The Boy Scout Loop: Route & History
For decades, the Boy Scout Loop has been the signature adventure route through Worley's Cave. This classic trek bridges the cave's two distinct worlds: the active lower stream passage and the towering, dry upper chambers. Covering roughly 1.5 to 2 miles of underground travel, this 3-to-4-hour loop has become a legendary rite of passage for visiting groups.
How It Got Its Name
Scout troops have been coming to Worley's for decades. As a completely wild cave with no lights, handrails, or paved paths, it became exactly the kind of place Scout leaders were looking for — somewhere to teach teamwork, navigation, and real wilderness endurance. The loop became their go-to route because it doesn't require ropes or technical climbing, but it doesn't let you off easy either. The name just stuck.
The Miners' Connection
Near the back of the Scout Loop, you'll drop down from the upper level into the water passage through an area known as the Miner's Connection. Legend has it that Confederate soldiers worked these passages by torchlight during the Civil War, mining saltpeter from the cave floor to manufacture gunpowder. As the story goes, they hauled it out deep underground while the war raged above them. If you know what to look for, you can still find old pick marks in the rock and what appear to be wood fragments left behind from that era.
What to Expect on the Loop
The Main Stream: You're getting wet. The underground river runs anywhere from mid-calf to waist-deep depending on recent rainfall.
The Devil's Staircase: Located in the Big Room (Breakthrough Room), this is the rugged climb that takes you from the stream level up into the upper chambers. Steep and rocky — beginners will want to take their time here, and a handline is sometimes used for safety.
The Big Room (Breakthrough Room): A massive cavern full of boulder breakdown, and home to the famous Jaba the Hut rock formation.
Whether you are following the footsteps of 1860s miners or decades of Scout troops, this loop is a timeless journey through East Tennessee's underground history.