Entry Points:
About Paris Ice Cave
At 8000 feet, in the mountains west of Bear Lake Valley, lies a meadow named Paris Flat. In the spring, the runoff from melting snow drains into a sink, where Paris Ice Cave has formed. Sinks like this are common in this mountain range. The gray limestone, where these sinks form, appears to dissolve and collapse easily and may encourage their formation.
Paris Ice Cave opens into a modest cliff on the northern slope of the mountain at the top of Paris Canyon. A short passage leads to a fifty-foot-deep chamber, which is open to the sky because of the collapse of the ceiling. A passage leads from there to an inner chamber which has a shaft at one end which is open to the sky, about 100 feet above. A crawlway also continues from there, beyond where we were prepared to venture.
Above the cave, the ground is broken by cracks and pits that have been eroded by water draining down into the cave.
Street Index
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Paris Ice Cave Trail |