Rain or shine · 57–64° underground · checked October 9, 2026
Caves you can tour near Northwest Arkansas
The show caves you can tour from Fayetteville and Bentonville: War Eagle Cavern on Beaver Lake, the Old Spanish Treasure Cave north of Gravette, Cosmic Cavern near Berryville, Onyx Cave outside Eureka Springs, and Bluff Dwellers Cave just over the Missouri line. Prices, hours and temperatures come from each cave's own site as posted Oct 9, 2026. Two timing notes: War Eagle Cavern closes December through February so its bats can hibernate, and Blanchard Springs Caverns ends its 2026 season in October and then closes for renovations, with a reopening the state expects in 2028.
Orange pins and badges are open this weekend, from each place's posted schedule.
The essentials
What to wear
- War Eagle Cavern
- 58°F year-round. No special clothes for the regular tour (it's on paved walkways); the cavern suggests a light jacket or long sleeves if you chill easily.
- Old Spanish Treasure Cave
- 58°F all year. Bring a camera, and a flashlight if you like; the cave is lit, so neither is required.
- Onyx Cave
- 57°F year-round, per the park.
- Cosmic Cavern
- 64°F with 96% humidity, which the cavern calls the warmest cave in the Ozarks. It says a coat isn't really necessary.
- Wild (crawling) tours
- War Eagle requires long sleeves, long pants and lace-up shoes (no shorts, sandals or slip-ons). Bluff Dwellers requires lace-up shoes or boots and long pants and suggests a change of clothes. Both provide the helmet, headlamp and gloves.
Bats and white-nose syndrome
- Wild caves
- Arkansas Game and Fish keeps caves on its wildlife management areas closed to the public to keep white-nose syndrome away from bats (its Gene Rush WMA page: "All caves closed"). Stick to the show caves below.
- Gear
- Bluff Dwellers Cave passes on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's recommendation to decontaminate all caving clothing and gear between caves. It says white-nose syndrome reached McDonald County, Mo., in the winter of 2014–15.
- Winter closures
- War Eagle Cavern closes December, January and February so its bats can hibernate undisturbed.
Source: agfc.com
Pets and access
- Pets
- War Eagle Cavern allows well-behaved, leashed pets in the cavern and on the grounds (service animals only in the gift shop). Cosmic Cavern: no pets. Blanchard Springs: service animals only in the visitor center and caverns. The Old Spanish Treasure Cave, Onyx Cave and Bluff Dwellers don't post a pet rule, so call.
- Wheelchairs & strollers
- War Eagle's tour is on rough concrete with about 8 small steps; strollers and wheelchairs can go, but the path to the cave is a quarter mile downhill and you push back up, so the cavern suggests two strong helpers. Bluff Dwellers says its tour isn't handicap accessible but offers a golf-cart ride up to the cave on request.
- Walking
- Cosmic Cavern: about a third of a mile, some stairs, mostly level. Old Spanish Treasure Cave: about a third of a mile on an easy, lit trail.
Closest to Bentonville and Rogers
One cave on Beaver Lake east of Rogers, one off Hwy 59 north of Gravette.
- Family-friendly
Guided cave tour, about 1 hour
War Eagle Cavern
21494 Cavern Rd, Rogers
- When:
- Daily through Thanksgiving weekend, then closed December–February; reopens the second weekend of March
- Hours:
- 9:30 AM–5 PM daily; last tour leaves an hour before closing. November weekdays 10 AM–4 PM with tours at 10:30, 12, 1:30 and 3; November weekends 9:30–5
- Admission:
- $24 plus tax ages 13+, $15 ages 4–12, 3 and under free. Value Pass (tour, maze and Mystery Shack): $29 / $20
- What's there:
- Arkansas' only lakeside cavern entrance, which the cavern bills as the largest natural cave entrance in the state. Guides walk a wide path along the stream that runs through the cave, with a "total darkness" demo; tours leave about every 20 minutes and need no reservation unless you're 15 or more. You can arrive by boat (look for navigation marker 6). The Wild Cavern Tour crawls over a mile of unlit passages for $75–$100 a person depending on group size: ages 13+, 4-person minimum, call 479-789-2909 at least 48 hours ahead. One page lists it through October, another through November, so ask.
