SHANNON COUNTY — As the steps from the river bank led up to the entrance of Round Springs Cave, sorties of cool subterranean air beckoned the tour group to explore inside. Ranger Blake Burrus stood at the head of the column and instructed everyone to be mindful of low-hanging stalactites and slippery surfaces.
“It’s a natural experience,” ranger Mike Van Patten commented.
He said cave tours at other locations often fit the passages with electric lighting and artificial walkways. For Round Springs, tourists are issued a small lantern while the guide marks points of interest with a flashlight.
The rangers took visitors to see key features of the cave such as the Ballroom, Theater Hill, and impressive examples of flowstone and shimmering columns. The group received a crash course on stalagmites, stalactites, helactites, and their unique formation processes.
At the deepest point, Burrus asked everyone to turn off their lanterns and stand in silence to appreciate the utter darkness and solitude deep in the recesses of the cave.
All that could be observed was the gentle dripping of water echoing through seemingly infinite secret hallways and a low hush from the flowing underground creek, a crystal clear artery giving life to the otherworldly creatures inside.
The impression of the extinguished lights faded leaving only the yawning blackness, totally devoid of illumination.
“It’s been a lot of fun doing the tours,” Burrus explained.
He and the other ranger on the tour, Selah Allen, are in their first year with Round Springs. As the tour progressed, he educated the group on the history of the cave from its discovery by Union soldiers in 1863 to its time as an attraction in the 1930s.
He elaborated the only reason Round Springs Cave is open to the public at all is because a fungal infection, known as White Nose Syndrome, has already ravaged the bat population inside. The syndrome started in Europe and spread west across the United States, Burrus informed.
The infection results in 90% mortality for the bats. Because the fungus is so easily spread, the vast majority of caves in the area are forbidden to explore.
However, the surviving bat population still roosts in Round Springs Cave from roughly Labor Day to Memorial Day when tours are stopped, according to Dena Matteson, chief of interpretation, planning, and partnerships evidence for Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
Other signs of life included cave crickets and scurrying salamanders. Burrus recounted, thousands of years ago, the cave was inhabited by a now-extinct massive species of cave bear. Evidence of its residence included huge gashes in the rock from its formidable claws and deep impressions where it bedded down to hibernate.
When the group emerged from the cave entrance, the humid Missouri summer air welcomed them back to the surface. Burrus said the internal temperatures hover around 60 degrees year-round.
“I’d recommend it, 100%,” visitor Michael Schnurr said.
He and a group of University of Missouri graduates traveled down from St. Louis for a float trip on the riverways. Burrus noted most of the tour groups come from St. Louis and Kansas City.
“I liked it a lot,” Schnurr added.
Tickets go on sale 30 minutes before each tour on a first-come-first-served basis for a maximum group size of 15. Groups step off at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
The prices are $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12, and $5 for those with qualifying access or a senior pass. Matteson said staff only accept cash and cannot make change. Close-toed shoes and the ability to walk in a crouched position for 100 feet are required.
Visitors can call 573-323-4236 for updated tour information.