What a cool experience. Got there for the 10:00 am tour, and I was the only guest. The walk to the cave is only about five minutes, but there's no shade so the earlier the better as the temps heat up. Inside the cave is about 50°. I have no issues with claustrophobia, but if you do there is one tight squeeze that might be a problem. Cash, my tour guide, turned off the lights (after asking my permission) and we experienced total darkness for maybe thirty seconds. It felt like two hours, and I hated it , but still neat and recommend trying if offered. Use the hand rails. They are there for your safety. read more

See all

The drive here is much more involved than Mercer Caverns with more windy and narrow roads. Once you get closer the space opens up to a large parking lot and shop you meet at. We were the only ones that signed up for the earliest tour that day and were lucky to have a private tour. The tour has informative history about the caverns with landmarks along the way. The most interesting thing we didn't know about is they have caving adventure tours where you shimny through holes and narrow spaces with a guide but our kids aren't old enough to partake. This was the first show cave in California and townspeople lived in them during harsh winters in the 1800s. There was a bar inside and a church and nails were even given to people to carve on the walls. Because of this there are signs of harm everywhere with soot, broken formations, and dirty coloration from human hand oils and even champagne poured on a rock formation. The caverns are huge and beautiful with some jaw-dropoing rooms. The walking tour is very safe though we loved the slight danger and claustrophobic feel of the Mercer Caverns. When you leave the shop has some cool historical items pulled from the caves on display like glass bottles, etc .. that are worth checking out. read more

See all

Did the Mammoth expedition through California Cave today with my wife. It was amazing and our guide Jo Jo was awesome. Super knowledgeable and personable. Both my wife and I enjoyed the tour even more than we expected. Highly recommended! read more

California Cavern State Historic Landmark - Entry way - Walking Tours Near Me - Mountain Ranch, California

See all

FANTASTIC experience through and through For starters, the meeting place was at the gift shop which was bright, homey, and charming with surprisingly excellent trinkets and apparel. Brady was our guide and he is no person to be forgotten. Standing confident and tall, Brady has the type of presence and friendly personality which is RARE to find anymore. He is an old soul born in the wrong generation -- I know so because so am I. Charismatic, passionate, and approachable, Brady made all of us on the tour feel fascinated while calm, adventurous yet perfectly safe. We felt like we were in EXPERT hands the whole time, but WITHOUT the feeling of "we are just another group of tourists for our guide to recant words by rote to." The cave itself was BEAUTIFUL and I felt no claustrophobia. It IS slippery at times but nothing a well abled person cannot handle with appropriate shoes or boots. Grab handles and lighting at nearly every turn, we were delighted to see the amazingly preserved cavern and hear about its extraordinary from Brady. If you make a trip out to Angels Camp, make a trip to California Caverns and go on a tour with Brady! read more

Finally I was able to experience cave adventure. The trip wasn't that bad. Our guide tells stories how people live in this cave during the winter, they had wedding ceremonies, each part of the caves they raised families, eat, cook, meetings like an underground civilization. read more

See all

First time at the California Caverns, my bf is very interested in caves and caverns and has been to all the other ones in the area. The walking tour runs every hour on the hour, its about a 10 minute walk from the store to the cavern entrance and you spend about an hour in the cavern. We learned that the cavern is underwater during the wet season and causes the tours to be closed for 4 months out of they year. It was still really muddy in some areas of the cavern in mid July. The tour has some low areas where you need to duck to get through as well as some tight squeezes into other rooms of the cavern. Wearing good shoes/closed shoes is reccomend there are some slick spots and the tour guide pointed them all out. It was really cool to see all the different formations and hear the stories of the miners that camped within as well as discovered the cavern. They had a small gift shop as well as a panning area for kids to pan sand to find crystals and gems. We exited a different way than we entered. The cool thing about this cavern is you can take spurlunking tours where you can explore other areas that are not accessible to the walking tour which is pretty rad. If you enjoy things like this I would definitely reccomend checking it out if you are in the area! read more

See all

Our tour guide, Faith, was great! She was informative and friendly. The gift shop had cool things to look at. The Cave itself was very nice! It had interesting history. Grab a hard hat if you are tall! My husband and I were very glad we had them. He hit his head multiple times. I hit my head a couple times as well. We were offered the choice to have the lights off at the end of the tour to see how dark it was. It was, overall, a very pleasant and nice experience. Thank you Faith! read more

