How many caves are there in Virginia?
Over 4000. Virginia is one of only six states in the United States with over 2,000 known caves. Many are described in H. H. Douglas, Caves of Virginia and J. R. Holsinger, Descriptions of Virginia Caves. Data are on file with the Virginia Speleological Survey, affiliated with the National Speleological Society (NSS). 3. Do caves have economic value? Several of Virginia’s caves are renowned for their beauty and are tourist attractions, bringing thousands of visitors into the state annually. To have a wild cave on one’s property, however, probably does not increase its value and may even constitute a nuisance to the owner, although there are instances where the owner may use the cave as a water source. 4. Is there any historical significance to caves? Professional archeologists have only begun to investigate the implications of materials discovered in Virginia’s rock shelters and caves, where some evidence of prehistoric habitation has been uncovered. Indian burial caves can yield import
