How to use CaveFinder
A step-by-step walkthrough from opening the app to having coordinates in your GPS.
Create an account
Open cavefinder.app/app in your browser. You'll see a terms of service overlay — read through it and check the agreement box to continue.
Click Register in the top right corner. Enter your email, choose a username and password, and complete the verification. You'll receive a 6-digit code at your email address — enter it to activate your account.
Once verified, you're signed in and ready to go. The free tier gives you 3 analyses per week with the top 10 candidates per analysis.
Draw your search area
In the left panel, you'll see the Setup tab. This is where you define where to search.
Click Draw Rectangle to select the drawing tool. Then click and drag on the map to draw a box around the area you want to analyze. You can also use Draw Polygon to draw a custom shape by clicking multiple points.
As you draw, you'll see the area size displayed in km². The free tier supports up to 5 km² per analysis; Pro supports up to 15 km².
- Start with a small area (1–3 km²) for your first analysis — results come faster and are easier to review
- Focus on ridges, hillsides, and bluff lines in karst terrain (limestone/dolomite geology)
- Avoid floodplains, urban areas, and flat agricultural fields — these produce false positives
- After drawing, check the top bar — if it says ✓ Karst region, you're in a good area. A warning will appear if the area is not in a known karst region
Run the analysis
Once you've drawn your area, click the ▶ Find Caves button. CaveFinder will:
- Download high-resolution LiDAR elevation data for your area (this may take a few seconds)
- Run terrain analysis across the entire area
- Score and rank every candidate by confidence
- Display results on the map
You'll see a progress bar moving from 0% to 100%. Small areas (1–2 km²) typically finish in 30–90 seconds. Larger areas can take several minutes.
Read your results
When the analysis completes, candidates appear as colored pins on the map. The left panel switches to the Results tab showing a scrollable list of candidates ranked by confidence.
Click any pin on the map to see its details: coordinates, depth estimate, confidence score, and terrain type. The popup also has a Navigate button that opens directions in your phone's GPS app.
Click any item in the list to fly the map to that candidate and open its popup.
Export your finds
Once you've filtered to the candidates you want, export them for field use. Look for the export buttons in the Results tab.
GPX PRO — GPS Exchange Format. Load directly onto a Garmin or other GPS device. Each candidate becomes a waypoint with its confidence score in the name.
KML PRO — Open in Google Earth to view candidates overlaid on satellite imagery and terrain. Great for pre-trip scouting.
CSV PRO — Spreadsheet format with rank, coordinates, confidence, and depth. Import into QGIS, ArcGIS, or any GIS tool.
Exports include only the candidates that are above your current confidence filter. Set the slider where you want it before exporting.
Plan a ridgewalk PRO
The Ridgewalk Planner generates an optimized walking route between your selected candidates, accounting for terrain difficulty.
Click Create Ridgewalk Plan in the Results tab. Select which candidates you want to visit (or select all), choose a route mode, and generate the plan.
- Printable PDF — Topo map with your route drawn on it, plus a numbered waypoint list with coordinates and distances between stops
- GPX track — Load the walking route onto your GPS device. Follow the track between candidates
- Route optimization — The planner finds the most efficient order to visit your targets based on terrain, not straight-line distance. It avoids steep descents and unnecessary elevation changes where possible
Track your field results PRO
After visiting candidates in the field, come back to CaveFinder and update their status.
Click any candidate pin and use the status buttons to mark it:
- ✓ Cave — You confirmed a cave entrance at this location
- ✗ Not Cave — You investigated and it's not a cave (tree fall, drainage ditch, etc)
- ? Unsure — Couldn't confirm either way (blocked, couldn't access, needs return trip)
You can also add text notes to any candidate describing what you found. Your status and notes are saved to your account and will be there next time you open that analysis.
Tips & best practices
- Stick to karst terrain — CaveFinder works best on limestone, dolomite, and other soluble rock. If the karst indicator doesn't appear, results will have more false positives
- Start small — Run your first analysis on 1–2 km². Once you understand the results, work up to larger areas
- Use overlays together — Combine hillshade or probability with satellite imagery to relate candidates to real terrain
- Compare with topo maps — Switch to the USGS Topo basemap and look for closed contour depressions near your candidates. If topo contours and CaveFinder agree, it's a strong lead
- Check the Known Caves layer — If a candidate is near an already-documented cave, there may be additional entrances nearby
- Export your candidates as GPX and load onto your GPS device
- Print the Ridgewalk Plan PDF as backup (GPS batteries die)
- Check land ownership — get permission before visiting private land
- Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back
- Bring proper caving gear if you plan to enter anything you find
- Follow conservation guidelines — report significant finds to your local grotto, not social media