-10,000 years old.
Michigan Karst Conservancy

Many passages in the cave require spelunkers to squeeze through them.
Michigan Karst Conservancy

The cave is part of the 480-acre preserve owned by the Michigan Karst Conservancy.

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