Lees Cave, State Game Land #29, Warren County, PA - Cave Entrances (Natural) on Waymarking.com

Lees Cave, more commonly referred to by the local population as the "Bat Cave", is located on top of a mountain ridge in State Game Land #29 within the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, Pennsylvania. A steel protective barrier has been erected over the cave entrance to prevent human incursion into the cave so you should not anticipate taking part in any spelunking activity when you visit this site; it is forbidden and impossible given the design and strength of the exclusion cage. Bat hibernacula are extremely sensitive to any disturbance during the colony's hibernation in the winter months. Any disturbance can cause the bats to use up so much of their winter stores of fat that they are left without enough to survive till the spring and the colony can be wiped out or its' numbers drastically reduced. There is also the danger of spelunkers transporting the deadly White-Nose Syndrome ( a fungal disease) inadvertently into or out of the cave on their boots, clothing,and gear to infect this or other bat hibernacula. Caves suitable as hibernacula are a valuable natural resource habitat that is not common. It is not simply a matter of the bats finding a cave to live in. They have to find that special cave that has just the right airflow, temperature, humidity and structural characteristics that meet all their requirements and such caves are not that common. Lees Cave is one that meets their requirements. If you visit the cave entrance in the warm weather months at dawn or dusk, you will probably see some of its' residents entering or exiting. There is also a nearby geocache for those interested. The easiest way to get to the cave is via the Gamelands Trail, a graded dirt road (gated as no vehicular traffic is allowed) from Dunham's Siding on the Hearts Content Road. The parking coordinates are given below'. Walk north, downhill towards Chapman Dam State Park on the trail till you reach the WP given below. At this point, leave the road and walk up the jeep trail to your left. Follow the jeep trail as it slabs up the hillside and, once it reaches its' highest elevation, exit the trail to the right and bushwack along the ridge from that point to the cave. It is a fairly easy bushwack through open woods. You will have no trouble spotting the cave entrance once you get close. You can get to the cave from the State Park also, but it is a much longer walk. A bicycle can be used for part of the journey, either way, but at some point it will have to be abandoned to proceed on foot. It is a walk of approximately 1.4 miles from the parking to the cave entrance. Wear fluorescent orange in hunting season and take some water with you.

Parking: N 41°40.627', W 079°13.605'
WP: N 41°41.236', W 079°13.192'

Type of Land: National Forest Managed By: Pennsylvania Game Commission Contact Info: 814-432-3188 Northwest Region, PA Game Commission Website: [Web Link] Type of Cave: Other Contains Stalactites: no Contains Stalagmites: no Contains Bats: yes Price of Admission: 0.00 (listed in local currency)

Visit Instructions:
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