Batty Caves are a great detour on the Hole-in-the-Rock Road in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. There is no hiking involved to see the caves, but there is some rough road in addition to the roughness of Hole-in-the-Rock Road.
Batty Caves are located directly across from the Peek-a-Boo and Spooky slot canyon turnoff. This is essential a fourway intersection: left to Peek-a-Boo and Spooky, and right to Batty Caves as you travel out the road. This intersection is at about the 26 mile mark.
After turning right on the unmarked road, drive for 2.5 miles. The road branches twice, and it would be easy to take a wrong turn. The first branch goes up the hill to the left. Don’t take it, but stay right at the junction. A short time later there is a branch to the right that turns down toward the bottom of the ravine. Don’t take that one either, but stay left.
A short while after you stay left, you’ll come to a wide spot with a very old, very rusty car. Park near the car, but be careful as there is a rocky lip there. Then walk a very short trail to the right, which is on the opposite side of the pull out from the rusty car.
You’ll come to three separate caves. These caves are all shallow and manmade, but the interesting thing is the artifacts inside the cave. Apparently a few brothers ran a mining operation out of these caves around 75 years ago. The first cave is open, and there is a large piece of machinery that looks a little like the keel of a boat. The second cave is a screen door into the side of the mountain. You can open the door, and the sunlight provides plenty of light to see the old bed and other things inside. The third room is also behind a door. You can open this wide double door as well by removing a nail (please replace it). This is the largest of the caves, and it is plenty cool inside compared to the blazing sun outside.
That’s about all there is to do at batty caves, but this adventure pairs very well with the Peek-a-Boo and Spooky slot canyons in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. The video below shows inside all three of Batty Caves.
