question about cave creek, in the Cheah wilderness area

[stevebo]

  Just a quick question, I hike the Pinhoti trail alot , especially at Cheah state park.  The cave creek trail is one of my favorites , and I was wondering....... ....is there actually a cave on cave creek?   Several years ago, a hiker I met on the trail mentioned a sinkhole and a small cave somewhere along the creek-------------------just wondering if there was any truth to that-----------------Thanks  !   ---------Im not a caver, but it always makes the hike a little more interesting to know the landscape and local history! 

[Pathfinder]

Jaybird posted this last January answering the very same question you ask today:

 Re: "THE" cave of the Cave Creek Trail
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2010, 10:01:40 PM » Quote 

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Surprising to me, it's actually downhill from the trail about 1/4 mile past the intersection with Cave Creek itself (if you're heading away from the Cheaha Trailhead).  There are 2 large pines across the trail that you must bend down to pass under.  Headed away from the Cheaha Trailhead, you'll want to drop downhill about 150 feet from the trail about 150 feet before these downed pines.  There is a large rock about waist high that is shaped like an arrowhead sticking out of the ground right by the trail where you need to head off trail.  You can't see the sinkhole from the trail, as it is surrounded and masked by mountain laurel.  Once you get closer, you are able to drop down into the hole a good 30-40 feet.  There are multiple cave entrances in the bottom of the sinkhole that you can't see the bottoms of.  Azure blue water could be seen in the bottom of one of the cave entrances, but my guide told me that in other seasons the caves are dry.  They appear to go into the mountain for hundreds of feet both up and down.

[squidbilly]

Thanks to Jaybird's excellent directions we were able to find the sinkhole without a problem. Although we walked in from The Nubbin Creek Trail, we walked straight to it.

[squidbilly]

What to look for on Cave Creek Trail.

[Firedog]

I'd like to go there. I've never seen the sink. Awesome

[bellaleo]

i wanna go to.  we should plan a day trip.  i'm ready when you are

[kimism72]

I had no idea! I've hiked that trail several times, today even, and did not know this! Now I want to go back tomorrow!!

[Firedog]

Sounds like a plan. Let's pick a day that doesn't conflict with Jay's challenge hikes and  do it. It would be a fun day hike/get togethr for us on the east side.

[squidbilly]

Move to the Hiking Events Section.

[bellaleo]

Hi Kim,   I'm so glad to see another girl in hear.  Yes this plan somthing.

[globetruck]

How deep is this?  Is it possible to explore inside the sink?

[Firedog]

Yes, you can go in, back into the mountain side and down for a ways. Take a light. As usual some boneheads always leave some trash for us to pack out.
Pic 1, one of the openings, Pic 2, looking back into the mountain, pic 3, one of the local inhabitants, pic 4, Arrowhead rock marking the spot on the trail. When you find this rock on the east side of the trail. Look down the hill, you'll see a thicket of Mountain Laurel. That's it, it's in there, Go see.

[squidbilly]

Cave ban extended

....just sayin'