Massive Wyoming Cave Actually Spans Two States

Imagine something this big yet we have no idea that it's even there. It's right under our feet.

This cave is so big it actually travels from Wyoming to Montana. Yet for the longest time, humans did not know the actual extent of it.

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Let's go to the Bighorn Mountain Range. So much of the top of it has been explored. but we are just learning what is under.

The Bighorn rage actually does not have a fault line under it. That sounds counterintuitive.

In the book Rising From The Planes (non-fiction) the author John McPhee travels with a geologist across Wyoming.

The geologist explains that the Bighorns are like placing an Oriental rug on a hardwood floor.

Two people are on either side and they push their side of the rug toward the middle. Wrinkles pop up in the middle. That is how the Bighorns were formed, geologically speaking. 

The Bighorns are a long chain, stretching about 200 miles from central Wyoming and crossing the Montana border.

Around 70 miles from Montana, on the Wyoming side, is Horsethief Cave. Just like the name says, horse thieves used to hide out there and hide their horses there.

From the opening of the cave, there are about 20 miles of passages.

The cave itself is actually designated as an underground recreational trail.

There are obvious man-made structures in there showing that, a very long time ago, native people used the cave as shelter.

There are even shells and other signs of sea life from back when Wyoming was at the bottom of an ocean.

Yes, there is water flowing through parts of it, and even little waterfalls.

It's a good hike but it's best to have a guide if you plan to go deep. Not all of the hike is standing up. There are some narrow passages that must be done on the belly.

Enjoy this video of cave explorers hiking a good long section of tunnels under Wyoming & Montana. There is also a great site for camping, at the mouth of the cave.