Terrifying Things Found Hidden In Caves

January 30, 2025
•19 min read
Let's delve into some absolutely terrifying things found in caves!
As amazing as the world can be, it’s also full of terrifying places you would avoid like the plague. Like caves! With over 45,000 caves in the US alone, and thousands more worldwide, you never know what horrors could be lurking within them. Well, unless you decide to go inside of course. From a seemingly hibernating bear to many other terrifying things, let's descend into the darkness and explore some of the most terrifying things ever found in caves.
Corey Arnold & The Bear At The End Of The Tunnel
When American photographer and wildlife enthusiast Corey Arnold was invited on a “little adventure” to Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, with wildlife biologist Wes Larson, he jumped at the idea. The mission was simple. Wes was studying bears, and needed to swap the batteries in a tracking collar one was wearing. The bear was hibernating in a cave, so wouldn’t pose a threat, all Corey had to do was take a snap of it. Only, things wouldn’t turn out to be quite so simple.
On a cold day in February 2019, Corey, Wes, Wes’s brother Jeff, and their assistant Jordon set out through the snow and into the wilderness, following the GPS coordinates from the bear’s collar. Eventually, they came upon an eerie sandstone cave. That had to be it. Peering into the darkness, Corey saw that it gradually narrowed into a small tunnel barely wide enough for a person to crawl through. The stench of wild animal was unmistakeable. Wes and Jeff didn’t hesitate, clambering straight in one after another. Wes led the way, armed with a long stick with a tranquilizer dart on the end to be extra careful. Corey watched as they moved through the tunnel then disappeared as it kinked off to the left. But before even a minute had passed, they both suddenly came flying backwards out of the opening again.

El Tio: The Devil Who Rules The Underworld In Bolivia
If you’ve ever been to Bolivia, you may have heard of the Potosi Mines, in Cerro Rico Mountain. The largest silver deposit in the world, that vast underground network has been mined since way back in the 16th century. But the cave and tunnel systems hold secrets far creepier than silver. If you venture down into just the right part of them you’ll stumble across the sight in the image below.
The unsettling statue represents El Tio, a devil-like spirit who locals believe to be the Lord of the Underworld. Despite the area being strongly Catholic, El Tio is believed to rule over the mines, offering both protection to miners and destruction if he is not pleased.Hellfire Caves
Atop a hill over in the UK’s beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside stands an impending stone structure, the Dashwood Mausoleum. Built in 1765, it houses the remains of the prominent Dashwood family which is macabre enough until you realize that the manmade caves beside it are far spookier.
Known as the Hellfire Caves, they were excavated some 13 years before the completion of the mausoleum by Lord Francis Dashwood, who held clandestine meetings inside the caverns with members of a secret society called the Hellfire Club. Though outwardly political in nature, that was allegedly a cover for much more sinister goings on the likes of witchcraft, debauchery, and even Satanic worship. Looking at the dark, winding passages and claustrophobic chambers with strange wall markings, it’s not hard to imagine. In more recent times many people have claimed to see the ghost of “the White Lady” there, as seen in the eerie photo below, taken inside the caves.The story goes that a barmaid called Sukie worked in a local inn, where she fell in love with a rich gentleman. One day she received a note from him asking to meet her in a secret tunnel that runs from the pub to the caves. So, she dressed up in a white wedding dress and rushed into the tunnel.Redditor Finds Creepy Cave
Back in 2022, Redditor Sgnielsen was out exploring the Estonian wilderness when he stumbled across a cave. He went inside and after making his way through it, found a disturbing sight at the back. A strange assortment of household objects and flags, surrounding what looks like some kind of altar.
A hasty exit later, he posted the pic online where commenters posited theories ranging from dark magic to the remains of some shady person’s hideout. Either way, it wasn’t looking like anything good. Turns out, it might not be anything quite so creepy though. One commentor recognized the flags as Buddhist prayer flags. In Southeast Asia it’s common to find Buddhist settlements in mountains and caves, and the altar, chair and flags all point to a monk using the space for isolated meditation. There’s only one problem. That cave isn’t in Southeast Asia. It’s in Europe, where Buddhism is significantly less widely practiced. And although those flags are supposed to channel good energy, Sgnielsen said the energy in there felt anything but good.Lovelock Cave
In the vast rolling plains of Nevada north of Humboldt Sink there’s an outcrop of limestone with a small, dark crack in it. The image below reveals the entrance to Lovelock Cave, a mysterious cavern drenched in morbid history.
Back in 1911, a group of miners are said to have been digging in the cave when they uncovered the mummified remains of a huge human, far bigger than any ordinary man. According to the Paiute, a Native American people who’ve inhabited the area for thousands of years, there were once giants that roamed the lands.Named the Si-Te-Cah, those formidable men were red-haired, stood menacingly high, and had a penchant for human flesh. The legend goes that they were engaged in a war with the Paiute for many years until eventually the last of the Si-Te-Cah was driven into Lovelock Cave. There, the Paiute finished them off by lighting a fire outside the cave, smoking it out and making it their tomb.