This was the 4th of California caverns we've visited this summer and it was quite an adventurous surprise! It's about an hour and 45 minutes from the East Bay but we planned on other activities for the day to make the drive worth. Nice large parking, but upon arriving on a Sunday morning, around 11:30, it wasn't very crowded. They open at 10 on weekends with tours at the top of each hour. We got in the 12 o'clock tour and there was only 4 people total in our group. Our guide was very funny and engaging which made the tour extra fun. A few things to be aware of, since not all reviews mention them. It's about 1/4 mile walk to the cavern entrance from the visitor center. Mostly flat and doable but on a warm day it can feel further. The cave itself was a bit slippery and muddy. I was fine with all of that, as I dressed for it. But just make sure you are as well-shoes with good traction and clothing that is easy to move in, as there are some tight spaces to squeeze through. While this particular cave has seen a bit more damage than others in the area, there were some unique rooms to visit, such as the Jungle Room and some interesting history to learn. I also really enjoyed that the paths weren't all stairs or boards. It felt like a true hike through the cave. Really fun experience! On the way back, there was a large group heading over for the 1 pm tour. I was happy to see the place filling up, but also glad for my smaller and quieter tour. Gift shop has some interesting crystals and souvenirs. There are some nice picnic areas and a large back porch to relax on before your tour. Very cool experience - would come back read more

See all

A great family experience or a cool date. The Caverns were amazing and they provided great customer service. Cavern Naturalist Cash gave a great tour and accommodated everyone one in our group. read more

We did the Middle Earth Tour and had such a great time. You get messy and muddy, but that is part of the fun of it. They do not provide coveralls, so I went to Goodwill to get some throw away clothes, which was nice since it was less mud to clean at the end. I would recommend light, breathable clothing with long sleeves to avoid some of the scrapes you may get. They do provide knee pads, a helmet with headlamp and gloves. If you have smaller hands and need x-small like I do they only go down to small, which leaves about 3/4" of extra glove. It makes it difficult to use the headlamp, which you turn on and off a lot throughout the tour to save battery life. Another thing you may want to bring is elbow pads. Your elbows will take a beating trying to squeeze through places. There are a lot of lost soles throughout the cave, so you want decent quality hiking boots that go up the ankles with a lot of traction and some heels to avoid. The cave clay is very sticky. There is a lot of goopy sloshing and suctioning noises that come with each step. For larger folks, with broader shoulders, there are a couple tight squeezes which are optional like the womb room. Nothing too see in there, but fun to see if you can do it. The reason I took a star off is due to the guide. Andrew is very nice, but goes way too fast. It's fine if you are right next to him, but we were in a group of ten and some people aren't very good at playing the telephone game or making sure the next person in line can hear important instructions. There are parts that are a little scary, especially if you are 5'4" (like I am) or under. It's difficult to reach areas, so you have to figure those parts out on your own and pray you don't slip into the depths of the cave. With a slower guide, I don't think that would have been as much of an issue as you might of heard those needed instructions. The majority of the cave is the Mammoth Cave Expedition, which you still get dirty on. The Middle Earth Portion all of the Mammoth tour along with a very long ladder climb and another crawling portion to the outside. Overall, I would highly recommend. It's a neat experience and great exercise for the day. How often do you get to do something like this. So happy we did it. read more

California Cavern State Historic Landmark - California Cavern Cave Map - Walking Tours Near Me - Mountain Ranch, California

My daughter and I did the spelunking Mammoth cave expedition. Faith was our guide and she did a wonderful job going over the history, science, and safety of caving. Our tour lasted about 3 hours and we came out super muddy. Overall, an awesome experience. :) read more

This cavern is the sister to Black Chasm Cavern; however, each is very different from the other. I had not heard of California Cavern until I did research on the other caverns nearby. This place was a lovely find! It was my 2nd of 4 caverns I explored last week. Bryan was a fantastic tour guide - lots of personality with a teasing sense of humor! I was on the last tour of the day and there were about 8 of us total. From the check-in/gift shop, there is about a 1/4 mile walk to the entrance of the cavern. It was about 91 deg outside, and going into the 51 deg cavern was a welcome relief! No purses are allowed on tour and keep cameras and car keys secure because if they drop - they stay. I highly recommend this tour - the children will be amazed and engaged and the adults will love the splendor of the underground where a whole new world awaits! read more

