Cave of the Winds Mountain Park — Attraction in Four Corners States

I recently got to go on the discovery tour at Cave of the Winds and I was so excited to learn more about the topic that my niece had chosen to write her recent school paper on.

Although I do want to share the parts of this experience I liked, I first want to share the uncomfortable event that happened during the tour.

At the beginning of the tour, the tour guide who had about 10 months tenor explained that they will be taking photos of us at the beginning of the tour and to smile big because if we go missing in the cave, that will be the picture they put in the newspaper. Which is a cute a joke. However, this other tour member who was an older man turned to my niece (age 8) and repeated the joke in more of a commanding manner. My niece was quick to scowl in displeasure to this audacity and agreed to a plan where we would all stick our tongues out in the photo they took of us.

After we had been on the tour for some time, this same man often was right behind me when we went single file through the smaller and darker parts of the cave. Finally, when we were about to climb a steep stairwell with not a lot of personal space, the tour guide explained that there was one part of the cave that has been made for us to touch without worry of damaging the environment with our hands. When I touched the cave the older man from earlier was right behind and me said close to my ear "bad girl, you get three lashes" and then proceeded to assault my back with his hand.

I'm not going to share more about my response to this unwanted touch or anything I could have done in reaction to this inappropriate behavior. Or acknowledge any discussion on this part of the story. Instead, I'll focus elsewhere in the hopes of progress and change.

My hypothesis is that I am not the only one to experience this sort of behavior on a discovery tour at Cave of the Winds and I wonder if the staff would have any support, resources or information on what they would encourage future guests to do if they are put in this same situation that I experienced.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable and all other staff interactions were very friendly and helpful. I felt prepared after reading the website before our visit. Would definitely return if I felt I could have more protection in such a situation that I...

I cannot begin to describe how terrifying and unprofessional my experience was at Cave of the Winds during the Haunted Lantern Tour.

At the end of our tour, a group ahead of us stopped briefly to take a photo in a narrow passageway. Instead of waiting, our guide Lance L. kept walking and left eight of us completely stranded in the cave. When we tried to catch up, we discovered the rest of the group was gone. We yelled for help, searched stairwells and passageways, and desperately looked for emergency phones—none to be found. Panic set in as the reality hit: we were lost in a cave with no idea how to get out.

Eventually, Lance came back, but rather than showing concern, he acted inconvenienced. As we tried to follow him through the tight passageways, he rushed ahead at an unsafe pace. When I asked him to slow down, shaken after what we’d just been through, his response was, “What do you want me to do, shuffle?” When I reminded him that he was responsible for leaving eight guests behind, he screamed back, “That wasn’t my fault.” His arrogance, callousness, and hostility in a moment where basic empathy and professionalism were required was staggering.

By the time we got out, I was in tears and had a panic attack in the car. Hours later, I am still shaken and upset. My husband had to speak with his supervisor, Kyle, who at least listened, but Lance showed no remorse except for being caught. We were refunded, but no refund could ever make up for the sheer terror of being abandoned in a cave.

This was not just a “bad tour guide.” This was dangerous. Lance demonstrated a complete disregard for guest safety, responsibility, and basic human decency. The Cave of the Winds needs to seriously reconsider who they allow to lead groups underground.

This was, without exaggeration, the worst and most horrifying experience of my entire life. I will never set foot in a cave again, and I strongly urge others to think twice before trusting this company with...

We came as a family of 4 for the Haunted Lantern Tour. On our way up the winding roads to get to the parking lot, my 15 year old had a negative response to the altitude and got a MAJOR nosebleed. My husband went to go check in and let them know we we were here, just needing to make sure our daughter was taken care of and to see if she was good to continue with the tour. Our tour guide, Aaron, immediately jumped into action to make a plan for my daughter to ensure she could continue with the tour comfortably and at HER speed, if she chose to move forward. We got her nosebleed under control and she wanted to move forward with the tour, so we did. And we were all soooo glad that we did. Aaron turned what could have been my daughter's lowest point of our vacation, into her FAVORITE part of the vacation. After 5 days on Colorado, this tour was her favorite part. Because of Aaron! He was amazing, making sure she never felt singled out or like she was being babied. He let her walk at the front, making jokes about how she was his VIP so it made her feel special and cool rather than self conscious. He took frequent breaks for her benefit, without her needing to ask, making her feel more comfortable and again, less self conscious. He kept everyone entertained and fully engaged, from the oldest in the group all the way down to my youngest, who was my 11 year old daughter. He gave each individual person on the tour their own 1 on 1 interactive moment, bringing the experience to life even more for each of us in the group. He remembered our names or where we were from to help incorporate some of that into the tales along the tour. He was funny, caring, comforting, compassionate, and yet terrifying all in the exact right moments. Our tour was perfect for everyone, full of spooky moments and lots of laughs. But Aaron turned this experience into something else entirely, in all positive ways. Cave of the Winds was magnificent, but Aaron leaves...