Scrambling Among Rocks
The Polar Caves Are a Must-See Attraction in Rumney
The town of Rumney, lying in the Baker River Valley of Central New Hampshire, is a popular destination for visitors seeking recreational activities such as rock-climbing, hiking, and exploring the nine granite caves that make up Polar Caves.
The park has been a family-owned attraction since 1922.
Unlike limestone caverns, formed by flowing water that erodes the rock, the Rumney “caves” were formed by the continental glacier that moved southward over New Hampshire during the last Ice Age, between 26,000 and 10,000 years ago, leaving behind a series of boulders as the ice sheet thawed and dislodged granite from what today is known as Hawk’s Cliff. The space between those boulders form the passages that visitors can explore.
Some of the caves require people to duck, while others, such as the famous Lemon Squeeze, which narrows to 14 inches, and Orange Crush, require visitors (or at least those able to do so) to squeeze through.
Polar Caves also boasts what is purported to be the largest glacially deposited granite boulder in the world: 110 feet long, 50 feet high, and 75 feet thick. It is estimated to weigh 25,000 tons.