Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto
Caving in North America's Rocky Mountains and the World
Newell Campbell’s 1912–1980 history of Montana caving is now a readable web page on nrmg.org, with both the original scan and a cleanly typeset new PDF edition embedded for download.
New project lead, a full week underground in August, and the best dataset this system has ever had. The 2026 BHHT survey season kicks off April 25–26 — sign-ups are open now.
After four years driving the Bighorn/Horsethief Survey Project forward, Will Boekel and the core team are handing off the lead to Mara Reed, an expert surveyor who’s ready to take the project to the next … More…
The Natural Trap Cave project—the Ice Age fossil excavation in the Bighorn Mountains led by Dr. Julie Meachen that several NRMG members have volunteered on for years—was featured prominently in Smithsonian Magazine’s June 2025 issue. … More…
After a long paperwork haul, the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto is now a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This has been quietly in the works for a while and we’re glad to finally say it out … More…
Hans Bodenhamer was featured in a December 2023 Flathead Beacon article recognizing his four decades of expertise and mentorship in Montana caving. The piece highlights his discovery and mapping of over 100 caves across Montana—including … More…
Adrian Ballard, Dustin Kisner, and Dylan Chambers are moving forward with a collaborative ceiling-lead survey effort in the Bighorn Mountains called Great Expectations. This is active exploration work — the kind of project that keeps … More…
Daryl Greaser’s work on the Cascade Caver newsletter and NRMG News design just won recognition at the NSS Graphic Arts Salon: two blue ribbons (merit awards) and three honorable mentions. Solid proof that good design … More…
The NRMG Annual Business Meeting came back to in-person on May 5-7 at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds in Helena — roughly 38 of us in a room together, which is the biggest gathering … More…
The grotto is trying something new: a Discord server for voice chat and screen sharing. Will Boekel has the invite details if you want to join and get plugged into the community.
The 2022 Horsethief season wrapped up strong. This year brought the project to a new level of maturity: 61 volunteers participated, clocking 1,580.75 hours in the cave (3,602.75 hours total for the project since its … More…
The 2023 Annual Business Meeting is locked in: May 5-7 at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds in Helena. After two years of Zoom and small venues, this is a full return. Mark your calendars … More…
Isaac Lass is leading a re-survey of Cave Creek in the Shirley Mountains of south-central Wyoming, August 27-28. The Shirley Mountains are gorgeous and totally underrated—perfect for camping and survey work. Isaac is organizing a … More…
Reilly Blackwell is heading to Tears of the Turtle in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and is looking for hiking companions. She’s flying into Kalispell and hiking in around July 31-August 1. If you’re interested in … More…
Rene Ohms is hosting a Cave Rescue orientation at Bethlehem Cave in South Dakota, July 30-31. This is a solid entry point if you want to learn the fundamentals of cave rescue without jumping into … More…
The numbers came in and they’re devastating. Azure Cave, Montana’s largest bat hibernaculum, hosted roughly 1,700 to 1,900 bats in a typical year. This May’s survey found 98 percent gone—just 40 bats remaining. Half of … More…
Julie Meachen from Drake University is coordinating the Natural Trap Cave paleontology field season in the Bighorns. This year’s dig runs July 11-22, with caving support from NRMG volunteers led by Juan Laden. If you’ve … More…
Will Boekel is calling together the crew for the spring Bighorn/Horsethief Survey Project push. If you want to be part of this year’s field work, let Will know you’re interested. Overview video of the Bighorn/Horsethief … More…
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is looking for a volunteer to give an informal summer presentation as part of their annual speaker series. The presentation will be a 45-minute talk on a caving-related topic … More…
The 2022 Small Grant window is open and the deadline is April 1. If you’ve got a caving project in mind — exploration, research, conservation, training — this is the fund that backs it. Christian … More…