Blanchard Springs Caverns will close for the winter.
Monday will be the last day that tours will be offered for the 2023 recreation season, according to a news release from Mary Wood, public affairs officer for the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests.
"There are still tours available for the remaining season, but book soon!" according to the release. Tickets must be pre-purchased at www.recreation.gov.
Blanchard Springs Caverns is a "magnificent limestone cave system" starting more than 200 feet underground in the Sylamore Ranger District of the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, 15 miles northwest of Mountain View, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
The Blanchard Springs Caverns Visitor Information Center is located between Mountain View and Fifty-Six.
The upper loop campground within the recreation area will also be closing for the winter, but the day-use area, pavilions and group campsites will remain open.
"The seasonal closure plan balances financial and staffing considerations, along with visitor and staff safety," according to the release. "Most visitor use takes place from March through October, with peak season occurring in the summer months. Visitation historically drops beginning in late fall and steadily declines into the winter months.
"The seasonal closure will provide an opportunity for staff to focus on addressing ongoing maintenance needs, supporting district management objectives, and maintaining other recreation areas including Blanchard Springs Campground and the adjacent day use area."
Blanchard Springs Caverns is expected to reopen March 1. Reservations will be made available prior to the reopening date and will be announced in advance.
Blanchard Springs Caverns also closed for last winter. It was closed from 2020 until August 2022 for facility repairs and because of the pandemic.
Caroling at the Caverns will be held Friday and Saturday night at 6 p.m. This year, the performances will be in the amphitheater above ground instead of in the Cathedral Room under ground.
That was a compromise reached with the Osage Nation, which considers Blanchard Springs Caverns a sacred site.
Pam Setser of Mountain View, musical director for Caroling at the Caverns, said the $25 tickets this year will cover the cost of a caroling in the auditorium performance and a tour of the Dripstone Trail in the cavern. She said the trail tours start at either 4 p.m. or 4:20 p.m.
Setser said the performances were cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic and Caroling in the Caverns hasn't been held since. From 2001 through 2019, Caroling in the Caverns was held in the Cathedral Room, which is more than 1,000 feet long and includes a stone column more than six stories tall.
Setser said the name was changed slightly this year to reflect that the caroling will take place at the caverns and not in the caverns.
Setser said tickets for Caroling at the Caverns can be purchased at the cave, from the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce at (870) 269-8068 or online at mountainviewarkansas.com.