Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Kickapoo Cavern State Park adventure.
Visit a real bat cave (sorry, no Bruce Wayne) at this beautiful park.
This unique state park includes 20 known caves and around 18 miles of wilderness trails.
Two caves are large enough to be significant to visitors. Stuart Bat Cave is aptly named for its nightly bat flight. Hang around until sunset. That's when hundreds of bats exit the cave and fly into the darkness looking for food.
These harmless creatures are Mexican free-tailed bats. They live in the cave from mid-March until October before migrating south for the winter.
The other cave is Kickapoo Cavern. It travels 1,400 feet underground, and the cave has some awesome rock formations. Tours happen every Saturday at 1 pm, so long as at least five people reserve their spot. A tour takes from two to three hours. That leaves plenty of time to get to Stuart Bat Cave by sunset.
This smallish park has five campsites with full hook-ups. Ten campsites have electricity and water. A group campsite accommodates up to 30 people.
The best time to visit Kickapoo Cavern State Park is from mid-March to October, aligning with bat season for a spectacular evening display. Summer offers warm exploration days, while winter brings cooler temperatures. Avoid closures by checking ahead, as the park is open from 8am Friday to 4:30pm on Monday and closed from Tuesday to Thursday.