Alabaster Caverns State Park (original) (raw)

Northwest Oklahoma

The Oklahoma landmark of Alabaster Caverns is truly a location unlike anywhere else in the world. Located just south of the town of Freedom, these caverns, which formed about 20,000 years ago, are home to the largest natural gypsum cave in the world that’s open to the public. The gypsum, which is found mostly in the form of alabaster, can be found in the pink, white, and extremely rare black variety. Black alabaster only exists in three veins in the world, one each in Oklahoma, Italy and China.

The first documented exploration of the caves occurred in 1898. Public tours began in the early 1900s and became even more expansive with the 1939 purchase and renovation of the caverns by Charles Grass, who gave them their current name. The land was reclassified as a state park in 1956, three years after the state of Oklahoma purchased the area from Grass for $34,000.

When visiting Alabaster Caverns, be on the lookout for several different varieties of bats: Cave Myotis, Western Big-eared Bat, Eastern Pipistrelle, Western Big Brown Bat and the Mexican Free-tailed Bat, the latter of which migrates to the caverns from Mexico to bear their young, returning to their homeland in the fall. The caves serve as both a daytime shelter and a location for non-migrating bats to hibernate during the winter.

Daily cave tours are conducted on the hour between 9am and 4pm. Spelunking is a popular Alabaster Caverns activity, and hiking trails, recreational facilities and space for camping is also available to visitors.