See all

We arrived about 10 min before 4pm to try to catch the last tour of the day. (I felt a little bad since we were the only ones there and we arrived right before closing time), but Andrew, our guide, was such a good sport. We did the Lights Tour which was supposed to last 60-80minutes, but since we were the only ones, we navigated the cave in about 30-40 minutes. There is about a 10 minute walk to the entrance of the cave. It is about 15 degrees cooler in there, so was nice especially on a hot day. It seems that the cave is consistently at 53.5 degrees. The path is fairly easy, but there are some stairs and narrow areas (if you are claustrophobic). It can also be slippery, so recommended to wear trail or grippy shoes. Andrew was a great guide who kept us on our toes with interesting information and corny cave jokes. We loved it! The stalagmites and stalactites were so magnificent to look at. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area and looking to tour a cavern. read more

See all

Friendly and informative staff greeted us and provided a memorable tour. This place reminds visitors to escape the hustle of daily life and embrace Earth's enduring geological beauty and history. Thank you to Faith and Bryan for such a lovely experience. Seeing a cameo appearance from two bats was the perfect ending to our tour! The silence and cool air felt grounding. I hope to return before it's closed for the winter. read more

Visited California Cavern today and did the walking tour with our 13 and 5 year old. Our tour guide was Carly, and she did a really great job. She was full of knowledge and insight, ready to answer any questions and gave us plenty of time to move safely with a little one who needed to use the hand rails and move quite slowly. We really enjoyed learning the caverns history, taking in all of the sights, and enjoying the cool 52° cavern temps while it was blazing hot out was an added bonus. Definitely recommend to all with curious minds who aren't too nervous for the trek. Very neat experience. Thank you Carly! read more

California Cavern State Historic Landmark - Walking Tours Near Me - Mountain Ranch, California

This is worth seeing atleast once if you have the chance to go. Very nice and peaceful . Do not wear white as you will be going theough very narrow spaces. Do not carry anything with you. read more

Recommended to any family who needed a quick outing. Activity is not to the point. Go inside the shop and pay for the tickets. Then meet up outside the back of the shop with your group and tour guide when the time is up. Walkways were small and narrow. Watch your head at some points to avoid bumping onto cave rocks. Tour guide was informative and funny as well. Must carry small tiny purses or fanny packs. Backpacks , whether small or big, are not allowed due to the tight spaces. read more

I saw much more beautiful caves in my life, all over the world butwhat's fun about this place is the actually (unbelievable) history of the 'cavern' that the guide will tell you all along the way. The fun thing compared to other caves I visited is that some path are really narrow and fun to go through! (do get a helmet at the beginning of the tour). You'll also be able to experience total darkness in the cave. My guide was passionate, fun, took time to answer all questions. 15$ for 1.2 hours tour! Prepare a sweater and non-slick shoes! read more

California Cavern State Historic Landmark - Walking Tours Near Me - Mountain Ranch, California

See all

I went spelunking (caving) for the first time and it was AWESOME! :D My sister, newly acquainted friends and I (group of 8) had a memorable and fun time in the Middle Earth tour with Brett and Alyssa as our guides. Honestly, the tour guides made it really informative and entertaining, which was such a pleasure having them with us :) We all got suited up in coveralls, gloves, borrowed hiking boots (left over from previous cavers), and a headlamp attached to a helmet. It gets pretty muddy in there so I recommend the coveralls but it might be best without them too because they kinda hold you back while crawling. There is a lot of crawling in tight spaces, maneuvering your body to fit through holes and being cramped together in certain areas. It's pretty cool to see all the preserved calcite stalagmites, stalactites, soda straws and the different rooms the cavern has to offer such as the jungle room. The mud in Middle Earth was barely knee deep so it wasn't too bad moving through the cave but the 3 ladders used to climb out of the cave was probably the scariest haha. Our Middle Earth trip was about 5 hours total and there is no bathrooms or food inside the cavern so relieve yourself and stuff your face before hand lol. One of the coolest things some of us did in the cavern was to swim across the small lake (completely our choice or there's a inflatable raft that can bring you across the lake). It was freezing cold but still something one can brag about is swimming across a lake in a cavern :D I highly recommend this tour and hopefully Brett can guide you down the cavern! And good luck in college, Alyssa! :D read more

