Explore Bowers Caves, Dixie National Forest, Utah

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Interpretive sign at cave. "Welcome to Bowers Cave! Bowers Cave was formed by cooling lava and water. A total of 948 feet of passages have been mapped in this cave. Fringed Myotis bat in flight. Photo Courtesy of Dr. Scott A(?). Entrance to Bowers Cave. Tiger Salamander. While Bowers Cave has become popular with visitors to the Dixie National Forest, it is also frequented by seven species of bats, including two State sensitive species-the Townsend's Big-eared bat and the Fringed Myotis. Other species of bats observed at Bowers Cave include the Long-eared Myotis, Big Brown bat, Long-legged Myotis, Western Small-footed Myotis, and the Hoary bat. Bowers Cave serves as an important summertime feeding and night roost area for bats, but it is especially important as a winter refuge for hibernating Townsend's Big-eared bats. In most Utah locations, these bats usually hibernate singly or in very small groups (less than 5), with fewer than 20 per cave. But in Bowers Cave, annual counts of hibernating Townsend's Big-eared bats average 30 to 40 each winter, and nearby Mammoth Cave routinely shelters 60 of these bats each winter. These are some of the largest known aggregations in the State! Although bats and people can coexist in most instances, wintertime..."

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