Caves of Maryland

The subject of this article and a reference book of the same name, Caves of Maryland was first released by the Maryland Geological Survey (MGS) in 1950. Information about Maryland caves was first gathered into a series of reports by Martin Muma in the mid-1940s, working under the MGS. After the release of these articles in 1946, a more comprehensive study was begun by William Davies, whose years of fieldwork led to the compilation of the premiere edition of Caves of Maryland in 1950. Since its publication, this reference work has remained the principal source for information about Maryland caves, and has served as an outline for the work to follow.

Following the release of the first edition of Caves of Maryland in 1950, several other attempts by various parties and interested groups have been made at expanding available information concerning Maryland's subterrain. In the late 1960s the MGS sponsored another statewide survey, undertaken by Richard Franz and Dennis Slifer, and a second, expanded edition of Caves of Maryland was released in 1971. It was not until the inception of this second project that areas west of Washington County were even thoroughly canvassed; even after the conclusion of the Franz/Slifer survey, it was speculated that even more, undiscovered caves could still remain in more remote portions of the western counties, prompting the need for an additional version, but since that time there have been no additional state sponsored reports or surveys released to the public.

In Maryland, a cave is defined as any subterranean cavity large enough for a human to enter. This definition has led the authors to include several shelter caves, fissures, and mines that in states with larger, more complex cave systems, might otherwise go unlisted.

Cave locations are typically well-guarded secrets, as property owners are most-often fearful of liability issues and damage to their lands. Likewise, experienced spelunkers are also wary to guide novices to cave locations, fearing they might recklessly endanger the natural balance of these sanctuaries, making them inaccessible to all. While most find cave vandalism unimaginable, there are some who, whether out of carelessness, malice, or ignorance, have hopelessly destroyed beautiful caves forever. For this reason, precise locations of caves are seldom published. Rather than using a coordinate system, the MGS' "Caves of Maryland" provides approximate locations using a quadrangle system to be employed with the use of 7.5-minute topographic maps. Neither coordinates nor quadrangular data are posted on this page at present, only surrounding terrain and the condition/accessibility of said caves when known. While limited data and pictures about Maryland's caves can be found on the MGS’s website, the best sources of information are local speleological grottos and knowledgeable enthusiasts. To learn more about the caves of Maryland, their locations, and ethical caving practices in general, contact the Tri-state Grotto or Western Maryland Grotto, an internal organization of the National Speleological Society.

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