See all

I was in the Angels Camp/San Andreas area on the bike, and saw some signage for this - having a morning to kill, headed up the road to go check it out. First...the road from San Andreas to California Cavern is VERY cool if you're on a motorcycle. No traffic, lots of twists and turns, and FUN. Once you get to the parking lot, it's an easy walk up to the gift shop/check-in area. I got my ticket for a tour starting in about 20 minutes. They DO offer quite a few tours (more on that in a minute) - I opted for the 90 minute casual walk. Our guide showed up on time, and after introducing everyone to each other, she headed down the EASY dirt trail to the cavern entrance - showing us the original entrance as we walked by it. We entered the hole, and she proceeded to do a most excellent story of the cavern history, and walked us through various key areas...all of which were pretty awesome. The good news - this particular tour is pretty flat - which, if you're gimpy like moi, that's a nice thing. The not so good news - IF you're claustrophobic - there are some definite tight paths. REALLY tight. Easy to do, but something to be aware of. Towards the end of our tour, we met one of the other tour groups - this was what I would call the slider group - 'cause they clearly had been sliding around in the muck as a part of their tour (to each his own, I suppose). All in all, highly recommended. An interesting history, lots to see (including cave graffiti), and some grand photos came about as a result. Definitely worth the trip. read more

See all

Did the trail of lights tour with my parents (both are in their 70s). Super fun and beautiful tour. Although there is some crouching and wiggling through some tight areas, my parents were able to get through it! Plan to go back with a buddy to do the middle earth tour! read more

California Cavern State Historic Landmark - Walking Tours Near Me - Mountain Ranch, California

See all

This was our first ever caving experience and it was definitely amazing. We were a small group and had two amazing tour guides- Andrew and Ben; with so much knowledge of the cavern. The middle earth experience is definitely worth it. There are some very tight spaces to crawl and squeeze through. I did get nervous at one point!! Overall I highly recommend it, if you dare Darkness,mud and critters and tight crawls. WOW !! read more

See all

This was my second cave adventure and I really enjoyed it! The Middle Earth Cave Expedition was soo fun! At the beginning of the tour, our guide tested us for claustrophobia and took things slow. If you are claustrophobic this tour is NOT for you! Soon you'll be walking through water and crawling through mud. This tour took about 4 hours including part of the walking tour. I would highly suggest this tour of you like adventure! Just make sure you're ok with getting dirty. My top picks: -crawling through caves! -mud, clay, getting dirty -outdoor showers to rinse after the tour My negatives: -tour guide was ok, wasn't very enthusiastic -equipment was old, torn, ill fitting, and not enough of certain sizes. My knee pads and helmet needed constant adjustment for FOUR hours read more

Fun and interesting tour, great value and accessible to almost everyone. Nice drive just off the 49. Great picnic spot

"Can you squeeze through an opening smaller than an inflated basket ball?" On Friday August 8, 2008 my wife and I experienced the California Cavern's Middle Earth tour. It was quite an experience. Depending on your tolerance/enjoyment of tight spaces and physical challenges you can have a great or miserable time. Both my wife and I had an interesting, challenging and adventurous time. My wife didn't find it pleasurable - it's no walk in the park. We are both very fit 60 somethings. We work out hard 5 to 15 hours per week. A 10 mile hill country hike is no big deal for us. But this trip really had us winded. Afterwards, we know we used muscles that we don't normally use. The Middle Earth tour is reported to be one of the most extreme caving adventures in the US. You won't find any argument from us! After suiting up in the provided coveralls, with lighted helmet and gloves, you set off with a great guide to the cave. You really need to follow their pre-expedition checklist as you absolutely will need rugged high top boots (you will be slogging through sticky mud that has pulled the soles off some boots and will pull yours off if not laced properly), knee pads (you will be on your hands and knees a lot! the long soft kind like for softball or volleyball are the best), and the proper clothing. Contrary to their website - elbow pads were not recommended by our guide as they generally won't stay on your elbows - you wind up wearing useless wrist pads! If you don't wear glasses, I would suggest goggles to keep any mud out of your eyes - be sure that they're anti fog... I had some problems with my glasses fogging up. The cave is pretty much 55 degrees F year round, but the outside temperature in the summer is often in the 90s, so getting to the cave without overheating and then proceeding through the 4+ hour expedition without getting too cold is something to pay attention to. You will be getting wet and muddy, so follow their clothing recommendations. The tour itself proceeds for about 1 mile underground. A lot of this is bent over, on your hands and knees or sliding on your belly using your elbows to pull you forward. In a few areas you have to squirm your way through. The tightest section is a 5 foot vertical hole leading to the (aptly named) womb room that you can only get through with your arms over your head (to compress your shoulders). The hardest section is the worm squirm, very narrow about 20 feet long (I could be wrong, didn't have a measuring tape), with a hard to navigate sharp turn. The most challenging parts of the trip were generally in the first half, with easy access to the main easy public walking tour path, allowing for an easy bailout if you freak! After halfway, you are in a part of the cavern not easily accessible so really need to be comfortable at this point to make it to the exit. No food, drink or bathrooms are available for the 4+ hour tour, so be careful with your intake beforehand. At the end are rustic shower facilities so you can clean up. Bring water and a snack as the small gift shop will probably be closed when you get out if you take the afternoon tour. The caverns are beautiful and worth the visit. If you really want a strenuous adventure, are not the least bit afraid of tight spaces and you don't mind getting muddy and wet - consider the Middle Earth tour. If you're not up to it or are not totally fit - consider the walking tour. read more

