Secret Caverns is hands-down one of the most unique and unforgettable experiences you can have in upstate New York. From the moment you pull into the colorful, hand-painted entrance, you know you’re about to step into something wonderfully different—and it absolutely delivers.
The tour itself is the perfect blend of fun, humor, geology, and adventure. The guide was not only knowledgeable, but genuinely entertaining. He brought the caverns to life with stories, jokes, and fascinating facts that make the experience feel personal rather than scripted. You can tell they love what they do, and that energy makes the whole journey even better.
The caverns are stunning—narrow passages, ancient rock formations, and the grand finale: a 100-foot underground waterfall that feels like stepping into another world. It’s not over-commercialized or overly polished; it retains its natural charm and sense of discovery, which is exactly what makes it special.
Highly, highly recommend!
Located in the Schoharie Valley of New York State, Secret Caverns offers an unforgettable journey 100 feet below the surface to explore a unique underground world. As you descend, you'll walk through a narrow, winding passageway that opens into massive rooms filled with impressive geological formations. The cavern's highlight is a beautiful, 40-foot waterfall—a rare feature in a dry cave—that feeds into a pristine underground lake. For travelers looking for a quirky, off-the-beaten-path adventure, this natural wonder provides a fascinating look at ancient rock and mineral structures.
I went over the labor weekend with my family to celebrate my birthday. It’s a cool experience to see the natural cave with underground water falls. The Wait was not bad and staff are really friendly. Also in the meantime if you need to wait there is a lake where you could have an amazing picnic or even relax. Big parking lot and easy to find the place. There are souvenirs and beverages for sale.
We loved it! We have been to Howe several times. I am so glad we finally went to Secret Caverns. It was the best!!! I highly recommend it. It is reasonable and the cave has been minimally modified to accommodate guests. Absolutely beautiful.
Tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Recommend wearing sneakers. Gift shop had lots of interesting things. Tickets were only available on-site when we went. Cash only.
This place was AMAZING! To be able to walk through this cave and see what people seen back in the day was so cool and learning the history behind it all was not only very informative but interesting. The emplyoees were great and knew so much I will DEFINITELY go back again!
I definitely recommend adding this to your family day trip plan! The guide was informative and humorous! We left the secret cavern feeling as if we had toured half the states with all the creative little finds inside. My iPad generation kids might not have touched grass today but they enjoyed feeling the amazing rock formations!
This was a great experience. The guide was funny and knowledgeable. Each group is just the right size. The tour lasts about an hour. There is some steep climbing and narrow passageways involved, but that of course is to be expected. The underground waterfall is really fascinating.
What a great adventure. Our guide, Matt, was the best. The history of this site was well detailed, sprinkled with wry humor. Lots of stairs going down and up. Some low ceilings and narrow passages. But easily navigated by two 8 yr olds a 70 yr old, and five 40 somethings. Not just another roadside attraction. Real caverns for adventurous people. Highly recommend over thee other in the area
Enjoyed my cave tour! The atmosphere was great and the waterfall was so cool. Not as tall as Ruby Falls but they actually give you time to take pictures and enjoy it. They also let me carry my well behaved dog :)
Truly awesome natural landmark. Secret Caverns is smaller and less "touristy" than Howe Caverns nearby and offers a different vibe that I personally preferred. It's located on a beautiful, secluded piece of land and the caves themselves have very little man-made alterations besides the walkways. Our tour guide was funny and entertaining, and we enjoyed our visit. The cave is very cool, and the waterfall at the end is breathtaking and caps off the tour nicely. We drove from CT to see both Secret and Howe, and I'm very glad we did both. I highly recommend.
Definitely a great little experience, much different than Howe Caverns & for that I'm grateful. One needs to be able to descend & then ascend the many stairs and rough cut stone that accesses the underground waterfall, which some would argue is the "main attraction" of this set of limestone caves. There are indeed many mysterious things here so beware of dragons...above ground you can find a great little gift shop & some tables for a picnic. Tours are every hour I believe & can sometimes be busy or sometimes be slow.
Mike was an excellent tour guide and kept the group entertained with his jokes and knowledge of the cave. The cave itself was amazing, especially the 100-foot waterfall! That was definitely the highlight. Unlike nearby Howe Caverns, you don't need a reservation, and it's more affordable! Enjoy!!!
Excellent visit. The tour guilds are knowledgeable and keep the tour lively. Sturdy shoes are highly recommended. I do not recommend if you are clostraphobic. The caves are a nice 40-45 degrees, so dress accordingly.
