2026 NSS Convention
Hundreds of Caves, Hundreds of Miles
Corydon, IN - July 6 - July 10, 2026
Caving and Activities
Description:
The all-day Geology Field Trip on Sunday July 5 will begin and end at the Fairgrounds Campground in Corydon and visit multiple local sites in the larger Corydon/Wyandotte vicinity, including going east to New Albany to Falls of the Ohio State Park and then travelling south to Brandenburg, Kentucky. Departure time will be 9:00 AM. Lunch, bottled water, soft drinks, and snacks will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring food and drinks in a small cooler that can fit under their seat. We will use modern air-conditioned buses with an on-board restroom. Each bus will have a locally knowledgeable caver geologist as a tour guide. The trip is suitable for teenage children. While a support car will follow each bus, we encourage those with medical or mobility issues to plan for an all-day trip to some remote areas, with travel on both mostly-paved and several unpaved pathways. There is also some modest vertical relief with shorter but sloped pathways.
We will start at the Campground with a trip overview and where the regional base level stream Indian Creek is adjacent to the bus loading area and a stream resurgence of the Binkley Cave system is located. We will then visit the Corydon Crushed Stone Company quarry located a few miles north to see the local stratigraphy and a panoramic view of the heavily karsted Mitchell Plateau, the Chester Escarpment and the Crawford Upland. We will then travel east via I-64 to the Falls of The Ohio State Park to see globally significant Devonian age fossils and the Falls themselves across from downtown Louisville, which are an important navigational challenge now and 250 years ago, with a large lock and dam operation. In route, we will travel up and down the Knobstone Escarpment, a significant regional physiological and stratigraphic feature. We will then travel west to see the panoramic view of the Ohio River valley at Leavenworth and a discussion of the formation of the Ohio River on our way to a short in-cave visit to Wyandotte Cave where we will discuss the geological and historical significance of the cave and the immediate heavily karsted vicinity. The trip then heads west back to Corydon and then south across the Crawford Upland and the Mitchell plain, crossing over the large Binkley Cave system and related sinkhole plain, stopping near an abandoned quarry for a discussion on the vicinity. We will then continue to the south to the Buck Creek/Mauckport Overlook Park for a panoramic view of the ancient deeply incised oxbow and a continued discussion of the formation of the Ohio River valley. Our last stop will be in the riverfront park at Brandenburg, Kentucky to see more of the Ohio River and to visit the Buttermilk Falls, a series of rainfall fed springs at the base of the valley wall and fed by the adjacent sinkhole plain along about a half mile-plus rolling walk on a closed county road. Slated return back to Corydon by about 6:00 PM.
Trip Max: TBD
Date: TBD
Fee: TBD
Description:
The karst valley in which Wyandotte Cave is located has the richest obligate subterranean fauna in Indiana, with over 30 species of animals recorded. During the field trip we will discuss the work of biologists in the cave, starting with Cope’s 1871 visit, then Blatchley in 1896 and Bolivar and Jeannel in 1928. Today, Wyandotte Cave is the focus of important conservation management of bats, particularly the endangered Indiana bat. An approximately 2-hour cave trip along tourist trails with electric lights will be conducted, no equipment needed. Upon exiting, other biologically significant caves and other sites will be discussed.
Transit to the next site will take about an hour and 15 minutes. The trip traverses the Lost River Karst, which will be discussed. in route.
We will then travel to Spring Mill State Park to visit Donaldson Cave. The group will hear about the I.U. Cave Farm and Eigenmann’s cavefish research. The large entrance room of Donaldson Cave will be visited, where we will talk about the significant discoveries made there by Bolivar and Jeannel. The management of this important cave will be discussed. While climbing the staircase out of the valley, stops will be made to discuss rare epikarst inhabitants known from the site. This loop will take about 90 minutes – bring a flashlight.
This will be an all-day trip (8am-5pm).
Trip Max: 25
Date: TBD but will not conflict with the biology sessions
Fee: TBD
Description:
Join us for a guided trip into Wyandotte Cave located about 15 minutes west of the convention site in Crawford County. This commercial cave is owned by the Indiana DNR and they offer limited trips to the public on weekends. The NSS Convention staff has arranged special tours at discounted rates during the week. The number of trips and group size will be limited. This cave has significant history, Native American use, biology, and geology. It also has huge rooms, narrow passage, and impressive formations and the tour has a very rustic feel. It is a real "caver's cave". The tour typically takes 2+ hours and is all walking but can be strenuous with stairs. Helmets and lights are optional. Reserve your spot now (a total of only 80 spots is being offered initially). You will be able to select a preferred tour day at a later date.
Fee: $14 per person*
*Transportation and food are not provided.
Once your day/time are known, directions and carpooling information will be available.
There are food options in nearby Corydon and Leavenworth.
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