Pinnacle Cave is a south Nevada Solutional fissure that has a 60ft free hanging drop with another 50-60ft of sloping stair step descent before reaching to the bottom. This cave is surrounded by limestone mountains and begs me to wonder if there are more systems in the area than just this cave.
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| Vertical entrance into Pinnacle Cave, Nevada |
Pinnacle Cave is surrounded by private property and other known mine claims which lends me to believe that this cave was spared from the scars that other mines leave after the abuse a claim can put through a cave.
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| Adam Haydock in a formation room in Pinnacle Cave, Nevada |
Once you reach the bottom of the system, you go through a couple of squeezes that must be approached feet first to avoid getting stuck, unlike some other videos and photos I have seen online. Once you get through the restrictions, you come to a formation room and continuing passage that apparently extended for over a 1000ft.
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| Pinnacle Cave, Nevada |
I have seen a map made in 1972 that reports the survey to be 980ft in length but I have also read that the cave can go for over a few thousand feet, we did not get to see the cave in its entirety, but Laura and I got to enjoy a piece of the cave and its balmy 65 degree temps which was quite the change from the 30's and 40's we were finding in the Utah caves.
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| Pinnacle Cave, Nevada |
There are two sets of bolts where people can rig from and the rock itself is quite solid but it will be beneficial to pad the rock were the rope lays to avoid rock abrasion and potentially creating a core shot in your rope or worse.
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| Pinnacle Cave, Nevada |
we enjoyed a good few hours in the cave and look forward to coming back in the near future to practice a bit in the entrance and to explore the cave a bit more to see where the system extends out into. I also want to do some ridge walking to see if there are any other caves in the area.
Pinnacle cave is near the Las Vegas area as I have found online, so this also has caused some concern with people visiting this cave without the proper training and equipment. Caving is different than canyoneering and climbing, so I highly recommend obtaining the proper gear and training before entering this cave.
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| Climbing out of Pinnacle Cave, Nevada |
A rescue in this cave could be a cumbersome activity due to the restrictions that would need to be dug out or otherwise "influenced", consequently causing considerable damage to the cave and requiring a lot of personal. Please practice safe caving practices and use the proper gear and techniques when visiting this cave.
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| Climbing out of Pinnacle Cave, Nevada |
For more information on visiting caves or safe caving practices, visit caves.org or join your local grotto. They will be more than happy to help you and you will not only have a better experience, but you will also be able to visit multiple caves in the region.
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| Climbing out of Pinnacle Cave, Nevada |
To
learn more about safe caving activities, caving in Nevada, or to learn
how you can get involved and visit caves like these, please reach out to
your local caving grotto, The Southern Nevada Grotto. If you have any
questions or you need help with reaching out to the right caving
organization, please reach out to me directly.
