Jack Packers Preserve

JACK PACKERS PRESERVE

Jack Packers Cave is a horizontal cave located in Catskill, New York, and is the only NCC preserve in Greene County. The cave has over 1,100 feet of passage with two entrances. The larger entrance is at the south end of the cave with the much smaller entrance at the north end. The dimensions of the main passage of the cave is mostly low enough to require crawling and gets generally smaller to the north.

Jack Packers does not require special permission or a release form for caving trips for regular users.

For more information about the cave and instructions on how to visit the preserve, please contact the preserve manager at jack_packers@necaveconservancy.org

Special use groups such as summer camps, church groups, scouts, and school groups are asked to contact the NCC special use coordinators to schedule trips into the cave.

  • Minimum group size is 3. No groups of more than 6 individuals shall be allowed in the cave except by special written permission of the preserve manager..
  • All persons entering the cave must have at least the following minimum equipment: helmet with a chin strap; and three (3) sources of light.
  • Cave exploration and hiking on karst terrain may involve risk or injury, even death from various hazards, both obvious and obscure, including, but not limited to, slippery and uneven ground, open pits, injury by acts of other people, falling, being struck by falling objects, becoming lost, the presence or sudden appearance of water, and hypothermia. All cave visitors are expected to abide by the normally accepted rules of safe and conservation minded caving as outlined by the National Speleological Society, 6001 Pulaski Pike, Huntsville, Alabama 35810-1122.
  • Jack Packers Cave must be treated as a unique natural resource, and nothing should be taken out of the cave except trash.
  • All work projects must be clearly defined and authorized beforehand.
  • Each group is expected to clean up any trash in the cave or on the property.
  • Special Use Groups: Insurance or certificate thereof may be required for private groups such as schools, camps, and scouts. Groups such as the Boy Scouts will be required to show proof that they are complying with their own rules regarding caving.
  • Follow US Fish and Wildlife's decontamination procedures for WNS

Resources

Please see the resources page for additional information on the permits and procedures for visiting this cave.

Jack Packers Maps

Click Here to download maps for Jack Packers Cave.

If you have questions about this preserve, please contact the preserve manager at jack_packers@necaveconservancy.org