I enjoyed the secret caverns even better than Howe caverns! 1. It's cheaper, 2. It's really close quarters, which gives you the feel of "exploring," 3. We werent rushed out of the cave and could tale our time and as many photos as we wanted! We came here with our 4 year old, and he had no trouble with all the stairs! However, if stairs aren't your thing, just stick with Howes; it's easier to navigate if you aren't sure footed. Dont let the handpainted Americana signs scare you away. it's worth the money! The painted signs inside the main building start to grow on you, too, and give it a je ne sais quoi. Bring cash! They dont take cards.
This place was seriously so much fun! The guides have a great sense of humor and you are allowed to get up close and touch everything! The cavern is beautiful and the waterfall is really cool. The whole place has a charm that makes it very different from other nearby caverns. It is an out and back tour, the guide leads you down and gives the tour on the way down, then on the way back you can go at your own pace and enjoy the caverns on your own. The whole thing takes 45 minutes to an hour, and a new tour starts every hour. This means that your wait time to go in will depend on your arrival time. I'm really glad I decided to give this one a try and definitely recommend it to everyone who is physically able to handle stairs and some tight places (I'm claustrophobic but it didn't bother me at all).
I've been wanting to check this place out for a while but every time I'm near there I'm with someone who wants to see Howes.. so this time I went alone on a spur of the moment trip. I'm glad I did. WAY BETTER THAN HOWES!! FIRST. I love the art! Very meatpuppet-ish in a way. The shop is cool with a very layed back. SECOND. the random cornball humor around the place is def my style. THIRD. The tour/guide. We had Matt. Can tell he's a pretty chill dude w a good sense of humor. Always a plus. Made the tour that much more enjoyable. FOURTH. There is way more to look at and is an Interactive experience. Feel free to touch the Cavern walls and calcium carbonate forming them. I also like that it's not as open and more of a tighter path. It's not too small for people but more enclosed . There are some awesome higher ceilings and the guide will l
Tell about them as well. FIFTH. Was the waterfall of course. So cool to see and hear. I definitely enjoyed myself there. I left a little ahead of the tour which was the most amazing thing. To walk the cave in silence is awesome to say the least. I would love to go there and be able to rent out the hr for myself. That would be cool. I highly recommend this spot!!!!
Amazing !! I am so glad I went here on a whim .. the tour guide was fun and whitty .. yes there is larger hoses cavern up the road from them BUT skip it and come here !! Quirky and awesome
If I could give more stars I would! Not only was this tour informative, but also VERY interactive! Our guide Matt was the absolute best and we enjoyed EVERY STEP of the way down to the waterfall and back!! Totally recommend and the shop is worth exploring, take lots of pictures, and look for the SIGNS!
Never been in a Cave, so I appreciated the adventurous approach Secret Caverns takes with the tours. Definitely not on rails, but not dangerous either! Overall, the it was an amazing experience: the cave, connecting tunnels, and waterfall was beautiful. The artwork across the place was pretty great, too. Highly recommend a trip, it was a great time. Tips: bring some decent shoes, it's an underground cave. Bring a sweatshirt or coat, it's about 50 degrees (again, it's underground cave). Have fun!
Secret Caverns was a very cool experience. We've been to another local cave in the area, but Secrets Caverns was able to create a more personal feeling adventure. Our tour guide, Matt, was very knowledgeable and funny, and the pace of the tour was not rushed. I would highly recommend checking out Secret Caverns if you're in the central New York location. My one piece of advice would be to make sure you wear proper footwear because it is a bit wet in areas of the caverns.
There are a lot of stairs to walk down to get in and back out of the cave. We had two smaller children on our tour. The guide and others in our group were very patient with them being slower, which was fabulous to see. They were very slow at the time that we went, late afternoon. There isn't much to their gift shop. The cave tour wasn't very long. The most impressive part of the tour was the waterfall at the end.
Tours leave every hour, on the hour. This place is cash only so be prepared! Tour guide was funny and informative. It's a short walk but a lot to see! The waterfall is beautiful!! We will definitely come back
One of the best little adventures I've been on this year. Randomly found this place online, and the pics made it seem pretty cool. On the way to the cavern, there's some awesome beautifully painted billboards for the secret Cavern, which made the excitement stronger. When we arrived, the building was a masterpiece just like the billboards. Everything inside was decorated to the ceiling, even the bathrooms. All of the employees were colorful and friendly with lots of facts about the 97yr old cavern. The walk down was damp so bring shoes that won't get too wet, or boots if possible. It was quite the experience and planning on going back in the future.
We had a great tour guide, laid back and let us take our time. There is a 100 ft waterfall at the end which was pretty amazing. The stairs back up give a decent workout. Don't forget your sweatshirt. Overall my 6 yr old loved it and so did I! Thanks for the great conversation too!
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