William J. Stephenson Nature Preserve
KEY STATS
Madison County, Alabama
2011
173 feet, 592 feet, 38 feet
Located on the property of the NSS Headquarters and Conference Center are 60 acres of mature forest that climbs Drake Mountain to offer access to three caves via a short hiking trail. Reel Drop Cave has a pleasant 28 foot rappel with walking passage that terminates in a beautifully decorated dome. Blue Balloon Cave is a short horizontal cave primarily with hands and knees crawling. While Tree Root Cave offers opportunities to explore horizontal cave and numerous short vertical pitches.
Want to Visit?
In the early 1800s the Davis family were the first recorded owners of this parcel of land granted from the government office in Nashville, Tennessee. Various members of this family held ownership until the 1950s when it was sold to the Shriners’. This organization maintained the property until it was purchased by the NSS on Dec. 15, 2011.
Visitors may visit the property and/or its caves by completing a waiver and obtaining a permit to visit this preserve. Approval of all permits will be at the discretion of the Preserve Management Team. The Preserve Access Rules will be provided to applicants upon approval of their permit.
To request a permit, click on the button at the top of this page or go to the Permit System where you will be prompted to create a login and select the NSS Nature Preserve for which you would like a permit.
Requests for access can be made by applying for a permit through the Permit System where you will be prompted to create a login and select the NSS Nature Preserve for which you would like a permit.
For additional questions about this NSS Nature Preserve, please contact the Preserve Management Team via email at: StephensonPreserve@caves.org.