Amazing hike but plan on seeing a lot more cute towns , lakes , gold panning ect.. hoteyand great food in area also ohv parks camping do again plan Itinerary for a to do list.. read more

I didn't get to check in here because there was no wifi accessible at the time. But holy cow was this fun! Have you ever wanted to be the star of your own Lord of the Rings movie?!? This is the place to do it. They have the middle earth spelunking experience here. The tour lasts two and a half to four hours depending on how quickly your group is moving through and how many people you have. Just be warned, this is not for out of shape people, you don't have to be in peak shape but be ready for the best sleep of your life that night! The first half of the tour is a bit more walking and looking at stuff with a handful of things to crawl through and climb over to test your mettle and see if you're ready to take the trek through middle earth! There comes a point where they will allow you to back back out and head back to the main building if you're feeling like this isn't for you. But once you go past the gate you have to commit to finishing because there's no way out besides the one exit(at least that's what we were told) could be just for motivational purposes though. The second half is where the real fun begins! That's when it's time to get down and dirty!!! You get to find out how flexible and strong you really are. A couple of the obstacles have different ways to do it. Fools folly for example either you can just suck it up and get down in the water and wade in water that's knee to waist deep depending on your size or you can attempt to grab the rope on the wall and shimmy across the cave face in hopes of staying dry. Once out they have showers and waters for you to clean up and get re hydrated. Visit the gift shop on your way out, you can crack your own geode or pick up some other cave related goodies! read more

A must see! Imagine your self inside of a Crystal Rock. That's how I felt when I first entered the cavern. When I first entered the storefeont, I was greeted by Allison. She gave me a little insight about what I was going to see, since I was a little skeptical about spending $17.50. I thought it was going to be a moutain with a hole in it. Man, was I WRONG! It was surreal, with a lot of history. Before going into the cave, I had to wait 10 minutes til the hour, to meet the guide. Within that time, I was able to look around the store and use the restroom. They sell a lot of items that dealt with crystals and rocks, from jewelry to souvenirs. That definitely kept me busy for a while. At 10:50am, I met my guide at the meeting area. It was Allison:) She has a bubbly personality and seems to be a fun person to have as a guide. We walked for about 5 minutes through the heat, until we arrived at the entrance of the cave. You can feel the extremely cool air coming from the entrance of the cave. That definitely felt good on a hot summer day. From there, we went to the little shack, where I received my helmet, incase I was to bang my head throughout the cave. Throughout the tour, my guide gave me some insight about the history of the cave. I only grasped about 20% of what she said. She spoke about the people who worked in the cave and the different types of activities the miners held. She also spoke about the different types of minerals that the cave has, and astonishing formation of what time, water and natural resources has created. If you're lucky like me, you will be in a group solo. It opens at 10, so I recommend you get there early and not have to deal with larger groups. The package I had was the most affordable. It was only $17.50 for adults and a little less expensive for childern. If you are coming just for this attraction, I would definitely recommend on the bigger package. I believe it is around $150 and 4 to 5 hours long. With that package, you're able to get down and dirty with the cave. LITERALLY! You get coveralls, I think, and you will get to experience ins and outs of what the cave has to offer. I even saw one group slide down a tiny hole into another room, like a worm in a wormhole. I regret not getting that tour instead, but I didn't know what to expect. Overall, the tour exceeded my expectations. I would recommend this place to any of my fellow explorers. read more

