We had heard about this place, seen pictures in some Facebook kayaking groups and even looked it up a few times but had never been.
When you look up the website, there is no way to book online and I guess that has always been the deterrent. But, a few weeks ago we ran in to a fellow kayaker on the Meramec who had just done the tour and said we HAD to check it out. As soon as we got off the water that day I called the number on the website and left a message for the owner, Don Marsan. He called me back first thing Monday and we scheduled a tour about 3 weeks out which just happened to be Father’s Day. We booked the 10am tour, he said it would be 2.5 - 3 hours long and to bring cash the day of the tour to pay. He said he’d send further instructions closer to the date.
This past Thursday we got a text with directions, a reminder to bring cash and he advised wearing long sleeves and long pants because the temperature in the cave is around 55-60 degrees and the water temperature is 47 degrees. Brrr. But since we’ve had temperatures lately close to 100, this sounded fantastic. From Waterloo, it took us about 50 minutes to get there and it was an interesting drive the closer we got. After getting off Interstate 55 in Festus, you wind through an older residential part of the city which suddenly brings you to a gravel road with a small sign that says Don Marsan Kayak.
Once you turn on the gravel road you then drive over a really cool older bridge and then you have to turn on your headlights to drive through a cave. After that, you find the parking lot and a porta potty to use the restroom before you embark on the kayaking adventure.
Once inside, you sign a waiver, pay with cash and then get your gear on. They supply the kayaks (you can’t bring your own), paddles, life jacket, head lamp and two pairs of gloves. The owner gives a brief talk about what to expect and safety rules then they help get you launched in the kayak. We had a larger tour group today (probably close to 15) and only one guide so they asked if there was any experienced kayakers and I raised my hand, Michael was trying to lay low. Well, since he is male and taller he was appointed the secondary guide to stay in the rear of the group and he got a guide boat to use.
One of the first things you notice when you get out on the water is the temperature, there are points where you can actually see your breath. Be sure to listen to the recommendation and wear long sleeves and long pants. We recently visited Meramec Caverns, this underground mine tour is significantly colder. The water is 47 degrees so it is very important to not tip and fall in and the guide goes over safety protocol. The guide is a retired firefighter and EMS and he explains if you do fall in you will be immediately stripped of clothes and wrapped in blankets and taken back to the exit to get medical attention. Also, they advise to not do “high paddling” where you will get the cold water in your boat. They offer garbage bag like black covers for your legs so if water does drip you don’t get wet.
The beginning of the tour takes you in to the mine and you follow the guide as he tells you about your surroundings. There are no lights in the cave so all illumination is done by one light on each guide boat and the headlamps of the people on the tour. The guide points out the various floods that have taken place and you can see high water marks on the sandstone. He said there are bats in the mine, although we didn’t see any on our tour. There are also fish in the water in the mine including Asian carp, gar and catfish that originally came in during the floods and have been hanging around ever since.
The next point of interest is a vertical ventilation shaft which is a fancy term for a hole in the top of the mine. Sunlight comes in and you can see trees and shrubs growing on top of the hole. In this area, the water was really clear and with the sunlight you could see a lot of fish.
A little after halfway through the tour you come to a point called “Squeeze Box” where you have to lay flat in your kayak to get past. In this section the water is only about 12” (if that) away from the ceiling of the mine.
The guide has everyone pair off and you hold your partners boat steady while the other person slides off their seat and down in to the kayak to lay as flat as possible. You have to have gloves on at this point and your paddle also get tucked in your kayak. The guide shows you how to “walk on the ceiling” by using your hands to push on the rock above you to propel yourself forward. The guide takes two people with him at a time to go through the Squeeze Box.
Since Michael was the honorary second guide, him and I got to go through the Squeeze Box on our own with the guide following behind with two other people. There were points when laying flat in the kayak your face was almost touching the rock. This portion takes a while to get through because the guide only takes 2 at a time and it takes 3-5 minutes per trip to get through the Squeeze Box. If you are closterphobic or don’t like dark, small places then this might not be for you. We thought it was pretty cool though!!!
After this point, the ceiling stays low for a bit and then opens back up again. After the Squeeze Box there is about 15-20 minutes left of the tour before you get back to the launch site. Total paddle length is 2.25 miles through the mines. The area you are kayaking is part of a 150 acre lake that is submerged in the abandoned mine now known as Crystal City Underground.
Overall, this was a really cool (cold) experience and definitely something unique! It isn’t something we’d go do every weekend but something that was definitely worth checking out.
Address: 703 Crystal Ave. Festus, MO
Cost: $45 per person, cash only
Booking: Call Don Marsan at +1 (636) 208-5026
Update: This information was sent to this site on 10/24/2022 from the owners.
Hi everyone, Marsan Kayaking is still open and going strong. We have changed it up a bit. We offer kayaking wed-fri at noon, and on the weekends still at 10am and at 2pm. We have also changed our phone calling system. We only return phone calls from 4-8pm Mon-fri. We take cash and credit cards also. Hi everyone, Marsan Kayaking is now going to start taking deposits the day of the reservation. We are starting it because we have had a lot of no shows and it has hurt our business. We hope everyone will understand our decision.