Go Underground To Explore Newest State Park in Pennsylvania

If you haven't already heard, Pennsylvania has a new state park, and it's worth a weekend getaway from the Philadelphia area.

Laurel Caverns State Park in Farmington, Fayette County, was unveiled on Monday, April 6, as the state's first underground state park. The park features four miles of underground passages and over 400 surrounding acres above the ground. It is adjacent to thousands of acres of Forbes State Forest and State Game Lands 138, and it's close to Laurel Highlands attractions such as Ohiopyle and Nemacolin.

Laurel Caverns is the centerpiece of the park, touted as the largest and deepest limestone cave in the state. Its depths reach about 476 feet, and the caverns are home to the Northeast's largest bat shelter.

Public access includes guided cave tours for a fee, while the aboveground trails are free.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro emphasized outdoor recreation as beneficial for physical and mental health and as an economic driver for the state, noting the outdoor sector generated more than $20 billion in 2024.

"I think it's also important in these times of great division to come together and not pay so much attention to who you voted for, but pay attention to the terrain you get to walk together, the beautiful waterfalls, in this case, these underground caves," Shapiro said in a statement shared with CBS News Pittsburgh. "All of a sudden, when you're doing that with folks, those differences sort of blend away, and instead you find our common humanity. You find that common decency. You find that commonality that brings people together."

Before becoming Pennsylvania's 125th state park, the caverns were privately owned and managed by the Cale family. Although the caverns have been closed to protect bats that hibernate there over the winter, they will reopen to the public on April 22. 

Shapiro said he anticipates 50,000 people to visit the park each year.