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Howard's Waterfall Cave Preserve

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Howard's Waterfall Cave is a nice, easy horizontal cave for novice and experienced cavers alike. Re-mapping by members of the Dogwood City Grotto in 1987 doubled the length of the cave. The cave has been heavily visited for many decades, and has suffered abuse and vandalism, including spay paint on the walls and destruction of formations.

The cave achieved national notoriety on April 16, 1966 in what was known as the Howards Cave Disaster. Gasoline vapors from a leaking service station line accumulated in the cave and ignited while a group of Boy Scouts was visiting the cave Local caver Rusty Mills entered the cave to help evacuate the Scouts and was overcome by fumes. Rusty and two scout leaders died in the accident. Rustys Cave, located near Rising Fawn and now owned by the SCCi, was located but not entered by Rusty shortly before his death. The cave was named in his honor and a plaque was placed at the entrance.

Acreage: 1.25 acres in Dade County, Georgia
Property Manager: David Bain (howards@scci.org)
Access: Open. Use the Main Entrance only. The SCCi doesn't own the other entrances.

Commercial Use Statement
The Board of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. (SCCi) reaffirms its standing policy that bans the commercial use of our properties, and specifically, prohibits any activity where a charge of any type is made. Should you have any questions, contact the SCCi Chair at chair@scci.org .