I just did the special expedition tour (not the short regular tour) through this crazy, magnificent cavern, so it says something when the first thing I want to talk about is our excellent guide. For two and half hours we crawled and squeezed and wiggled and pulled our way through cracks and tunnels and into crazy tubes and giant sparkling rooms. We were covered with sweat and dirt, and sometimes it felt like we were truly stuck. All the while, our guide, who's name I have embarrassingly forgotten, was smiling and calm and got us through everything like some kind of amazing motivational coach with a geology/history PHD. Going through this with this guy was as great as seeing the cave itself. And I know what you're thinking. "if this is a tour for tourists, how special and/or challenging can it really be?" Well, I promise you that you're wrong and that you'll walk out of this tour feeling like you've never done anything like this before. It was a truly unforgettable experience. read more

So. Much. Fun. In from out of town to visit a friend in Sacramento, she made reservations for us to do the Adventure Tour. I had no idea what we were in for - turns out, it was the most fun day of the trip. We got there early for our reservation and got to chatting with the staff. Everyone was friendly and helpful - put us and ease and made the day, especially Tim, Doug, and John. Repelling was amazing! A definite must do. I wish I lived closer and could do it again. From there, we squeezed through the smaller caves under the main cavern. Not for nervous or claustrophobic but we loved it. It was a fun challenge and gave me a deeper (ha) appreciation for caving. We emerged dirty, bruised, and smiling. Our tour took a little longer than estimated but no worries because we were with a fun group and a great guide. We ended the day with the zip line. Again, great staff and super experience. Summary - go for the the full Monty, if you can. The walking tour is probably fine but you get a much fuller experience getting down and dirty. I felt safe and comfortable throughout, thanks to the staff (kudos to management for great people skills). If I live nearby I'd take all my friends there and max out the frequent repeller card. Go. Have fun. Spread the word. read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Repelling - do it. Fun experience and amazing view of the cavern. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

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Yeah-the cave was not for me?? I am claustrophobic and my husband is afraid of heights so we were quite the spectacle! But we did the zip line and it was great. I think it is a little pricey for one zip line but they gave my husband a freebie for his bday so I can't complain. We did it random with our six and eight year old-they loved it and said it was their favorite part of our whole trip. The staff is very friendly! read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - At the top of the stairs before you go down the 65 feet to get to the bottom. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

So much fun! Our tour guide Rona was very knowledgeable and funny! It was a great family experience with great photo opportunities. Something to consider is if you have a fear of heights or are cluster phobic this may not be for you. I definitely come back and try the explorer's tour. read more

If you have never gone spelunking then this is the place to go. FIrst, you must sign up for the rappel into the cavern. It is stunning. Once you start your adventure, get ready to fit into some places you never thought you could fit . Dragon's Nostril and the Meatgrinder (for the guys in the party) pretty much sums it up BTW - My wife and daughter went on the zip line which is something I want to go do. read more

I just watched the Caves section of Planet Earth (awesome DVD!!) and was reminded of my trip to Middle Earth (8-05). The rappel - 165-foot descent on rope - was crazy! There is a short lesson on how to do it, and then we were suited up and told to go. I was fine when there was rock to set my feet on, but after 50-feet or so, it opened up into a huge cavern. I'm normally not afraid of heights, but it's really scary dangling alone off a rope looking down into an abyss. The crawling and exploring was cool, but it definitely made me feel claustrophobic. And it was really HOT in those jumpsuits and I felt like I couldn't breathe. When I found a fan lodged in the rock, I would stay there awhile for the air. I'm pretty thin and had trouble getting through, so I was surprised at how the big guys made it through the crevices. In the open spaces we battled some Orcs before climbing the circular stairs up out of the cavern. ;) It was an unforgettable experience for sure, but not one I think I will ever repeat. Nothing is allowed into the cavern, and all the cameras were taken away! But my friend Tony pocketed one of my disposables and started his descent before he copped to having it in his pocket. Our guide starting calling him "BAAAAD Tony" and the rest of us starting chanting "BAAAD Tony." It was really funny, and it stuck for the rest of the trip. But I thank him though, because my pictures wouldn't exist without him! read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - my friend bean - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

Came here with my daughter and grand daughter. It was beautiful! Very fun and interesting. They really go into detail about the history of every single part. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the stairs but as a old man I managed well. And even at that it's not a problem with them just a problem with these old legs. I recommend to anyone who wants to do something history filled. read more

Love adventure? then you gotta come here and do the 3 hours adventure tours. First you have to rappel down the cave into this chamber huge enough to hold the statue of liberty! Well, if you are not adventurous enough to do the rappel, you can choose to go down using the stairs, but of course, I do suggest everyone take the rappel. It was so much fun and the view that you see once you get into the chamber while hanging onto the rope, is worth all the panic/nervous you spent worrying whether you are going to bump yourself onto the rocks or fall onto the cave straight down. No view is better than nature. Once you are down, you will then be taken into all sort of twist, tight and interesting spaces where you have to crawl, climb, lied down, pulled yourself into the other space. All the people working there are friendly and helpful. It is definitely worth the trip up. Don't forget to bring extra clothes cause even though they gave us suit to wear, our clothes inside will still get muddy. read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

This was my first cave tour and it was totally not what I expected! But it was a great experience and it was just breath taking. The tour guides were really knowledgeable and I can't believe they do this all day. I literally almost died climbing back up. It is a little scary going down into the cavern but once you're in, it's just gorgeous! Well worth it especially since I got a work out out of it! Even though Im completely sore from my legs to my arms, I would do this again for sure. read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

ice Experience. Would have been better if it was longer. The tour guide was very knowledgeable of the history of the cave and she was entertaining all the kids questions read more

