Plan A Field Trip

Field trips at Timpanogos Cave National Monument are offered to 4th-12th grade classes. Ranger-led tours of Timpanogos Cave connect classrooms with the real world, deepening your student’s understanding of geology, ecology, and Utah’s natural history. To learn if a field trip is right for your class, please review the information below.

 

NPS E. Hedrick

Field Trip Information

Ranger-led cave tours are offered in May and August-October, weather permitting. Reduced rates are available for schools when applying with an Academic Fee Waiver. Applications for the 2026 season are currently open.

The only access to the cave system is by walking a strenuous 1 1/2 -mile-paved trail, which rises 1,092 feet. Students must be prepared to hike a total of 3 ½ miles on this trip. Each group will tour Timpanogos Cave for 55-minutes before hiking back down. Both the cave and trail offer unique opportunities to create meaningful connections with classroom curriculum and learning goals.

Group Size

Our Fee Waiver program allows up to 2 days of 4 cave tours, 72 people per day, including students and chaperones. We require a minimum of 2 chaperones per tour. Students and chaperones are required to read and agree to our code of conduct to protect the health and safety of both students and the park’s natural resources.

Schedule

Plan for a 4 ½ -5 hour day. Due to staffing and tour logistics, we cannot adjust tour times or schedules to accommodate bus departure times. If this timing is unrealistic for your school, consider reducing the number of tours or trying our teacher-led field trip option.

A sample field trip itinerary is below:

Arrive	9:00
Safety Briefing/Trail Prep	9:00-9:15
Groups Start Hiking	9:15, 9:30, 9:45, 10:00
Groups Start Cave Tours	10:45, 11:00, 11:15, 11:30
Groups Start Hiking Down	11:45, 12:00, 12:15, 12:30
Leave	1:45

Ranger Presentation Requirement

To foster an enriching educational experience, we require that you also schedule a ranger-led classroom presentation before and after your field trip. This includes a 55-minute in-class pre-visit and a 15-minute virtual post-visit. The rangers will prepare students for the field trip, provide a space for questions, and connect the trip with their class curriculum. You will schedule these visits once your field trip application is accepted. If you are interested in a classroom visit without a field trip, please visit our classroom visit page.

Park Logistics

• Restrooms: Restrooms are available at the Visitor Center and at the cave entrance.

• Cave Trail: The 1-1/2 mile trail to the caves is strenuous, with a vertical elevation gain of 1,092 feet. For everyone's safety, pets and wheeled vehicles (including baby strollers) are not allowed on the trail. The visitor center and picnic areas are wheelchair accessible.

• Picnicking & Lunch: There are picnic tables at the River View and Swinging Bridge Picnic areas. Students may eat on the trail, but no food or drinks are allowed inside the cave system.

• Parking/Buses: There is designated bus parking near the Visitor Center. If taking private vehicles, try to carpool to guarantee parking availability.

• Bus Scheduling: We cannot adjust tour times or lengths to accommodate bus schedules. You must determine if this field trip fits within your school’s bus schedule.

• Visitor Center: Students may enter the Visitor Center when under the supervision of a chaperone. Educational exhibits are available for students to explore. Teachers receive a 10% discount on book sales at the Western National Parks bookstore.

Academic Fee Waiver

Applications for 2026 field trips are open now. Schools are eligible for up to 2 days of fee-waived tours, with a maximum of 72 people per day. If the number of participants exceed 72, payment by credit or debit card is required upon arrival. Pre-payment can be arranged, but refunds will not be issued.

Academic fee waivers are not granted on holidays or on weekends. A fee waiver may be revoked and a bill of collection sent to your school if your group behaves inappropriately, or if the group's activities indicate that the primary purpose of the field trip was recreational rather than educational in nature.

How to Apply

Download a Fee Waiver Application and fill out sections 1, 2, and 5. Once filled out, email the completed form to our Education Division. Applications for the following calendar year will open on November 1.

Contact Us

For questions or comments about the fee waiver program please contact our Education Division.