Caves of New Hampshire



Google for caves in New Hampshire and your initial results are going to revolve around just two places - Polar Caves and Lost River. Each are a fun way to spend a day - especially if you have young children who like to climb and explore - but search a little longer and you'll find that New Hampshire has many "wild" caves in addition to this pair of commercial ones. Of course, we are the Granite State so none of these will compare to the long and winding limestone caves you will find from New York to the south, but there are still a great many boulder or talus caves if you're willing to spend some time searching.


Sugar Hill

Carbonneau Cave

Catamount Hill

Devil's Den - Barrington

Royal Arch

Devil's Den - Epsom

Devil's Den - Pawtuckaway

Raymond Oven

Beryl Mountain

Devil's Den - Ashland

MBDATHS

Raymond Cliff

Devil's Step Cave

Devil's Den - Sanbornton

Moose Mountain

Pete's Oven

Pike's Ledge Overhang

Devil's Den - New Durham

Rattlesnake Hill Cave

Green Mtn Double Tunnel

Green Mtn Ice Cave

Bear Hanson Cave

Mt. Cilley Ice Cave


Wildcat Den
Big Rock Cave #1

Big Rock Cave #2
Jerry's Hill Cave
Swamp Thing Cave

5 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 7, 2023 at 6:59 PM

    I've been trying to locate the entrance to devils den in Barrington with no luck. Any pointers? Please...

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2025 at 7:40 AM

    The entrance is near the large stones, in the ground behind the trees.

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  3. AnonymousAugust 22, 2025 at 7:18 PM

    Do you know about Peter's Oven in Lee? Coll story goes with it....

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    Replies
    1. Dave RondinoneAugust 24, 2025 at 1:08 PM

      I know of the cave, and found it after several attempts, but I'm not sure I know the story..

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    2. Samuel Joseph von Ruoff LundNovember 12, 2025 at 8:54 PM

      Hello Dave,

      I’ve been studying your extensive documentation of New Hampshire’s caves and wanted to reach out regarding a specific aspect of my ongoing research. I’m examining the continuity of human presence throughout the region, particularly as it relates to the long Abenaki lineage and its deep time roots in these landscapes.

      Multiple stratified sites across New Hampshire confirm human activity extending back well over 5,000 years — including the Merrymeeting Bay shell middens, the Swanzey and Hinsdale river terraces, and deeply buried artifacts from the Colebrook and Jefferson Notch valleys that date to the Middle and Late Archaic periods (ca. 2500–5000 BCE). Projectile point typologies such as Neville, Stark, and Merrimack phases, as well as continuous toolstone procurement from the Saco and Connecticut valleys, all attest to an enduring cultural presence through changing climates and ecologies.

      Given your detailed exploration of New Hampshire’s subterranean environments, I’m curious whether you’ve ever encountered any cave art, petroglyphs, incised markings, or unusual pigment traces—particularly in shelters or talus caves—that appear cultural in nature but may not have been formally documented or analyzed. Even minor observations could help refine this picture of unbroken human habitation and landscape use.

      Your work mapping these caves is invaluable to reconstructing that deeper continuum. I’d greatly appreciate any insight you might have.

      Warm regards,
      Samuel Joseph von Ruoff Lund

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