- Ages:
- All ages; minors with an adult. Wild Cavern Tour 13+
- Family-friendly
Guided cave tour, 1 hour
Old Spanish Treasure Cave
14290 N Hwy 59, Sulphur Springs
- When:
- Open through December on the cave's 2026 calendar. October: closed Wed–Thu. Closed Nov 1–9, then closed Tue–Thu, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
- Hours:
- October: 10 AM to a 4:30 PM last tour (Sundays noon to 3:30); last tour 3 PM on movie nights
- Admission:
- $24 plus tax ages 13+, $14 ages 4–12, 3 and under free. Underground Movie Event $13
- What's there:
- A maze cave about a third of a mile into the mountain, sold on its legend of Spanish treasure that has never been found. Walk-ins are welcome; arrive 20–30 minutes before a scheduled tour. The Underground Movie Event screens films inside the cave at 6 PM: Hocus Pocus Sat Oct 10, The Nightmare Before Christmas Sun Oct 18, Beetlejuice Sat Oct 24 and The Descent Sat Oct 31. Gem sluicing and a rock shop in an 1850s log cabin.
Eureka Springs and Berryville
Cosmic Cavern is on Hwy 21 near Berryville; Onyx Cave is about 6 miles from downtown Eureka Springs.
Guided cave tour, about 1 hr 15 min
Cosmic Cavern
6386 AR-21, Berryville
- When:
- Open daily (no seasonal closure posted); call about holidays
- Hours:
- 9 AM–6 PM daily
- Admission:
- $22 plus tax ages 13+, $11 ages 5–12, 4 and under free
- What's there:
- Arkansas' largest privately owned show cave: a 9-ft soda straw the cavern calls the longest known in the Ozarks, two "bottomless" lakes, and Silent Splendor, a section found in 1993 with formations so pristine some are see-through. After-hours blacklight tours run most evenings after 6 PM: $25, about 45 minutes, 6 people max, ages 12+, by phone reservation (870-749-2298). Gem bags $5.99. No pets.
- Ages:
- All ages on the regular tour; blacklight tour 12+
Just over the Missouri line
Guided cave tour, about 1 hour
Bluff Dwellers Cave (Missouri)
163 Cave Rd, Noel, MO
- When:
- Daily through Oct 31; November–February Thu–Mon (closed Tue–Wed, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year's Day)
- Hours:
- Tours 10 AM–4 PM in fall and winter; 10–5 March–August
- Admission:
- $28 ages 12+, $25.20 military, $16 ages 4–11, 3 and under free. Browning Museum included
- What's there:
- Opened in 1927 and still run by the family of the man who found it. Look for a 75-ft rimstone dam, which the cave calls one of the longest known in Missouri, and the Browning Museum of rocks, minerals and arrowheads. First come, first served; online tickets come in pairs or more. The Wild Cave Tour ($55, ages 12+, under 18 with a parent) explores two undeveloped caves Fri–Sat at 4 PM by reservation 48 hours ahead, 3-person minimum: email bluffdc@gmail.com or call 417-475-3666.
- Ages:
- All ages; Wild Cave Tour 12+
Devil's Den State Park
State park caverns; no public cave tour posted
Devil's Den State Park caves
11333 W Arkansas Hwy 74, West Fork
- When:
- Cave access for 2026 isn't posted; call the park at 479-761-3325. The Devil's Den Trail is closed for repairs (park notice, Oct 2026)
- Hours:
- Visitor center daily 8 AM–5 PM (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)
- What's there:
- The park lists "rock formations and caverns" among its features but doesn't say whether any cave is open to visitors, so call before you plan on going in. The 1.5-mile Devil's Den Trail through the park's sandstone is closed for repairs; call for the reopening date. The park calls itself famous for its bats and runs interpreter programs on them.
Open this year, but the details above aren't all posted for 2026. Check their site before you drive.
On the calendar
Verified events for the season, updated every night.
