Field trips
Education Programs for Pre-School through 12th Grade
Why bring your classroom to Cave of the Winds?
Explore and experience adventure and education! Our cave tours and activities provide a few hours or a full day for your students from pre-school to twelfth grade.
Watch our bat video
Whether you have a kindergartner who is learning basic facts about bats and panning for gold, or a high schooler who is interested in getting muddy and crawling through caves, we have something that will get every kid excited about learning.
Grades Pre-K – 1
Intro to Bats and Caves
Introduce your preschoolers and early elementary school-aged kids to an exciting and age appropriate cave curriculum, full of hands-on learning. Watch your kiddos come alive with excitement as they learn about bats and explore the perfect caves for their age group!
- Bat presentation
- Geology lab in our underground laboratory
- Age-appropriate tour of the cave, inside Temple Mountain!
- Tools for teachers
Tour Pricing: March–May & September–October
Students | $8.00 (tour only) |
Chaperone | $15.00 (tour only) |
Gemstone Panning | $3.00 per student |
*Please note: Groups of fewer than 15 will pay a flat fee of $127.00 (tour only). One teacher or chaperone free with every 15 paid students (tour only).
Tour Pricing: November–February
Students | $6.00 (tour only) |
Chaperone | $13.00 (tour only) |
Gemstone Panning | $3.00 per student |
*Please note: Groups of fewer than 15 will pay a flat fee of $97.00 (tour only)
Call or email us to book your field trip reservation or just to just check our availability!
Phone: 719-685-5444, option 5
Email: info@caveofthewinds.com
Available Add-Ons
Make your field trip to Cave of the Winds Mountain Park more educational and more memorable when you add-on our special activities to keep your students busy and learning!
Gemstone panning: $3 per person
Just like miners used to pan for gold during the gold rush, your students will pan for their very own gemstone collection at our Sluice. Everyone is guaranteed to find some! Each student will receive a souvenir bag to take their collection home in. Gemstone Panning is only available March – October due to colder temperatures.
Free Add-Ons
These FREE add-ons are included upon request or with groups of 100 or more! Please add approximately 20 minutes for each add-on.
Cave Creatures Presentation
Learn about other creatures who live in and adapt to living in caves, as well as the different cave zones.
Caver’s Crawl
After learning some of the skills that are required for a caving adventure, students will have a hands-on simulated caving experience in the Caver’s Crawl Box Challenge.
Forces of Nature Program
This program will focus on the Waldo Canyon fire, flash floods, lightning and their effects on nature.
Manitou Fossils Presentation
Learn about the ancient creatures that once lived in the Manitou area, and how to look for the evidence they left behind! See our real limestone fossil examples, and get hands-on with our fossil bed demonstration.
Grades 2-4
Intermediate Bats & Caves
Spark your elementary schoolers’ love of learning by teaching them about caves and the animals who live in them. Continue to build their knowledge and love of Colorado caves with an age-appropriate curriculum guaranteed to get them excited about an undiscovered world hiding right under their feet!
- Bat presentation
- Geology lab in our underground laboratory
- Age-appropriate tour of the cave, inside Temple Mountain!
- Tools for teachers
Tour Pricing: March–May & September–October
Students | $9.00 (tour only) |
Chaperone | $15.00 (tour only) |
Gemstone Panning | $3.00 per student |
*Please note: Additional Children 0-5 years old: $8.00 (tour only).
Groups of fewer than 15 will pay a flat fee of $141.00 (tour only). One teacher or chaperone free with every 15 paid students (tour only).
Tour Pricing: November–February
Students | $7.00 (tour only) |
Chaperone | $13.00 (tour only) |
Gemstone Panning | $3.00 per student |
*Please note: Additional Children 0-5 years old: $6.00.
Groups of fewer than 15 will pay a flat fee of $111.00 (tour only)
Call or email us to book your field trip reservation or just to just check our availability!
Phone: 719-685-5444, option 5
Email: info@caveofthewinds.com
Available Add-Ons
Make your field trip to Cave of the Winds Mountain Park more educational and more memorable when you add-on our special activities to keep your students busy and learning!
