How it works Output Validation Ridgewalk Pricing Methodology About

Find the caves nobody has mapped yet

CaveFinder reads free public LIDAR elevation maps to spot the ground shapes that often give away a cave entrance (sinkholes, pits and hollows), then ranks them so you know which are worth a look.

Open the app→ See how it works
Known caves in the US
8,000+
Known caves worldwide
260,000+

Gathered from public data sources, in the Known Caves layer.

CAVEFINDER · scan viewer Spring Mill
The public cave records CaveFinder shows as a map layer for part of Spring Mill State Park, Indiana: yellow markers at the mapped entrances of Twin Caves and the Donaldson-Bronson cave system.
Public cave records
The same view with the cave records turned off, showing only the candidate spots a real CaveFinder scan picked from the terrain.
CaveFinder's picks
Spring Mill State Park, IN · real scan, terrain only · 7 picks in view; 5 within 50 m of a public cave record
01 · Procedure

Four steps from a box on the map to a ranked list of leads

01 · Mark area
A box 1.6 km on each side drawn inside Spring Mill State Park, Indiana, in CaveFinder, with its measured sides.

Mark your area
of interest

Pan the map to the terrain you want to survey and enclose it in a rectangle.

02 · Fetch data
CaveFinder confirming the area before the scan: 2.5 square kilometres, excellent USGS 3DEP LiDAR coverage.

Fetch the
elevation model

The best available public LIDAR is retrieved for that area and its resolution reported before scanning.

03 · Detect
The CaveFinder progress card partway through a scan, measuring terrain openness.

Rank every
candidate site

Several detection methods look at the ground, and every spot they find is ranked by how cave-like it looks.

04 · Results
The top-ranked candidate from a CaveFinder scan, near a sinkhole.

Receive ranked
candidates

Candidates are ranked best first, plotted on the map, and exportable to your field device.

02 · Sample output

What a scan looks like

A real CaveFinder scan of a 1.6 km box inside Spring Mill State Park, Indiana. Each pin is a candidate spot. Numbered circles group picks that sit close together.

Each candidate opens its details and the reasons it was picked so you can decide which leads are worth a weekend.

Numbered circle: several picks close together
Map layers you can switch on
Known caves *
Mines, underground *
Mines, surface *
Sinkholes *
Springs & seeps
Thermal springs *
* On Pro plans.
SCAN RESULT · Spring Mill State Park Indiana
A real CaveFinder scan of a 1.6 km box inside Spring Mill State Park, Indiana: the measured box on satellite imagery with the candidate pins it found.
03 · Validation

Checked against real caves

Every scan runs 9 detection methods on the terrain, then ranks every spot they find.

We measure the ranking against 2,691 known US caves in states the model never trained on: how often a real cave entrance lands among the top-ranked spots, counting a match within 50 m.

Methodology→
Top 10 35% of the time, the real cave is in the top 10
Top 25 47% of the time, the real cave is in the top 25
Top 50 60% of the time, the real cave is in the top 50
Counted within 50 m of the entranceAbout 1 km² searched per caveSeptember 2026
04 · Ridgewalk planning

Turn a list of candidates into a walk you can actually do

RIDGEWALK · route planner Carter Caves State Park, KY
A real ridgewalk plan generated in CaveFinder: a 4.1 km loop through 16 numbered candidate stops inside a 1 km scan box in Carter Caves State Resort Park, Kentucky.
16 STOPS 4.1 KM LOOP 1 KM BOX

Candidates on a map are leads. Ridgewalk planning turns them into an ordered walking route, from the trailhead to the last stop, that steers around steep ground and cliffs.

Pick a set of candidates. Ridgewalk orders them, draws the walking line, and hands you a GPX that makes sense in the field.

Many candidates sit on private land. Get the landowner's permission before you walk a route.

Stops
16
Distance
4.1 km
Ascent
+276 m
Descent
−276 m
No.StopSlope
01 Stop 1 · startloop returns here 17°
02 Stop 2 19°
03 Stop 3 24°
04 Stop 4 12°
05 Stop 5 7°
+11 11 more stops6 to 16, in route order
Loop, one-way or point to point Start at the nearest road or a point you pick, and end where you choose.
Terrain-aware routing Steers the walking line around steep slopes and cliffs.
Printable field packet PDF with terrain and topographic maps and a ranked stop list, ready for the truck.
Field pins and notes Mark each spot Cave found, Not a cave or Needs another visit. Notes stay on the pin and sync across your devices.
Terrain views Shaded relief, slope and depressions at the sharpest detail the elevation data has.
GPX out, tracks back in Export the route as GPX, KML or CSV, and record or import your GPS track.
05 · Licensing

Free for most. Paid for the committed

Tier 01
Free
$0 / forever

No card. No trial timer. Three scans a week, as long as you want.

  • 3 analyses per week
  • All candidates, ranked & exportable
  • 5 km² max scan area (about 1,200 acres, 1.4 miles a side)
  • Interactive map with overlays
  • Save map points (waypoints)
  • Field status tracking
Get started
Tier 02
Pro
$9.99 / month

For cavers running real fieldwork. $59.99/yr saves 50%.

  • 10 analyses per day
  • 15 km² max scan area (about 3,700 acres, 2.4 miles a side)
  • See known caves, mines, springs, and hot springs
  • Photos on saved points
  • Offline maps: save map areas with your spots to use with no signal
  • No watermark on your maps
Choose plan→
06 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Q.01
Does CaveFinder actually find caves, or just surface depressions?
+
Surface depressions are how caves reveal themselves in elevation data, but not every depression is a cave. CaveFinder ranks candidates by how cave-like the surrounding terrain looks, so real caves land near the top of the list. Measured on 2,691 known US caves in states the model never trained on, the real cave is in the top 10 candidates 35% of the time, the top 25 47% and the top 50 60% (within 50 m) (full breakdown on the methodology page). Final confirmation still happens with boots on the ground.
Q.02
Is it legal? What about private land?
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Finding a candidate on a map is not the same as visiting it. You're responsible for knowing local trespass laws and for asking permission on private land before you ever set foot on a target. Every result names the local cave survey and grottos to talk to first; see our conservation page.
Q.03
Is my scan data private?
+
Yes. Your scans, saved results and field notes are private to your account. We keep them so you can come back to them, and they are deleted if you delete your account. We don't share, sell, or pool your locations with anyone else's.
Q.04
What resolution does the elevation data provide?
+
In the US we use USGS 3DEP LiDAR: 1 m where published, which covers most of the country, and 10 m elsewhere. We also carry national 1 m LiDAR for Slovenia, Canada, France and New Zealand where those surveys have flown, and we bring higher-resolution data into more international areas all the time. Everywhere else, the scan uses 30 m Copernicus global elevation data, which catches larger sinkholes but misses smaller entrances.
Q.05
Can I use this commercially?
+
Pro accounts are for personal fieldwork. For commercial use, reach out at help@cavefinder.app and we'll work something out.
Q.06
Can I upload my own DEM data?
+
Yes, on Pro. Choose Upload your own DEM / scan as the elevation source to analyse your own GeoTIFF or LAS/LAZ file, for example ground covered by a private survey. Free accounts use the public elevation data CaveFinder fetches automatically for any area you draw. For commercial or unusual data, reach out at help@cavefinder.app.

Draw a box. Find a cave

Three scans a week, free, forever. No card. No trial timer.

Open the app→