MO Cave Info and Recs

[jtsfour]

Hello! So it looks like I am gonna be in OK before new years and I am thinking about making my way up to MO to try and check some of those out.


I was hoping someone here would have some info on sites in Central - Southwest MO.

I am looking at

Robidoux Spring
Bennet Spring
Boiling Spring? (I haven’t found this location yet.)

Cannonball looks cool but I don’t think I want to go that far east…


Anyway, what conditions should I expect for January?

Are there any other sites that you recommend? (I have a boat if there are any notable water access sites.)

What about access restrictions (Any restrictions on Solo?).

Thanks for the help.

 

[InWay2Deep]

Roubidoux Spring and Cannonball are your best bets. Both can be temperamental, however in the winter conditions are usually OK (but COLD). Lots of rain will blow them out.

For Roubidoux there is a USGS gauge you can monitor for conditions. Ideally you want it dropping for a few weeks and be under 50. I like it around 20. You have to check in at the City of Waynesville Municipal Center before you dive and after your dive. You have to be out before dark. Bring at least a cavern card, sometimes they check, sometimes they don't.

Cannonball there isn't a gauge but you can check rainfall for the area, the dryer it has been, the better. There is no check-in process. There is a hill you have to lug your stuff up and down, and it's a 1.5 mile gravel fire road to get there, while you don't need 4x4, you don't want to do it in anything less than a crossover (no sports cars/sedans). You won't find the cave entrance without someone with you. It's literally IN the lake. You can also call Ozark Dive shop and speak to Earnie, he has a boat and can guide you, this way you avoid the hill and have someone else find the entrance for you.

Boiling Spring is on a river. It's not much of a cave, pretty short, pretty small, sidemount only. We are planning on doing it this winter.

Bennett Spring requires a reservation and is only open Dec-Feb for 6 divers at a time Sat and Sun. Slots are usually full the first week they open up reservations. While there IS a cave at the bottom of the "cavern zone" in the popcorn room at about 80ft, you are not suppose to go in. If you do, you will likely regret it as the flow is no joke, its literally like a firehose if you even make it that far (I've been 50/50). The cavern zone can be crystal clear or totally blown out where you can't even get in.

I would not advise anyone to go to any of these sites for their first time solo. A local group of us hit these up on a regular basis, I'll send you a DM.

 

[InWay2Deep]

There is also Mine La Motte, not a cave as the name implies. I've not been yet, it's in the mid 40's year round and from what I hear navigation can be tricky. Process to access seems to be different all the time, there's a facebook page (The Offsets) that some people have had luck reaching out to and get permissions (it's private land), there's a pay box where they ask for some $$. Again, not one I'd recommend going alone for the first time.

If you just like dark we also have Bonne Terre Mine, it's 100% guided tour, not really overhead (some of the "trails" have swim throughs) as it's considered open water. Neat place, expensive for what it is though. Recommend doing at least once.

 

[VikingDives]

There is also Mine La Motte, not a cave as the name implies. I've not been yet, it's in the mid 40's year round and from what I hear navigation can be tricky. Process to access seems to be different all the time, there's a facebook page (The Offsets) that some people have had luck reaching out to and get permissions (it's private land), there's a pay box where they ask for some $$. Again, not one I'd recommend going alone for the first time.

Do you have a link? I can't find this with a bit of googling, except for a few news stories about it closing due to swimmer deaths.

 

[Whitrzac]

No info about mlm. You need to know someone that's been there to go.
It's usually a 0 vis entrance and you can exhaust 8 cookies in 30min depending on which entrance you use

 

[InWay2Deep]

Do you have a link? I can't find this with a bit of googling, except for a few news stories about it closing due to swimmer deaths.

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