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LIDAR-POWERED TERRAIN ANALYSIS

Find caves before
you lace up your boots

CaveFinder analyzes LiDAR elevation data to detect terrain signatures consistent with cave entrances — ranked, scored, and mapped before you ever go to the field

TRY IT FREE

No credit card required · 3 analyses per week

28%
in the top 10 results
49%
in the top 25 results
2,470
known caves tested
FREE
to get started

We ran CaveFinder blind on 1 km² terrain patches centered on 2,470 known cave locations. Each patch generates hundreds of candidates ranked by confidence. 28% of the time, the known cave appeared in the top 10 results. 49% of the time it appeared in the top 25. That's 15x better than random chance — the analysis turns a haystack into a shortlist

HOW IT WORKS
From data to discovery in four steps
01
Pick your area
Draw a box on the map. We fetch high-resolution LiDAR elevation data automatically
02
We analyze terrain
Our terrain methods score depressions and terrain features for cave-entrance characteristics
03
Explore candidates
Ranked results with confidence scores, coordinates, depth estimates, and terrain views
04
Plan your ridgewalk
Generate an optimized walking route between targets — terrain-aware with a printable PDF
FEATURES
Everything you need to find new leads
📍
Cave Entrance Detection
Multi-criteria terrain analysis identifies depressions, slope convergence, and morphology consistent with cave entrances
🗺
Ridgewalk Planner
Terrain-aware route planning between detection targets. Generates printable PDFs, GPX track, and an optional self-contained HTML plan
📥
Export Everything
Download candidates as CSV, KML, or GPX. Load coordinates into your GPS, Google Earth, or GIS platform
🌎
Nationwide LiDAR
Automatic access to 1m-resolution LiDAR data covering most of the US, with global DEM fallback
🔍
Known Caves Layer
See publicly documented caves from OpenStreetMap overlaid on your analysis area for context
✅
Field Verification
Mark candidates as checked, confirmed, or dismissed. Track your progress across multiple trips
"This. Is. Genius."
— Crash Kennedy, Conservation Director, American Cave Conservation Association
PRICING
Start free, upgrade when you're ready
Free
$0
forever
  • 3 analyses per week
  • Top 10 candidates
  • 3 km² scan area
  • Interactive map
Pro
$9.99/mo
or $59.99/yr — save 50%
  • 8 analyses per day
  • All candidates
  • 15 km² scan area
  • Interactive map
  • Ridgewalk Planner
  • CSV, KML, GPX exports

See full comparison →

Your next entrance is in the data

Join cavers, geologists, and researchers already using CaveFinder

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