Pennsylvania officials recently announced the opening of the state’s newest park. And it’s safe to say it’s not like other parks.
In April, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced the opening of Laurel Caverns State Park in Farmington, Pennsylvania. It is the state’s 125th state park, and it’s the first underground state park in Pennsylvania.
Located roughly 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, Laurel Caverns is a 435-acre park centered around the largest and deepest limestone cave in Pennsylvania, which includes four miles of wide cave passages that go as deep as 476 feet, and it features the largest bat shelter in the Northeast.
The caverns’ state park designation—Pennsylvania’s first since 2022—was made possible through the park’s donation to the state by David and Lilian Cale, who created the Laurel Caverns Conservancy to manage the site’s operations in 1986 after David’s family opened Laurel Caverns to the public in 1964.
The caverns attract 50,000 annual visitors and officially reopened to the public on Earth Day, April 22. It will remain open until October before closing for the season.
State officials plan to make initial upgrades to enhance visitors’ experiences at the park, with several improvements currently underway, including electrical upgrades; improved accessibility in parking spaces, entryways, and bathrooms; and routine updates to the foundation and structural system of the visitor center.
Like all Pennsylvania state parks, entrance and participation in recreational activities such as hiking, birding, and picnicking will remain free at the Caverns, but fees to enter the cave for one of five guided or self-guided tours will remain in place throughout the 2026 season as management transitions to DCNR.