See all

Ok out of 3 caverns I went into this trip this was the winner! But DO NOT take the back road to save 15 minutes. Take the highway. Trust me! It was the best most caverns, most crevices, winding adventure into darkness ever. A few places I couldn't believe we were going on there but we fit. Got a little muddy hitting walls but so worth it. Best part was lights out. The tour guide was pretty corny with jokes but awesome and just overall fun! read more

We had one of those time that we call MEMORABLE. We try to find places that we can take the whole family and find something to do within a reasonable cost and time, but still have the best time ever. We found it with California Caverns. We know it was going to be a bit of a drive from the South Bay Area, but you know something it is one of those drives, that we all have a good conversion and good laughs with. We find interesting things along the way too, and each time we head to Gold Country we take a different direction so we get to see different things. We found a house as we were driving along state highway 29, they called the house Area 52 with the house painted like a rocket including the shrub out front made like rockets too. Those are the cool things we like to find. We finally arrived to California Caverns and found the people working there to be beyond friendly, they made us feel right at home, and let us tell you they have a big home. It looks like the are just finishing some remodeling and it is a great place to bring a picnic lunch, as they have plenty of table to have a good lunch there. When you arrive you find yourself a bit lost with everything you are going to experience, but in a short time you are greeted and asked which tour you would like to be taking, we did not know what we were in for, but we took the normal walking tour which is very fun. Attached where you sign up is a upscale gift shop where you can buy some cool stuff for the family and friends, but of course all of our kids wanted some type of gems and they did get some. Well we had about 45~50 minute before we were to be on the next tour, as they only put about 20 people in each tour, I am guessing they do this so nobody gets lost, or because that is a good number of people that can interact with the tour person. So we took full advantage of the picnic area they have provided and feed all of our boys lunch and that way they would go in to the caverns with a full stomach. The tour itself was very educational and fun at the same time, you get to hear and see how some people actually worked and played in the cavern and how some of the area got their names, which are very interesting, they do give you plenty of time to take pictures and see the different formation, just note make sure you wear good shoes and be aware of the low ceilings, other than that this is a good place to bring the family, school kids and even if yourself. We were in the caverns for about 60 minutes, which is well worth the money, then you come out and are able to let your eyes adjust to the light again, and move your way back to the gift shop/picnic area. We had a fantastic time and trust me if I could remember all the staff names, I would put them here, but if you do get a chance to make this trip it is well worth the time and money to come and see some of California's history and have fun doing it, also our two year old is asking when we are going back again. read more

California Cavern State Historic Landmark - Inside the California Caverns. - Walking Tours Near Me - Mountain Ranch, California

Based on the reviews I read here, I chose to take my family to these caverns. we all had a great time. Tour time was just over an hour and was pretty easy to negotiate. Temperature was about 52 degrees inside the caverns. A welcome to the hot weather outside. I will admit, I am tall and wide, and had to squeeze through a couple of narrow passages while ducking and trying not to hit my head. Alyssa, our guide commented that she never saw anybody sweat inside of a cave lol. Very interesting and informative. Amazing. Compared to other caves or caverns I have been to, this was a great store, but did not have spectacular inside views. Price was very reasonable with a great gift shop as well. Would recommend this tour to anyone in the area. We went June 23rd read more

California Cavern State Historic Landmark - Three separate images - Walking Tours Near Me - Mountain Ranch, California

California Cavern is a State Historic Landmark founded in about 1850 when Captain Joseph Taylor thought that randomly shooting at a mountain was a good plan. He manged to knock a hole into the beginning of the caverns and after sadly discovering that there was no gold there to be found, he turned it into the first "show cave" of California. A good solid tour, especially for the price. Longer than the Black Chasm Cavern but its also not quite as unique. Also, as a warning, there are a few tight and low spacing to scrabble through, so be prepared for that. It's also Very Chilly in there, so even if its 100 outside, you'll probably want to wear a sweater and good shoes. read more

