places with underground tunnels
 

Are there any other places in the US with more or less significant underground networks of tunnels besides Ozarks?

Re: places with underground tunnels
 

I am not aware of significant under ground tunnels in the Ozarks. I've been camping and hunting in the Ozarks of MO for most of my life.

There are a lot of natural caves if you know where to find them. Its not like you walk along and look up at one.If you have a good source of info on this I would appreciate a link.

Thanks

E-A

Re: places with underground tunnels
 

Well, most any citiy has storm drains. Many of them are usually dry and big enough to crawl through, some run quite a long ways. My state is also riddled with a great many water filled underground caves, people dive them all the time. You could swim right under somebody's house and I've seen pics/vids of dives where pipes from well were sticking through the roof of the cave.

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Some old abandoned mines would probably still have extensive tunnels.

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We've got a bunch of lava tube type caverns around here. Most aren't very deep and usually only go back less than a 1/4 mile. Lots of evidence of use by the early indians.

Re: places with underground tunnels
 

Mt Weather, West Virgina

reportedly lots of tunnels/bases spread out around the U.S.

Mt weather is like the control center, "secret Govt"

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Maybe the Sierra Club would have info on natural cave locations? Old National Geographic issues.

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If there is limestone, there are natural caves aplenty. That covers a lot of country.

Finding a way in is the trick.

Re: places with underground tunnels
 

If you mean caves, there are lots of caves in the US. Tennessee has over 10,000 known caves, Alabama has around 8000, Kentucky is famous for its caves, and the list goes on. Where there's limestone, there's caves. Many of the caves have been surveyed and mapped, and their locations and info are kept in data bases (my husband keeps the data base for Georgia caves). The data bases are created and kept by cavers and are not publically available. It's not impossible to get or even difficult to get, but you have to be involved enough in the caving community that there's a reasonable expectation that you'll be responsible with the information.

Caves are fragile; things that live in caves are fragile (you can kill an entire colony of bats by disturbing them at the wrong time of year...and you can get arrested for harming bats); landowner relationships are fragile; caves can be dangerous and frequently deadly to the ill-prepared and untrained (and even to the prepared and trained); and if you go and get yourself killed in one, you can screw up the access for everyone. If you want to get involved in caving and learn more about caves, join the National Speleological Society (NSS) http://www.caves.org/ . Go to a meeting of a local chapter (called grottos). Other cavers will take you caving, show you the ropes safety and conservation-wise, and (and this is extremely important), inform you of the landowner relations (the caves' owners) for your area. You'll learn how to "read" the area, understand the hydrology/geology, and find caves. You'll learn about your state cave surveys and how to obtain and understand the information in them. You can learn technical ropework (it's different from rock climbing technique and equipment). They don't charge to teach you, and most keep hardhats and lights, etc., that can be rented or borrowed by members. If you need help finding a local group, let me know, and I can look one up for you.

Btw, if you're thinking "fallout shelter," you should know that caves breathe. Air constantly moves in or out of them (depending upon the relative temperature of the cave to the outside air). In other words, any particles in the air will be carried through the cave in the air or the water (lots of water in caves; that's what usually forms them). If you're thinking "secret stash" site, be aware that literally hundreds, and even thousands, of cavers have access to information on the location of that cave. You wouldn't believe how often some caves are visited. You may very well have your stash discovered.

Also, most caves are on private land, so it's imperative that you know the landowner relations for the area you're caving in. Some caves are closed, and you could find yourself staring down the barrel of a shotgun or explaining yourself to the local sheriff. Run into someone growing marijuana in their woods or bootlegging (it's not uncommon to find vats, etc., at cave entrances and springs), you might be in a heap more trouble. The rock in caves is not exposed to the elements like outside rocks are, and they can be notoriously unstable. Caves often have pits (a cave in Georgia has a 510 foot deep pit http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~willie/willie_adv03dec.html ), and the ropework techniques and equipment for negotiating those drops and climbs is different from what's used in rock climbing. Rock climbing techniques can get you killed in a cave. Methane has been known to kill people in caves. Floods are a risk in some caves. There's much more to caving, of course. Again, the best way to find out about caves in your area is to become involved with the NSS.

Re: places with underground tunnels
 

You didn't really specify what you are looking for but surface management maps list all mines, adits, caves, geological and historic places.

http://www.co.blm.gov/mapinfo/mapinfo.htm

That's the CO site but every inch of the US is mapped the same way. check your local surveyor for more information on where to purchase the maps for your area if interested.

Re: places with underground tunnels
 

As far as caves, those maps only show a fraction of the number of known caves. Still, they're fascinating and a great place to start.

Re: places with underground tunnels
 

Myself and eight other friends went spelunking in Colorado many years ago.

All we knew was to carry ropes and flashlights.

Supposedly their were 17 miles of meandering tunnels.

Almost immediately we got lost and disoriented.

Kept going around in circles.

It was dark, cold, wet, slippery, steep, jagged and did I mention, "dark."

The flashlights began going out one by one till we were left with only one.

Panic set in. Accusations. Crying. Hysteria. And that was only me!:afraid: The others were wetting their pants, I'm pretty sure.

Well, after 12 hours we finally crawled out, exhausted but alive.

Without that one last flashlight we'd all be dead, no doubt in any of our minds.
I don't much care for spelunking anymore.

There were splendors though. A beautiful waterfall. A tremendous chamber
with sparkling stalactites and mites. Great veins of silver and gold.

OK,OK. No precious metals. Just kidding about that. :aetsch:

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My College had a caving club I have been on a few trips and it was quite an experience. We even still used the carbide head lamps (90's) -they were preferred since they are so foolproof. Just add more water for more light!

Too bad most of the caves in my area are cold and damp.

Many have yet to be explored, the local caving club has a hard time surveying new caves found by logging before they are potentially damaged by the clear cutting.

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Potential hiding places for worst-case NWO scenario

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Make your own cave. With hand tools!

http://bathstonequarries.mysite.wana...uk/METHODS.htm

Re: places with underground tunnels
 

I'd suggest getting involved with your local caving community then. It's probably the best way of finding out where the out-of-the-way caves with obscure entrances are and how often particular caves are visited (seriously, a cave with a 10"x10" entrance hole in the limestone contact 500 feet up the side of a mountain, a mile or more off the nearest dirt road, may have dozens of groups visit it a year).

I was very involved in caving for years. I went every weekend, participated in expeditions and projects, have a fellowship in the NSS, etc. I love caving, but it's something you have to take seriously. I've had a lot of friends die in caves through the years, experienced people who knew what they were doing, but sometimes Mother Nature just gets the best of us.