Colorado Cave Survey
LaSunder Cave Administration


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General Information

LaSunder Cave is located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Deep Creek Canyon, northwest of Doterso, Colorado. Following negotiations between the Colorado Cave Survey (CCS) and the BLM, and after extensive inventory studies and assessments of the cave's sensitivity to visitation, portions of LaSunder Cave are now open to limited recreational visitation. Access to LaSunder is currently being administered by the Colorado Cave Survey under a the auspices of a Cooperative Management Agreement with the Bureau of Land Management.
Much of the applicable information is contained in appendices to the Management Plan, which are linked below. For a brief summary of how access to the cave is managed, please see the LaSunder Cave Trip Regulations and Requirements.

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Trip Regulations and Requirements

The following briefly describes most of the salient points of the LaSunder Cave Management Plan.
  1. A total of ten (10) trips are permitted to visit LaSunder each year.
  2. Two (2) trips per year are allotted to each of Colorado’s five NSS-approved Grottos.
  3. Trip size is restricted to three to five people.
  4. Trip leaders are selected by the Grottos by whatever means they deem appropriate, but one previous trip to the cave is required to lead trips to LaSunder Cave. CCS is then responsible for approving the Grotto-selected trip leaders. It is not expected that trip leaders need to be elected on an annual basis, but Grottos may handle that as they see fit. There are no maximum or minimum numbers of trip leaders for Grottos.
  5. Only two trips per month are allowed in the cave and only one trip per day.
  6. A permit to lead a trip must be requested from either the current Colorado Cave Survey Chair or the current LaSunder Access Contact.
  7. Approved trip leaders will be granted a permit and the key to the cave gate. After the trip is completed, the trip leader must return to the CCS: the key to the cave gate, the permit, Hazard and Stipulation forms signed by everyone on the trip, and a completed LaSunder Cave Monitoring Form.
  8. Only the front section (approximately 2500 feet) of the cave is open for recreational trips. Access to the back section, beyond the Tight Crawl at survey station C26, is restricted to BLM-approved research or work trips. Those interested in conducting research, restoration, or digging trips in LaSunder Cave should contact the CCS and BLM.

Please cave softly! Continued access to this Colorado gem depends on each one of us doing our best to minimize our impact on this irreplacible resource.

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LaSunder Cave Access Contacts, 2006

Please contact the following individuals for access to LaSunder Cave:
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LaSunder Cave Visitation, 2006-

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Appendices

Appendix A: LaSunder Cave Management Plan
LaSunder Cave is administered by the Bureau of Land Management; the objectives of the BLM management plan, and the goals for balancing the preservation of the cave while providing access to qualified cavers, are contained in the Management Plan.
You can download a copy of the full LaSunder Cave Access Management Plan here: (PDF file, 24 kb).


Appendix B: LaSunder Cave Guidelines for Cave Research
Scientific research in LaSunder Cave must be authorized by the Bureau of Land Management. Information on what research may be considered acceptable, and on how to submit a proposal for scientific research, is provided in the LaSunder Cave Guidelines for Cave Research, available here: (PDF file, 15 kb).


Appendix C: LaSunder Cave Guidelines for Cave Research
While LaSunder Cave may have the potential for additional exploration, the delicate nature of the cave dictates that any exploration must approached with extreme care. Consequently, the LaSunder Cave Management Plan mandates that all exploration and digging projects must be pre-coordinated with, and authorized by, the Bureau of Land Management.
Information on what acceptable, and on how to submit a proposal for an exploration project, is provided in the LaSunder Cave Guidelines for Cave Digging Projects, available here: (PDF file, 15 kb).


Appendix D: LaSunder Cave Hazard and Stipulation Acknowledgment Form
The Hazard and Stipulation Acknowledgment Form describes many (but not all) of the hazards whichi may be present in LaSunder Cave. A signed copy of this form must be completed and returned to the CCS by all visitors to the cave. Please download the form here: (PDF file, 49 kb).


Appendix E: LaSunder Cave Monitoring Form
The Colorado Cave Survey and the Bureau of Land Management are committed to the long-term preservation of LaSunder Cave; continual monitoring of the state of the cave provides a valuable tool which helps achieve this goal. To that end, the LaSunder Cave Monitoring Form must be completed and returned by all parties visiting LaSunder Cave.
Please download the form here: (PDF file, 25 kb).


Appendix G: LaSunder Cave Trip Permit
All trips to LaSunder Cave must file a trip permit.
Please download the permit form here: (PDF file, 18 kb).


Appendix H: LaSunder Cave Map
Includes locations of closed passages, etc. (PDF file, 135 kb).




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