See all

Just to echo a previous poster - do NOT bring a baby. I even called ahead of time to ask an employee if it was safe to bring an infant in a front carrier. The employee said that yes, people bring infants all the time. The ceilings in the cavern can get low, and jut out in many different directions. The hard hats they offered obviously did not fit my 6 month old, so I had to protect her skull constantly. Also, since the cave is naturally humid, the ground is very wet and slippery. I had to duck down a lot, and walk very slippery stairs and steep slopes with my little one. I was stressed the entire time. Unfortunately, our tour guide was very young, and not sympathetic. She rushed our tour, since we were the only ones in her group, and the last one of the day. This is a great cave for children 4+. read more

Soooo awesome and fun. This was a really cool tour. We just opted for the normal tour and it still was filled with lots of exploring, factoids, and great caves. I went with my famil a while back, maybe in 2008, and have been wanting to go back ever since. The overall tour group size was maybe about 20 people give or take, but it was still easy to move and navigate while in the caves. I never felt in danger of falling, or slipping, or getting hurt. There were some spots you can go if you wanted to, but it was an option and not everyone had to go, which was good because sometimes it was kind of sketchy maybe for elders. Tons of things to see, experience, and learn. I'd suggest it for any family outting. read more

Isic... our tour guide is amazing.. please come here.. history getaway from the heat. Family fun trip. Isic... couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. So nice. Please come here.. so worth it. Hard to keep a child entertained. But boy was he entertained.. just the best place to visit. The caves were amazing to look at. There gold mining you can do also. Also camping if you ask in advance. Just a great place all around. read more

See all

We took our classes to the caverns today. My class had Winter as our guide. He was incredible. I have an SDC class who were very anxious. He put them all at ease and made it an excellent experience for them all. Thank you so much Winter for taking care of us and sharing your knowledge of the caverns read more

Our family was staying in Angel Camp and decided to visit California Cavern. Our tour guide, James, was amazing! He was extremely knowledgeable about the history and geology of the cave. We couldn't believe an hour had already passed! Awesome destination with very friendly staff! read more

We made this the focal point of a day out in the foothills and I wish we hadn't bothered. The tour guides admitted that this cave had been a "party cave" for years, and it shows. Granted, you are in a hollow space underground, so it qualifies as a cave, but because of that hard use (campfires, etc) it is filthy inside and all of the features that would make it worthwhile are covered in smoke and dust. I suppose if it's the only cave you're likely to ever be in then it might be of interest, but if you're expecting to experience a cave as it could and should be, this isn't it. read more

Who knew that a walk through tour through geological history was only two hours away from the South Bay?? This particular company runs fairly organized tours, and the California Cavern is one of the best tours of the bunch. $15/adult will get you approximately one hour in the cavern, including a helmet (which should be required instead of optional). The caverns here are just fascinating, while the tour takes you through about four different large rooms. The formations are just awe-inspriring, especially when you realize how old they are (some over millions of years old!!). A downside was the tour guide, who I am sure was over worked fourth of July weekend, but seriously, she just did not want to be there. I know the majority of visitors are turds, but her tone of voice did not need to reflect that. Otherwise, important things to note: --The cavern temperatures remain constant at about 60 degrees. Bring a long sleeve shirt if necessary. --The caverns are MOIST. You will get clay smears on your legs, and your shoes will get dirty. Dress to get dirrrty. The ground can be slippery; wear your hiking shoes. --Tours run on the hour. Saturdays are extremely busy, with groups numbering into the high twenties. (Thus, avoid!!). --You can take flash photography. Lastly, I don't think re-touring the same cave gives off the same effect, so once you've been here, that's kind of it. It is really fantastic, but it's not something I would need to see year after year. read more

Our family took a trip in this area, and hit all 4 Caves in the area; Mercer, Black Chasm, California cavern and the Moaning Caverns and by far the best is the California Cavern. If you want to see a cave at its best, go here. We got a tour thru this cavern and had to fit into a few tight spaces, but easy enough for anyone to go thru. The information and the cave colors and different formations are very interesting and educational. Basic Walking Tours start at 14.95. If you're a pro, they have other tours that go further into the cave for about 120.00 and get muddy and visit lakes deep inside. Whether you're a pro, or a beginner and If you never been in a large cave, and you're in the area, plan to see the California Cave. It's a blast! read more