- Fri, Oct 91PM
Bat-Tastic
Outdoor & Active:Devil's Den State Park· West Fork
Free
Worth the drive
- Open today
Forest Service show cave, guided tours
Blanchard Springs Caverns (day trip)
704 Blanchard Springs Rd, Fifty-Six
- When:
- 2026 season May 1 through the end of October, then closed for renovations; the state expects a grand reopening in 2028
- Hours:
- Thu–Mon 9:30 AM–5 PM; tours 10 AM to a 4 PM last tour. Closed Tue–Wed and federal holidays
- Admission:
- Dripstone and Discovery tours: $15 ages 16+, $10 ages 6–15, 5 and under free
- What's there:
- A long drive into Stone County, so make it a day trip, and soon: this is the last season before the caverns' first major renovation since opening in the 1970s. Tickets must be bought in advance at recreation.gov. Arkansas State Parks staffs the tours this year under an agreement with the Forest Service. Recreation.gov asks you to arrive about 30 minutes early and allow extra time for curvy roads. Service animals only in the visitor center and caverns; leashed pets are fine in the recreation area.
Call ahead
These come up in older roundups, but nothing official confirms a 2026 season yet.
- Onyx Cave Park (Eureka Springs). Arkansas' oldest toured cave (self-guided headset tours, about 6 miles from downtown Eureka Springs). Its website is currently showing unrelated spam and its season conflicts with other listings, so call 479-253-9321 for hours and prices before you go.
- Mystic Caverns (south of Harrison). A show cave on Hwy 7 that cave directories still list, but we couldn't find an official website or any 2026 hours, so we haven't listed it. Call before you drive.
- Hurricane River Cave (Pindall). Directories list tours off Hwy 65 south of Harrison, but we found no official site or 2026 schedule. Confirm by phone before going.
Quick answers
- Which caves can you tour near Fayetteville and Bentonville?
- The closest are War Eagle Cavern on Beaver Lake east of Rogers (the cavern says Rogers and Bentonville are within a 30-minute drive) and the Old Spanish Treasure Cave on Hwy 59 north of Gravette. Cosmic Cavern (Berryville) and Onyx Cave (about 6 miles from Eureka Springs) are further east, and Bluff Dwellers Cave is just over the line in Noel, Mo. All five run tours in October 2026.
- How long is the War Eagle Cavern tour?
- About an hour. Tours leave roughly every 20 minutes, and the last one goes an hour before closing. In November, weekday tours run at set times: 10:30, 12, 1:30 and 3. The above-ground maze, Mystery Shack and gem panning can stretch a visit to a few hours. No reservation is needed unless your group is more than 15.
- Is Cosmic Cavern open year-round?
- Its site says it's open daily, 9 AM–6 PM, and describes the cave as 64° in winter and summer. It doesn't post holiday closures, so call 870-749-2298 around the holidays. Cosmic Cavern doesn't allow pets.
- What's the temperature in the caves?
- As each cave posts it: Onyx Cave 57°F; War Eagle Cavern and the Old Spanish Treasure Cave 58°F; Cosmic Cavern 64°F with 96% humidity. War Eagle suggests a light jacket or long sleeves if you get cold; Cosmic says you won't really need a coat.
- Can you take kids to these caves?
- Yes. The regular tours are walking tours, and kids 3 and under are free at War Eagle, the Old Spanish Treasure Cave, Onyx and Bluff Dwellers (4 and under at Cosmic). War Eagle is stroller accessible, and minors must be with an adult. Age limits apply only to the extras: War Eagle's Wild Cavern Tour is 13+, Bluff Dwellers' wild tour and Cosmic's blacklight tour are 12+.
- Can you go into Devil's Den caves?
- Call the park first: 479-761-3325. The park's page lists caverns among its features but doesn't say whether any cave is open to visitors in 2026, and we won't guess. Arkansas Game and Fish keeps caves on its own wildlife areas closed to protect bats from white-nose syndrome. The park's 1.5-mile Devil's Den Trail is also closed for repairs per its October 2026 notice.
- Which caves are open in winter?
- War Eagle Cavern closes December–February for its hibernating bats, and Blanchard Springs Caverns closes after October 2026 for renovations. The Old Spanish Treasure Cave's 2026 calendar runs through December (Fri–Mon from mid-November, closed Christmas). Bluff Dwellers is open Thu–Mon from November through February, and Cosmic Cavern posts daily hours. Onyx says it opens daily in December except Christmas, with hours that vary.
Dates, hours and prices are as each business posted them on October 9, 2026, and they change. Spot something out of date, or run one we missed? Tell us.
Nobody paid to be on this list. Inclusion is editorial.