Buckner Cave

Buckner Cave is located in the karst topography of the Mitchell Plain in Monroe County, Indiana, just outside of Bloomington. The cave consists of approximately 3 miles of known passage and an unknown amount of unexplored passages. It is taken care of by the Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy (RBNC) and resides in what is now privately owned property. Cavers interested in visiting need to obtain permission from the RBNC one week in advance in order to enter. Alternatively, interested parties can become members and help to maintain the cave as well as benefit from expedited access.

The cave sits just outside of a bare campground (no water, no bathrooms). Its entrance is an oval shaped sinkhole approximately 15 ft tall and 20 ft wide which leads downwards in a gentle incline for about 50 ft and then opens up into a large room. Access to the rest of the cave is found through a small hole that brings explorers to an approximately 600 foot army crawl to the next large cavern. From here cavers can choose to explore multiple sections of the cave. Throughout the cave many paths and routes exist and most tunnels and caverns have a few offshoots.