
Things to Do
Put the Caverns of Sonora on Your Summertime Hill Country Bucket List
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Photos by Marcy Stellfox (except where otherwise noted)
Colton Moore, 27, knows the Caverns of Sonora like the back of his hand. And well he should. The cave was in his backyard, literally; it was his playground. He grew up on the Mayfield Ranch where the cave was discovered. Moore says, “I’ve been told that when my mom was leading cave tours, I’d come along in the baby carrier.” He’s been exploring the caverns for nearly 30 years and still sees new things each time he goes down.

Cave developer Jack Burch squats over the 18-inch hole that led to the discovery of the Caverns of Sonora.
The Mayfield family has owned this ranch just outside the small town of Sonora in Sutton County for generations. Family legend says that one day in 1905, a ranch dog chased a raccoon down a hole. The 18-inch hole that the raccoon dove into for safety opened into what is now known as the Caverns of Sonora.
Word spread of the discovery. Four college kids from SMU decided to spend a long weekend exploring the cave. They met up with three other more experienced cavers from Abilene. The guys from Abilene had already explored the 500-ft cave that was accessible from the original opening and although they could see caverns opening every direction while inside, a giant pit now known as the Devil’s Pit kept them from going further into the cave. But the college kids made an important discovery that weekend. Crossing a narrow ledge to the right of Devil’s Pit on the outside, the boys found access to the caverns from the other side of the pit.

Colton Moore explains about the different varieties of formations found inside the cave.
Gasses which escaped from a fault line mixed with water from the Edwards Aquifer causing the water to become extremely acidic. Over time the acidic water dissolved the limestone creating the cave. Moore, self-described as environmentally conscious, says, “The cave developed for millions of years, and then we shed light on it.” Sometimes he has trouble with the fact that the cave, which experiences 30K visitors per year, may have been better left alone. Oils and debris like dust and mud, hair, and clothing fibers can all impact the growth of the formations, even “killing” them. He feels a great responsibility for cleaning up the cave and maintaining it for others to enjoy. But he acknowledges that keeping the cave open to the public is a double-edged sword.

Horseshoe Lake

Cave popcorn (aka as cave cauliflower).
Photo: Wikipedia/common wiki/DanielCD
According to Wikipedia, helictites are the most fragile of cave formations. Caused by capillary pressure, helictites can grow vertically from their axis resulting in even more miraculous formations like the fishtails pictured above. The Caverns of Sonora were once known for a helictite formation that had a common starting point but then formed in two separate directions causing the formation to look like butterfly wings. Sadly, in 2006, a tourist broke off one of the wings to take as a souvenir. Though the person suspected went to court, the piece removed from the cave was never recovered, and the suspect never proven guilty.

Close up of a cluster helictite formations.
Caverns of Sonora, 1711 Private Road 4468, Sonora, Texas; Phone: 325-387-3105; Hours: March 1st to Labor Day – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday after Labor Day to Feb. 29th – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.