Cheese Cave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cheese Cave |
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| Location | Trout Lake, WA |
| Length | 2,060 feet (628 m) |
| Discovery | 1894 |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Access | Public |
Cheese Cave is a cool underground tunnel in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, near Trout Lake, Washington. It's a special kind of cave called a lava tube. Imagine a long, mostly flat tunnel, about 2,060 feet long! Its ceiling is quite high, reaching up to 60 feet in some spots.
Contents
What is a Lava Tube?
A lava tube is like a natural tunnel formed by flowing lava during a volcanic eruption. When lava flows, the outside edges cool down and harden first, creating a crust. The hot, liquid lava inside keeps flowing, emptying out and leaving behind a hollow tunnel. That's how caves like Cheese Cave are made!
A Cave for Cheese!
Cheese Cave was first discovered in 1894 by a local person named Joseph Arnie. At first, people used the cave to store potatoes. Later, it became famous for something else: cheese!
A company called Guler Cheese Co. used the cave because it has a super steady temperature, always between 42°F and 44°F (about 5.5°C to 6.5°C). This cool, constant temperature was perfect for aging cheese, helping it get its best flavor. The cheese company isn't there anymore, but if you look closely inside, you can still see parts of the old wooden racks where the cheese used to sit.
Finding the Entrances
Cheese Cave has two main ways to get inside: a north entrance and a south entrance.
The North Entrance
The natural opening of the cave is near its north end. This part of the cave is on private land. There's even a building built over the sinkhole (a natural dip in the ground) that leads into the cave. From inside this private building, a steel staircase goes down to a small pile of rocks on the cave floor.
The South Entrance
The south entrance is also covered, but with a low, open structure. There's a dirt parking area nearby, making it easier for visitors to access. This opening was made by people, and it has a ladder that goes down to a pile of debris. You can walk down this pile to reach a flat, clear floor made of cinders (small, dark volcanic rocks). Most of the main part of the cave is clear and easy to walk through, with just a few piles of fallen rocks here and there.
Images for kids
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Old wooden racks inside Cheese Cave, once used for aging cheese.
