Fort Stanton Cave

Hidden beneath the hills surrounding Fort Stanton is a cave system home to a winding underground “river” made entirely of white calcite.

What to Do

The enormous underground system has more than 56 miles of mapped passages. As of 2026, Fort Stanton Cave is the seventh-longest cave in the United States and the second-longest in New Mexico, behind Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Its most famous feature is a brilliant white formation called the Snowy River, a winding, 13-mile passage lined with bright white calcite, giving it the appearance of a frozen river flowing through the cave. The calcite formed as mineral-rich groundwater repeatedly flooded the cave, leaving behind thin layers that built up over time. Although Fort Stanton Cave had been known for generations, the Snowy River section wasn’t discovered until 2001, when exploration revealed previously unknown passages deep within the system.

Snowy River itself is not open to the general public. Access to the cave is limited to approved scientific, educational, exploration, and conservation work, to protect its fragile formations, unusual microorganisms, and bat populations. What you can do is explore the landscape above it: the Fort Stanton–Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area protects 25,000 acres surrounding the cave and includes hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and camping.

How Much Time to Spend

If you’re just visiting the conservation area’s trails, an hour or two is plenty. Combine it with a stop at the nearby Fort Stanton Historic Site and you can fill half a day.

Getting There

The conservation area surrounds Fort Stanton, reached via paved roads off US-380 between Lincoln and Capitan. The cave entrances themselves are gated and not signed for public access, this is a surface-level visit.

Even without setting foot underground, the Fort Stanton–Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area is worth a stop if you’re already exploring the Fort Stanton Historic Site nearby!