Sauta Cave
Decatur, AL 35603-5202
Plan Your Visit
Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge is located just above the Sauty Creek embayment on TVA's Guntersville Reservoir, 7 miles west of Scottsboro in Jackson County, Alabama. There is an entrance gate to the Refuge on the south side of U.S. Highway 72 between mile marker 130 and 131. Because the refuge boundary is not adjacent to Hwy 72, you will not see a refuge sign along Hwy 72. Look for a locked metal gate.
There is no visitor center at the refuge. Access via road will involve an approximately 100-yard walk/hike behind the locked gate. You will see the refuge entrance sign on your walk down a gravel road toward the cave. Please be aware of current weather conditions and your individual capabilities. The cave viewing platform is universally accessible. Be sure to bring insect repellent and drinking water.
For bat emergence viewing, it is recommended that you bring a flashlight, and cover/rain gear due to bat guano droppings.
Bat viewing at during the twilight following sunset. The number of bats is highest during the summer months, but some bats can also be seen in late spring and early fall.
From Huntsville, AL:
- Travel east on Hwy 72 toward Scottsboro
- Sauta Cave is located between mile marker 130 and 131 on the right (south) side of the road
- Park at the gate, walk about 200 yards down the gravel road, the cave viewing platform is on the right
From Scottsboro, AL:
- Travel easy on Hwy 72 toward Huntsville
- Sauta Cave is located between mile marker 130 and 131 on the left (south) side of the road soon after crossing North Sauty Creek
- Park at the gate, walk about 200 yards down the gravel road, the cave viewing platform is on the right
Activities
Get Involved
Volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is fun and rewarding in many ways. To find out our station's latest volunteer opportunities, contact the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Complex visitor center by calling (256)-350-6639.
About
Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1978, protects 264 acres of hardwood forest and provides crucial habitat for federally endangered gray and Indiana bats. The cave itself serves as a significant summer roosting site for hundreds of thousands of bats and a winter hibernaculum. Additionally, the refuge protects the federally threatened Price's potato-bean and is ranked as a site of very high biodiversity significance by the Alabama Natural Heritage Program.