Location of New Giant Cave Being Kept Secret to Thwart ‘Instagram Tourists’
A giant cave has been discovered in British Columbia, Canada, and the opening is large enough to fit the Statue of Liberty inside. But the location of the cave in Wells Gray Provincial Park is being kept a closely guarded secret in order to keep Instagram tourists away from the spot.
After being made aware of the sighting, geologist Dr. Catherine Hickson raised some funding and assembled a team to visit the location once the snow melted in September.
What they found upon arrival after a 50-minute helicopter ride to the northeast corner of the park was one of the biggest caves in Canada and one that was previously undiscovered. The opening is about 330 feet long, 200 feet across, and at least 450 feet deep (but it’s believed to be deeper).
“As far as North America goes, this is a honking big cave,” Royal Canadian Geographical Society governor John Pollack tells the Times. “It’s one of the biggest in Canada,” he said, “and certainly one of the most spectacular.”
The cave is tentatively being called “Sarlacc’s Pit” due to its resemblance to the desert pit creature in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
And to prevent a sudden onslaught of adventure and photo seekers from impacting the cave, researchers aren’t revealing exactly where it is.
“The exact location of the cave has not been divulged, partly to discourage Instagram tourists and amateur climbers,” the Times writes.
There has been a movement against geo-tagging (both manual and automatic) locations in photos shared online, as picturesque spots across the world have been marred by exploding foot traffic in recent years. Just last month, Jackson Hole began an ad campaign pleading with the public to stop tagging locations in the famous Wyoming valley.
Unless people do find out the location against the cave researchers’ wishes, the team will have peace and quiet during two more planned expeditions over the next couple of years.
