Sandy Glacier Caves

Sandy Glacier Caves
Location Oregon, USA
Length >1 mile
Geology cavern in glacial ice
Difficulty Difficult
Access Public

The Sandy Glacier Caves are a system of glacier caves within the ice of Sandy Glacier on Mount Hood, Oregon. They are thought to be the largest glacier caves in the lower 48 states of the U.S.A. Surveys done in 2011 and 2012 have measured the system at over 1 mile in length. The caves formed from internal glacial melting. As melting continues, the caves grow larger with entrances to the caves receding up the glacier's slope. Eventually it is predicted the caves will be completely gone within 7 to 10 years once the interior melting has reached the surface of the glacier.

During early summer, all three surveyed caves within the glacier are connected through perennial ice and are called the Snow Dragon Glacier Cave System. By late summer, the perennial ice melts away leaving only the disconnected glacier caves that have been individually named Snow Dragon, Pure Imagination, and Frozen Minotaur Caves. In 2013, a fourth glacier cave was discovered on the Sandy Glacier, but so far it has not been explored.

An aerial view of the collapsed "Snow Dragon" and the nearby "Pure Imagination" ice caves taken August 29, 2016.

Exploration

The caves were first brought to the attention of Brent McGregor and Eddy Cartaya, both members of the Oregon High Desert Grotto, when a video was posted on YouTube showing individuals at the entrance to a new glacier cave.[1] Being ill-equipped, no exploration was done until McGregor and Cartaya explored the cave shortly thereafter, and then returning to survey the cave which they coined Snow Dragon. Return trips led to the discovery of Pure Imagination Cave and then Frozen Minotaur. In 2012, the Oregon High Desert Grotto and other NSS members surveyed the entire system. In 2013, after numerous trips to the cave, OPB's Oregon Field Guide lead their most complex shoot to document the caves being studied by the grotto and scientists.

References

  1. ↑ Unknown (2013-10-02), "Mountaineer's explorations documented", The Nugget, pp. 1, 25

Coordinates: 45°23′06″N 121°43′05″W / 45.385°N 121.718°W / 45.385; -121.718

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