Cave of the Winds (Colorado)

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Speleothems inside the cave

Cave of the Winds is a cave in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado. It is located just west of Colorado Springs on US Highway 24, near the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Tours of the complex of caves are given daily.

[edit] Silent Splendor

By far the most famous section of the Cave of the Winds is the Silent Splendor room. Discovered in 1984^[1], the room contains numerous rare crystalline speleothems. Unfortunately, the room must be sealed off from the general public in order to maintain its delicate environment.

[edit] Other attractions

Other lesser known attractions include a "bottomless pit," often the scene of practical jokes by the guides, and a one of a kind region referred to as "the rat."

[edit] In popular culture

The cave was a setting for "ManBearPig", a 2006 episode of the animated television series South Park. The main characters are trapped in the cave by a rockfall caused by Al Gore firing a SPAS-12 while trying to get ManBearPig. Fortunately, Al Gore was able to divert a local water course and flood the cave, thus ridding the world of the scourge of ManBearPig.