Seventy-two steps deliver safe access to one-time tourist cave
— Photo by Darrin Busch
The Northeastern Cave Conservancy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new steps on Aug. 16. They are 8-by-8-foot timber boxes filled with crushed stone and rebar, constructed along with a retaining wall by more than 45 volunteers over 24 days with training from the Jolly Rovers Trail Crew from Poughkeepsie.
Volunteers constructed 72 timber box steps that wrap around and descend into the steep sinkhole of Knox Cave, near the hamlet of Knox.
They replace a dilapidated series of steps made from railroad ties, pipe, and rebar in 1979.
Known for its narrow “gun barrel” passage, the cave was an intermittent tourist attraction from the 1930s to the 1950s, with a lighted staircase on private property that also featured a roller rink.
The property wasn’t maintained after the commercial venture closed in the 1960s.
Knox Cave is now a preserve held by the Northeastern Cave Conservancy, a land trust that was founded after college students visiting the cave were crushed by fallen ice at the cave in 1975.
Accessing the property requires a permit, obtained by emailing with a name, purpose of visit, and date.
Project funding came from private donations, the American Rescue Plan Act through the Albany County Executive’s Office, and a grant from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program and New York’s Environmental Protection Fund.