Gemstone panning: $3 per person
(Available Weather Permitting): Just like miners used to pan for gold during the gold rush, your students will pan for their very own gemstone collection at our Sluice. Everyone is guaranteed to find some! Each student will receive a souvenir bag to take their collection home in.
Free Add-Ons
These FREE add-ons are included upon request or with groups of 100 or more! Please add approximately 20 minutes for each add-on.
Cave Creatures Presentation
Learn about other creatures who live in and adapt to living in caves, as well as the different cave zones.
Caver’s Crawl
After learning some of the skills that are required for a caving adventure, students will have a hands-on simulated caving experience in the Caver’s Crawl Box Challenge.
Forces of Nature Program
This program will focus on the Waldo Canyon fire, flash floods, lightning and their effects on nature.
Manitou Fossils Presentation
Learn about the ancient creatures that once lived in the Manitou area, how to look for the evidence they left behind, and see our real limestone fossil examples.
Grades 5-8
Geo 101: Underground Adventures
This field trip is designed to challenge middle school students and features an extended cave tour and a geology lab presentation. Students will learn about Colorado geology in our cave classroom before investigating cave formations during a tour of Cave of the Winds, with a special extension into the unimproved Manitou Grands section. Students will discuss the differences between the two systems, while taking temperature and humidity data throughout.
Students will need to bring a flashlight for the highlight of the program in the Manitou Grand Caverns, the location of some of the most active passages of the cave. Expect clothing to get slightly dirty.
- Geology lab in our underground laboratory
- Age-appropriate tour of the cave, inside Temple Mountain!
- Tools for teachers
Tour Pricing: March–May & September–October
Students | $10.00 (tour only) |
Chaperone | $15.00 (tour only) |
Gemstone Panning | $3.00 per student |
*Please note: Children under 6 years of age may not accompany this group.
Groups of fewer than 15 will pay a flat fee of $155.00 (tour only). One teacher or chaperone free with every 15 paid students (tour only).
Tour Pricing: November–February
Students | $8.00 (tour only) |
Chaperone | $13.00 (tour only) |
Gemstone Panning | $3.00 per student |
*Please note: Children under 6 years of age may not accompany this group.
Groups of fewer than 15 will pay a flat fee of $125.00 (tour only). One teacher or chaperone free with every 15 paid students (tour only).
Call or email us to book your field trip reservation or just to just check our availability!
Phone: 719-685-5444, option 5
Email: info@caveofthewinds.com
Available Add-Ons
Make your field trip to Cave of the Winds Mountain Park more educational and more memorable when you add-on our special activities to keep your students busy and learning!
Gemstone panning: $3 per person
(Available Weather Permitting): Just like miners used to pan for gold during the gold rush, your students will pan for their very own gemstone collection at our Sluice. Everyone is guaranteed to find some! Each student will receive a souvenir bag to take their collection home in.
Above Ground Activities: $10 per person
For a fantastic team building class activity, your students can test their endurance on the Wind Walker Challenge Course and fly like a bat on the Bat-a-Pult Zip Line. (All participants must be at least 48″ tall, weigh less than 300 lbs, and securely fit the harness to ride.) Available March – October only, weather permitting.
Free Add-Ons
These FREE add-ons are included upon request or with groups of 100 or more! Please add approximately 20 minutes for each add-on.
Caver’s Crawl
After learning some of the skills that are required for a caving adventure, students will have a hands-on simulated caving experience in the Caver’s Crawl Box Challenge.
Forces of Nature Program
This program will focus on the Waldo Canyon fire, flash floods, lightning and their effects on nature.
Manitou Fossils Presentation
Learn about the ancient creatures that once lived in the Manitou area, and how to look for the evidence they left behind in our caves!
