Caverns of Sonora - West Texas - Forever Glamping Blog

When travelers think of caverns out west Carlsbad Caverns in NM are usually what comes to mind. We have not been, is that bad, Carlsbad? OK, no more corny jokes. We had limited time traveling and chose to spend time at White Sands National Monument in NM. We plan to visit Carlsbad Caverns someday in the future.

I learned about the Caverns of Sonora from Watson’s Wander Blog. They rated them as some of the best they had visited. I trust their expert traveling opinions and we were going right through Sonora, so why not stop?

Visiting & Camping at the Caverns...

The Caverns of Sonora are in Sonora Texas, three hours west of San Antonio off I-10. They have an RV Park right on site making it a perfect place to stop over and spend the night. Tickets for the cavern tour are $20 for an adult and they have several tours throughout the day. The tour is about 2 hours and involves some climbing, ducking and has slippery surfaces. So it’s recommended you wear good shoes. You are only allowed to take your camera on the tour all other personal belongings have to stay at ground level.

We arrived late one afternoon, got the Airstream on a site and headed in for the tour. We called ahead to ensure there were camping and tours available. All the staff were friendly and very laid back. Eric and I were the only two people on the tour, score, private tour for the same price! Our tour guide was a young woman who recently started working at the caverns. She explained everything well and detailed about what to expect on the tour and the inner workings of the caverns.

The History and Details of the Caverns

The cave was discovered by a rancher around the turn of the 20th century. Later it was visited by locals and cavers. In the 1950s a caver saw the impact from humans visiting the cave and decided to develop it. His goal was to preserve it for future generations. Now the caverns are a U.S. National Natural Landmark. Most of the cave is still active and growing.

The unique and abundant limestone formations are amazing. Each room in the cave gets more and more interesting like something from another world. Our tour guide did an excellent job of pointing out unique designs and explaining features of the cave that are still changing. She said the guides discover new formations all the time.