During the 2025 Spring VAR, we visited Hamilton Cave, which is part of the NSS’s John Guilday Caves Nature Preserve (3 adjacent caves: Trout, New Trout, and Hamilton). The group included Stefan, Taylor, Piotr, Cat, Jacob, Jillian, Jake, Melissa, and I. The cave is located in Pendleton County, West Virginia.

Hamilton has a maze-like structure once you pass the initial entrance crawl. It is well-known for the diverse collection of fossils, which include Pleistocene-era saber-toothed cats, jaguars, and vampire bats.

Originally, we wanted to make it to the Airblower room, which is a 25 foot long tube/squeeze. However, admiring the vast quantity of embedded fossils along the way took up most of our time in the cave. Most of the maze portion is standing room with very few crawls. I believe we were close to the New Room before deciding to return. A sample of fossils we saw on this trip are included below. 

To exit, you must navigate the mazy section. It is a complex area so we got a bit lost. A good tip if you get lost in Hamilton is to choose larger passages and to go uphill in order to reach the cave entrance. I learned afterwards from a separate group, that you can place poker chips in strategic spots to mark your way back. Of course, you take the chips with you on the way out.