Grades 9-12
Caving 101: Introduction to Caving
Take your high school students or youth group on an exciting caving trek! Students will explore undeveloped sections of the Manitou Grand Caverns, while climbing and crawling through passageways lit only by your headlamps. Knowledgeable guides provide groups with 2 hours of good clean, yet muddy fun underground! High-schoolers can expect an exciting adventure that will culminate in a deeper knowledge about the Colorado cavern system. Caving 101: Introduction to Caving is a tour that teaches teens about the wonders beneath their feet, building upon what they have learned in their earlier education in a fun and accessible way.
All participants must bring gloves, a headlamp, a change of clothes, and an extra pair of shoes. Pants and long sleeve shirts required. Crawling is required and the cave is often muddy. The cave is 54 degrees year round.
- An immersive 2-hour underground trek, the Caving 101: Introduction to Caving tour promises both education and excitement for your high school group
- Explore undeveloped sections of the Manitou Grand Caverns Climb and crawl through passageways by headlamp.
- Knowledgeable guides provide groups with 2 hours of adventure underground!
- All participants must bring a headlamp, a pair of gloves, a change of clothes, and extra pair of shoes. Pants and long sleeve shirts required. Please wear clothing you won’t mind getting dirty and possibly ruined by the mud. An area will be available to change and clean up after your tour.
- The cave is 54 degrees year round with possibly humid areas so students will need to dress with this in mind.
- Tools for teachers
Tour Pricing: March–May & September–October
Students | $27.00 (tour only) |
Chaperone | $27.00 (tour only) |
Gemstone Panning | $3.00 per student |
*Please note: Groups of fewer than 15 will pay a flat fee of $405.00 (tour only). One teacher or chaperone free with every 15 paid students (tour only).
Participants: must be 9th – 12th graders
Tour Pricing: November–February
Students | $20.00 (tour only) |
Chaperone | $20.00 (tour only) |
Gemstone Panning | $3.00 per student |
*Please note: Groups of fewer than 15 will pay a flat fee of $300.00 (tour only).
Availability: This tour is available daily and can accommodate a maximum of 40 participants
Call or email us to book your field trip reservation or just to just check our availability!
Phone: 719-685-5444, option 5
Email: info@caveofthewinds.com
Available Add-Ons
Make your field trip to Cave of the Winds Mountain Park more educational and more memorable when you add-on our special activities to keep your students busy and learning!
Gemstone panning: $3 per person
Just like miners used to pan for gold during the gold rush, your students will pan for their very own gemstone collection at our Sluice. Everyone is guaranteed to find some! Each student will receive a souvenir bag to take their collection home in. Gemstone Panning is only available March – October due to colder temperatures.
Above Ground Activities: $10 per person
For a fantastic team building class activity, your students can test their endurance on the Wind Walker Challenge Course and fly like a bat on the Bat-a-Pult Zip Line. (All participants must be at least 48″ tall, weigh less than 300 lbs, and securely fit the harness to ride.) Available March – October only, weather permitting.
attraction add-on
Wind Walker Challenge Course & Bat-a-Pult
(Available Weather Permitting): For a fantastic team building class activity, your students can test their endurance on the Wind Walker Challenge Course and fly like a bat on the Bat-a-Pult Zip Line. (All participants must be at least 48″ tall, weigh less than 300 lbs, and securely fit the harness to ride.)
- $10.00 per person
attraction add-on
Pioneer Package
(Available Weather Permitting): The Pioneer Package includes the Wind Walker Challenge Course, Bat-a-Pult Zip Line, Cliff Hanger Climbing Wall, and Geronimo’s Leap (All participants must be at least 48″ tall, weigh less than 300 lbs, and securely fit the harness to ride).
- $15.00 per person
Field Trip FAQs
We can accommodate up to 45 people in your group for the tour only, however, up to 90 can be accommodated when you add on additional activities.
Yes, depending on the tour you are taking. When you book up to 200 Students you will choose from our list of popular add-ons. Add-ons help keep students learning and help us accommodate larger groups.
Yes! Check out our Tools for Teachers for student worksheets and other useful field trip information. Also take a look at our Learning Center for more information about cave geology, ecology and history.