Such a cool thing to experience! We went the beginning of September and still saw thousands of bats. Get there right at sunset time (no need to get there any earlier). Chairs and umbrellas recommended, but bug spray is definitely a must, take it from the girl who didnt bring any and is now immensely uncomfortable with 32 mosquito bites on her legs alone :( Youll park at the closed gate and walk down the path to the platform. They had a sign that said Cave Closed which threw us off at first cause we didnt know if that meant we couldnt walk down to the platform, but then realized it meant just to not enter the cave (which you cant anyways because of the cave gates). Definitely worth seeing!

At dusk in June, July, and August, thousands of bats start funneling out of the cave at dusk. It was amazing! Bring a chair and sit on the viewing platform. The show lasts about an hour. Also bring bug spray, a jacket because of the cool cave wind, an umbrella if you are afraid of bat droppings, and a flashlight to see your way back in the dark. Parking is basically on the side of the highway at a locked gate, which is only a quarter mile from the cave entrance. Be careful not to block the road entrance/exit.

Nice walk in the woods. Beautiful place.

Love this place. Nice hike. I do hope that the state invests money to do some upkeep. Nice place.

Go see this awesome place. Kind of tricky to find. Parking not so good. Accessible for wheelchairs nice paved path to cave. And viewing platform which has no stairs and is a easy walk. Cave is visible you cant go inside. But worth it to see. Endangered bats roost in the summer and emerge at night in august. Have not seen this yet. But will be their to get a glimpse. If u like caves this is awesome. Very beautiful stream which seems to run out of cave. Worth the trip.

Talk grass on trail and fallen trees across trail. Nice cool air from cave.

I just wish we could have went in.. But it was awesome

So decided to stop and check it out today. The walk Mac player was really nice today will shaded a lot of flowers blooming. So the entire walk back you look at the flowers until you got to the Cave. The nice asphalt road always a the back makes it easy for walking. It was a very enjoyable visit.

A little forgotten but worth the trip.

Massive cave big enough to litterally drive a car into, i wish there was some way to see what was behind the bars. I understand its a bat preserve, but even with protective gear, my curiosity wants to know whats deep in the cave.

Really neat to see the bats come out. Bring a chair and bug spray! Mosquitoes will carry you off.

Enjoyed seeing the bats but there were so many trees down it was difficult to get back there.

Wicked, awesome, spend the day exploring the woods .

This is an awesome place! Beautiful and when you get there its like air-conditioning. There is a constant wind that blows out of it at about 70 degrees temperature. If you are cold by nature bring a sweater or jacket even in the middle of summer. There are a lot of bats that come out of this cave and it a sight like no other. They come at right as it gets dark and a re a little difficult to see but it is worth it. There is a nice observation deck you can stand and or bring a chair and sit on. There are a lot of bats, we did not experience and bat droppings on us but some folks did wear plastic rain ponchos. Make sure you bring a light so you can see on your trail walk back the the vehicles. It is about 1/4 mile off of 72 by foot and is a super easy hike. Mobility carts should be able to make this trip also if needed. If you are in the area you should see this.

Now I know what 400,000 bats smell like!

Gotta get there just after a sunset to watch bats fly out for a night hunt. cave is grated with no trespassing warnings.

When you reach your destination you might think Google maps has lost its mind. Road looks abandoned and is gated and locked. You need to park in front of the gate by the highway and then walk about 200 yds down the old road. Cave and veiwing platform is on the right. Dont expect a sudden whosh of bats, but over a one hour period thousands will appear. Its a very peaceful place and an amazing event to witness.

So this place has a lot of history! Mined for saltpeter during the civil war, sequoia also introduced the Cherokee alphabet to his people at this location! It was also the court seat for What is now Jackson county back in the late 1800s. A lot more history to this place but we’ll let that rest with the ones who know!

Excellent spot to visit gray bats exiting the mouth of their cave. It seems a bit intimidating as you walk up because the road is closed to vehicle traffic. There isnt available parking for cars when the bats are exiting the cave(or at all) but if youre willing to walk a small distance the sheer volume of bats is well worth the small complications. Ride out on your motorcycle or park nearby and walk the rest of the way for a truly breathtaking experience for any bat lovers who want to see the little guys up close.

Great spot to watch a bat emergence!

Very cool and smelly at the same time.

The natural beauty is breathtaking. Get there right at dusk and watch the bats come out of the cave, its awesome.

This is located after a short, flat walk off of 72. Go at sunset and stand on the observation deck, which is directly in front of the cave. You can’t enter the cave for the safety of the bats. Around sunset you’ll see hundreds of thousands of bats fly out of the cave for their nightly feeding! Wear bug spray because the area is swarming with mosquitos (the bats dinner!) and bring a flashlight to use when you walk back to your car in the dark. Expect to spend 30 - 60 minutes here.

It has gotten a lot nicer over the years. It now has a boardwalk. You cant enter the cave though for the bats safety

Pretty cool cave, but the path to it is sketchy, non-handicap friendly and could be maintained. You cant go into the cave for safety of the bats, but that is expected. Standing at the signs near the mouth you can watch the bats leave at night.

Beautiful area with a very short hike to watch hundreds of thousands of bats emerge each night during the summer. take a poncho or be covered in poo !

Attending a bat flight here in the summer is an amazing experience.

Come to the bat cave with your friends and family and enjoy watching thousands of bats fly out of the cave searching for their dinner. No need to bring a umbrella or poncho, but definitely bring bug spray, a strong flashlight, and a chair if you would like to relax. Get there 15 minutes before sunset and plan to watch for 30ish minutes or as long as you’d like!

Beautiful view when the bats come out!

Great place for a walk

Secluded and looks abandoned., but yes open to public still. Pretty place. With a bit of a family history. Was lucky enough to meet the son of the old land owners. They grew up out there. He was passing by to say hello to his daddy who had passed years ago. The Santa Cave wildlife is where he feels closest to his dad. *keep in mind this is a secluded area, so stay safe. And inform the wildlife rangers before you go exploring.

Cool spot to stop real quick and check out. The cave itself is closed to the public but you can park outside the gate and walk up to the mouth of it. If your driving on 72 and want to stretch your legs for a minute this is a cool spot for that. Other than that theres really not much to do here.

It is a nice, easy walking trail, but the cave is closed.

Me and some friends went in the cave got over the gate on 1/2/19 bc of the government shut down it was legal. It’s really cool but pretty much a straight shot for 1200 feet there is old mining stuff inside. We turned around after about 40-50 mins in bc there was a water pocket about waste high and we simply didn’t have the thermal gear for that.

Got to see the bats come out at sunset..

This place is cool. Go see a bat emergence of you get the chance.

I love the peace and solitude this place gives me!

Be 1 with wild life

Make sure you have a bright flash light and bug spray. Trail markings are nondescript as well as the parking area.

Park in front of the gate, or along side the road, and walk to this natural wonder! Arrive right before dusk and see hundreds of bats head out for the night!

U have the wrong person please DELETE THIS NOW

Sauta Cave is an amazing Bat Habernaculum

Absolutely Beautiful and Peaceful

I wish I could have went inside the cave

Great for exploring

Wonderful place to see bats!!

Cave was like air conditioning

We came to see the bat cave and saw lots of bats but the lighting wasnt good for capturing

Beautiful

Cool

Beautiful.

Loved it!

Very nice

Its awesome!!!