The Crone Of The Catskills
If there’s one thing we’ve all learned from horror movies it’s not to go hiking in secluded areas. Nothing good ever comes of it. Reddit user “wiggedhikerthrway” and his friend were hiking in New York’s Catskill Mountains when they came across a cave off the beaten trail.
Curiosity got the better of them, so they headed inside to check it out and immediately saw something disturbing. A strange wooden figurine was nestled in an alcove, depicting a humanoid figure with nails in its eyes and a noose round its neck.Wigged suddenly felt incredibly uneasy and wanted to leave without touching the figure but his friend shrugged and put it in his bag as a souvenir. They went home and Wigged thought little of it until two days later when he received a phone call. It was his friend. Clearly panicked, he told him that the statue kept appearing in different positions around the house, and weird banging noises had been waking him up at night. As well as that, the whole place had started stinking of pond water. Worst of all though, he’d been woken up the night before by his dog barking. When he went into his hallway there were muddy footprints everywhere and the statue had moved again, into the living room. Cautiously, he walked over to it, heart pounding in his chest. But as he got nearer, the room was suddenly filled with loud, rasping breathing. Safe to say, he got out of there.
Colorado's Zombie Tunnel
There’s something inherently creepy about abandoned places. They just feel off. Well, in northeastern Colorado Springs, hidden amongst a load of rubble, is the entrance to an abandoned tunnel that makes my skin crawl. That’s because if you decide to enter the pitch-black tunnel and follow it straight down, you’ll eventually come across the sight in the footage below:
Exploring With Josh Finds Little Girl Lost In Cave
YouTuber Exploring With Josh makes content where he, explores interesting places from haunted hospitals to spooky forests. In one video uploaded in August 2016, Josh set out to explore a deep underground cave at Mount St Helens, Washington. After pushing further into the cave and into a claustrophobically cramped tunnel near the back, Josh suddenly stumbled across something shocking.
Optimistic Cave Statues
In 2021, popular YouTube adventurer Mike Corey ventured to Ukraine to explore the sixth largest cave in the world, Optimistic Cave. Little did he know, he’d find something seriously ominous down there. Mike headed through the eerie door with a couple of fellow adventurers and began his descent. At over 140 miles long, Optimistic Cave is huge, and full of tiny, twisty tunnels to navigate.
Almost immediately, Mike had to squeeze through narrow crevices and pass roosting bats. But after five grueling hours of exploration, the team stumbled upon a chamber with something much creepier than any bat. A huge, carved sculpture of a minotaur! But Mike and co found found weirder things when they pushed even deeper.Mountain Lion Cave Encounter
Most people use TikTok to post silly videos or doomscroll their poops away. But for Montana-based adventurer Luke Barton, AKA “ontheedgelivin”, it’s a platform to upload all the crazy stuff he gets up to while exploring the wilderness. Like the time he wandered into an abandoned mineshaft and saw the absolute monstrosities in the footage below:
Passer-Through-Walls, Catacombs
Deep beneath the streets of Paris lies a colossal twisting network of caverns and tunnels housing the remains of over six million people. The Paris Catacombs are widely recognized as one of the creepiest places in the world.
There’s a lot more than just ex-humans down there to spook you though. Passing through one of the tunnels, you’ll be greeted with the macabre sight in the post below. Don’t worry, that isn’t a real person. It’s actually a sculpture, though mysteriously nobody knows who made it.Le Passe-muraille, 1943 "Le Passe-muraille", which means "the passer through walls", is a story from France about a man who discovers that he can pass through walls. After leaving his job, the man began to abuse his power, using it to steal and seduce. He eventually becomes…
The Witch Marks Of Creswell Crags
On the border between Derbyshire and Nottingham in England, UK, is an enclosed limestone gorge called Creswell Crags. Tucked away in the ravine’s cliffs lie several mysterious caves. And in one of them, there’s a small hole with a collection of marks hewn into the stone around it warning of an entrance to the underworld.
Those scratches are known as “witch marks” and are believed to have been carved between the 17th and 19th centuries to ward off evil. Indeed, back then belief in evil spirits was widespread in Britain and the protective marks were etched in churches and houses too. Some are shaped like boxes or mazes, to “trap” the demons or spirits while others include the letter V twice, representing “Virgin of Virgins” the Mother Mary.The caves @CreswellCrags evidence Neanderthal occupation 50,000-60,000 years ago, it is also home to the northernmost cave art in Europe and the world-famous ritual, protective ‘Witch Marks’. Discover more: creswell-crags.org.uk #MMEncyclopedia #MMinQuarantine
The Cavern Bugul Ghost
Back in September 2017, reddit user “grunnermann28” went hiking with his friends to an inactive volcano near their town in Mexico. It has a deep cavern system within it, and because Grunner and his friends are clearly unhinged, they find mapping deep uncharted caverns a fun weekend activity.
Troll Monkeys On Thai Island
If you’ve ever been to Thailand, you’ll know it’s a beautiful place full of culture. However, there’s a weird, dark underside to every country in the world and Thailand is no different. A group of tourists kayaking around Railay Bay on the southern coast turned a corner towards a cave and found themselves confronted with “the most bizarre situation they’d ever experienced”.