Located in Cookeville, Tennessee, Thunderhole Cave has earned the reputation of being one of "TAG's classic pits", as stated by Geary Schindel, NSS President. Similar to other caves in Putnam County, the pit is formed in the Mississippian Hartselle Formation and Monteagle Limestone and has been surveyed by Ben Miller and friends to a vertical extent of 168 vertical feet. The surface rig leads to a slope that drops 129-feet from the lip into a large room where a waterfall cascades along the back wall lined in flowstone.

Thunderhole Cave was previously closed to visitation due to the landowner's concerns. During the 2019 NSS Convention in Cookeville, TN, Julie Schenck-Brown, NSS Preserve & Acquisitions Co-Chair/Landowner Relations Chair, began discussions with the landowner and with the assistance of Jay Clark, NSS General Counsel, set a goal to regain access for future generations of cavers.

Working together with the landowner, both Julie and Jay began discussions of a management plan and cave liability releases, as well as disseminating any information about access to the caving community. This proposed management plan would also identify two knowledgeable NSS members in the area to serve as Preserve Managers, who would manage access. "The NSS is very fortunate to have such dedicated members who work so diligently to promote landowner-caver relations, as well as access," stated Schindel. The NSS Board of Governors accepted the Joint Management Agreement and NSS Preserve Management Plan for Thunderhole Nature Preserve in January, 2020, making it the second of our non-owned, NSS-managed Preserves. Megan Atkinson, NSS 68967, was appointed as the Manager of the Preserve. She will manage access and serve as public intermediaries between the caving community and the landowner. She will serve as the liaison to the landowner by communicating with visitors, checking credentials, issuing releases, and distributing permits to ensure good landowner-caver relations.

The Manager may be contacted at: ThunderholePreserve@caves.org to discuss access and visitation to the Thunderhole Nature Preserve.