Fayette County, Pa. \u2014 This week, Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the opening of Laurel Caverns State Park with local leaders in Fayette County.<\/p>\n
Now the 125th state park and first subterranean state park in Commonwealth history, the Caverns will help expand Pennsylvania\u2019s outdoor recreation economy which contributed $20.4 billion to Pennsylvania\u2019s economy in 2024 and supported approximately 177,000 jobs.<\/p>\n
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A view inside Laurel Caverns State Park, Pennsylvania’s newest state park.<\/p>\n
Commonwealth Media Service<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania\u2019s outdoor recreation industry is made up of 6,400 local parks \u2014 including 125 state parks \u2014 more than 14,000 miles of trails, and over 84,000 miles of waterways. Under the Shapiro Administration\u2019s leadership, the industry has added $3.5 billion and approximately 12,000 new jobs to the Commonwealth\u2019s economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cParks like Laurel Caverns give our kids a new place to learn, our families a place to make memories, and all of us a chance to get away, take a breath, and just enjoy nature,\u201d said Governor Shapiro. \u201cPennsylvania\u2019s state parks are an incredible asset to our Commonwealth and our economy \u2013\u00a0 and when we invest in outdoor recreation, we not only create good paying jobs, but by bringing people together, we also invest in the wellbeing of our neighbors and the future of our Commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cave includes four miles of passages<\/p>\n
\u00a0Approximately 50 miles from Pittsburgh, Laurel Caverns is a 435-acre park centered around the largest and deepest limestone cave in Pennsylvania, which includes four miles of wide cave passages that go as deep as 476 feet and the largest bat shelter in the Northeast. The Caverns attract 50,000 annual visitors and will officially reopen to the public on Earth Day, April 22, to remain open until October.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPennsylvania\u2019s state parks are already second to none and we are improving the system with this addition of Laurel Caverns State Park,\u201d said\u00a0DCNR Secretary Adams Dunn. \u201cWe are excited to open this new park and welcome all visitors to experience the uniqueness of our 125th state park up close\u2014whether it\u2019s the hiking trails and recreational opportunities, or the geological splendor of the caverns.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Governor Shapiro greets Corie Eckman, who was named the first manager of the state’s newest park.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commonwealth Media Service<\/p>\n
DCNR plans to make initial upgrades to enhance visitors\u2019 experiences at the park, with several improvements currently underway, including\u00a0electrical upgrades;\u00a0improved accessibility\u00a0in parking spaces, entryways, and bathrooms; and\u00a0routine updates to the foundation and structural system of the visitor center.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight here in our backyard, we have one of the most unique natural attractions in the country,\u201d said\u00a0Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites. \u201cLaurel Caverns already brings about 50,000 visitors each year and today’s designation will help bring even more \u2014 that means more support for our local businesses, restaurants, and workforce. This is a major win for Fayette County.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day, we welcome so many people to the county and today builds on momentum to give people another reason to visit, to explore, and to really impact our local economy,\u201d said\u00a0Muriel Nuttall, Executive Director of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce. \u201cWith Laurel Caverns\u2019 state park designation, we\u2019re adding something that is truly one of a kind to Fayette County.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pa.’s first state park since 2022<\/p>\n
The Caverns\u2019 state park designation \u2014 Pennsylvania\u2019s first since 2022 \u2014 was made possible through the park\u2019s donation to the Commonwealth by David and Lilian Cale who created the Laurel Caverns Conservancy to manage the park\u2019s operations in 1986 after David\u2019s family opened the park in 1964.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur state parks are rich in history and have some of the most dedicated community members to help the parks thrive,\u201d said\u00a0Corie Eckman, Park Manager of Laurel Caverns State Park. \u201cThanks to the Cale Family, the Laurel Caverns have allowed generations of visitors to experience the beauty beneath its surface and it has been my privilege to help in the park\u2019s transition to the Commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Governor Shapiro celebrates the opening of Pennsylvania’s First Subterranean State Park.<\/p>\n
Commonwealth Media Services<\/p>\n
Like all Pennsylvania state parks, entrance and participation in recreational activities such as hiking, birding, and picnicking will remain free at the Caverns, but fees to enter the cave for one of five guided or self-guided tours will remain in place throughout the 2026 season as management transitions to DCNR.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fayette County, Pa. \u2014 This week, Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159572,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[72211,71883,28,30,29],"class_list":{"0":"post-159571","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pennsylvania","8":"tag-cave","9":"tag-laurel-caverns","10":"tag-pennsylvania","11":"tag-pennsylvania-headlines","12":"tag-pennsylvania-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}