Northwestern Steam Tunnels

"Spike and Friend" had explored the tunnels many times and are the authors of the Northwestern Tunnel Map which is published on the internet. I refrain from using their real names in case they should ever get busted, but they are truly an athletic duo and experienced in climbing and repelling as well.

At approximately midnight we parked in the seminary parking lot and started off between the buildings. I followed eagerly wondering how one gets into a tunnel. It seemed simple enough. You find a vent! The vents at Northwestern are mainly "park bench" green and the tops, which look like miniature houses with pitched roofs, seem to pop off easily enough. Spike and I stood off the walkway while Friend scouted up ahead to make sure that no one was around to bust us. Friend returned, coast clear. They lifted off the cover to reveal a concrete hole with steel rungs leading down into the ground.

Spike says you climb down to some pipes and slide underneath where we are standing. I go first. It is a bit tight descending into the tunnel but once to the ground (only about 8 feet or so) you have a surprisingly good clearance to get around in. Basically the tunnels are used to maintain the steam pipes and cables used for heat, power and telephone throughout the campus. They are mainly made of brick with an arched ceiling and large warm pipes running every length of them. There are even lights along the way so that workers can see what they are doing down there. Only at the entry and a few other times did I need my flashlight.

Spike and Friend proceeded through the tunnels. I followed stopping ever so often to snap a picture behind us. The tunnels lead into all sorts of places. We passed a vented door that lead into the break room of one building, a basement area beneath a hall and the storage room beneath the library.

There were also other tunnels leading up into vents above us. At some areas you could feel the cold air dropping down on you as you passed.

After a few turns we came upon a very long and very warm tunnel lined with light bulbs. This was the hottest part of the journey and the longest part. Not only was it hot...it was DRY! BONE DRY! You could literally feel your mouth loosing moisture with every breath!


There were all sorts of things in the tunnel. There were broken chairs, ladders and a rather large fan! There were cables and a lot of dirt and dust. Some places were even muddy or had a rusty colored standing water. Especially close to the open entrance of the library basement. We passed by the open door and proceeded around some jogs in the tunnel until we came to a cave in where the tunnel ended. I took a photo and we proceeded back to the library basement which we then entered, crossed through to the back of the building and exited though a series of doors out into the refreshingly cool night air.

As Spike and Friend escorted me back to my car they showed me many of the different vents littered along the grassy areas of the campus. I had not realized that we had gone so far!

This was only one of the several steam tunnels at Northwestern University. Spike and Friend have been through and documented many more. They say that it is easiest to tell where the tunnels are in the winter because the snow melts on top the earth where they lie hidden below the surface and you can track them.

On the whole it was a very warm and fascinating experience. Definitely worth a trip if you are in the area!