If you are looking for a unique and adventurous way to explore nature in Connecticut, you might want to check out Tory’s Cave Preserve in New Milford. At one point this was the only true cave open to the public in the state, and it offered a chance to see a rare and fragile ecosystem up close.

Tory’s Cave is a marble solutional cave, meaning it was formed by water dissolving the rock over millions of years. The cave has a narrow entrance that leads to a larger chamber about 50 feet underground. The chamber can hold about a dozen people, and it is home to bats, cave crickets, and a blind shrimp-like creature called a Stygobromus.

The cave is named after a legend that says a Tory, or a loyalist to the English monarchy, hid in the cave during the American Revolution. Whether this is true or not, the cave has been a place of curiosity and exploration for generations.

The cave was closed in order to protect the bats and in hopes of preventing the spread of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungus that causes White-nose Syndrome. White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease that causes hibernating bats to burn through their stores of body fat, killing them, or causing them to wake from hibernation in the winter. 

To get to Tory’s Cave, you need to take Route 7 in New Milford, passing Squash Hollow Road and a gas station. About half a mile after the gas station, turn into the dirt lot at the quarry construction site. At the left end of the lot, there is a dirt path that takes you to the cave entrance.

Tory’s Cave is managed by the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that works to safeguard natural and working lands in the region. The preserve is open for hiking and educational purposes, but not for camping or fires.

Though you can no longer enter the cave, it is still a beautiful hike and a place for families to enjoy. If you’re interested, you can get an idea of what to expect through a video we made here!