I had SO MUCH FUN here! This place is awesome. We came here for zip lining and this was the first time for myself, boyfriend, and 2 others. We were all so anxious and scared but the staff there made it so fun! I couldn't help but just crack up the whole time they were buckling us up with the zip lining gear. Shout out to Marcus - he's hilarious! Zip lining is in fact, pricey but I felt like this was a once in a lifetime experience just to say "I DID IT!". When we got there, we purchased the zip lining ticket (a wristband they put on you), then you sign the waiver/liability forms and we were off to the shed where they fixed us up with the gear. Then they drove us up to the zip lining tower in their red Subaru and zip lined we went! Not as scary as I thought it would be and was definitely a lot of fun! Then we went on to do the 45-minute cave tour and this was actually very fun and interesting as well! My thighs were killin' me and we all got a good workout climbing those stairs! The 45-minute tour is great for people who don't want to over exert themselves WAY too much but keep in mind, it does get a little tiring as there are a couple hundred steps of stairs to climb. Also, for the claustrophobes, beware! I got a little nervous walking through those small spaces but it was definitely worth it. I'm definitely coming back on our birthdays (free zip lining or rappel for your birthdays!) and I'm planning on trying the adventurous tour where you actually crawl and climb through the insides of the cave. Overall, excellent place for family fun or a need for an adventurous day! 8) read more

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So very cool and truly stunning experience. Tour guide was amazingy knowledgeable and fun to be around! All the staff was great and they helped calm our kids down enough to enter the cave so that they could experience its glory and history. So thankful for this experience!!! read more

We were here this past weekend to have a little bit of adventure, and this is what we got. As previous reviewers have mentioned, they have the most genuine, happy employees that look like they all really enjoyed their jobs. Doug, the driver who took us up to the zip line looked like he was having so much fun that it made me want his job. When it came time for us to walk back down, he even offered to drive us back. The zip line was great- and much more safe than doing it in Guatemala where I didn't even have to wear a safety helmet. Generally, safety isn't an issue for me since I don't have any fears associated with doing things like this. But for all you folks who are worried, they definitely have you covered. My only complaint about the zip line? It ended too soon and didn't go fast enough! I guess I'll have to travel around to try some more.. Next up was Rappelling in the Cavern.. My brave self talked me into going first and as I roped myself down into the cave, I was surprised that it wasn't as easy at it looked. Even though the rope is supporting most of your weight, you still have to use a lot of upper body strength to come down. After hitting the first platform, the staff person directed me to turn around and put my feet into the dark black hole. Seriously? It was then that I had my first hesitations of whether or not I could do it. After a little encouragement from myself ("I think I can, I think I can"), I did exactly what I was told. I put my feet into the hole and sat my butt down into the harness. I wasn't expecting the walls to be so closely confined around me-- talk about cramped spaces! But it wasn't that way for long as I roped my way down. I was starting to see light and I was beginning to see the cave beneath me. It was absolutely beautiful to see the stalagmites and stalacites lit up with the flood lamps. At the bottom of the cave, there is someone there to reel you in and pull you to the balcony. While I was waiting for everyone else to come down, there was a tour group in session and I happily listened to the history surrounding the cavern. Great experience overall! read more

Adventure tour! This tour took about 3 hours. I drove from the bay so you're out for about 9 hours. The adventure tour included repelling off 165 feet and crawling through multiple tight places. Our tour guide was super friendly and it was just my bf and myself, so it was nice and private (no one else joined the 3pm). I suggest going early as they do not take reservation, but if you are left to wait, sucks for you because there isn't jack to do around that town. The repelling was not as scary as I thought, but the rocks is what makes it scary. It's hard to get over them, you just need to push them with your hands so you can go down. If you are afraid of heights, just do not look down. If you're afraid of tight places, just do the walking tour. It's essentially walking down a 16 fl building by stairs, and then your tour guide will explain and tell you stories and history facts about the place. Lastly, you would walk up the stairs, it's not as bad as it looks. I actually thought you get to wear a suit when crawling, but you don't, so wear shoes and clothes you don't mind getting dirty in. You will get a helmet with a light on it, so remember to tie up your hair if you have long hair. There's also a gift shop that has a few interesting things. Cost is about $130 a person. Plenty of parking in the lot as well and it's free. Not much photos to take of, but you can bring your phones inside. If you're doing the adventure tour, your tour guide will keep it and once everyone repelled down, he'll give it back to you. It's quite warm inside, it's always 61 degrees year round, and since you're crawling you don't really need a heavy jacket. I don't mind trying the other adventures that are advertised on the brochures. read more

They say Moaning Cavern doesn't moan much anymore on its own, so they rely on unsuspecting tourists dangling 160ft above on a wet rope to provide the sounds. Unbelievable. This place is so large that you could fit the Statue of Liberty inside with room to spare. As was mentioned by Natalia, you walk down hundreds of stairs or you can rappel. I highly recommend the rappel. It's not cheap, but you'll remember it the rest of your life. I'm a tall guy, 6'4", and while cramped in spots on the second chimney, the bumps and scratches were worth it to emerge from darkness into the lit cavern (see photo.) I'd like to return to try the full adventure tour sometime soon. read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Zach R. 1/4 way into the cave - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

My husband and I had such a nice time visiting Moaning Caverns. We went the day after the Thanksgiving week rush, Monday, so we were blessed with our very own personal tour guide, Angel. Definitely worth visiting, we did the Spiral Tour. So bizarre that there are no living things in the cave. I was expecting bats, bat guano, bugs, mold, etc. Makes me more willing to give the Expedition Tour a try in the future. read more

We hit the bucket twice in this place! Our first time exploring a cavern and our first time ziplinig! We chose the standard cave tour, where you can just wear your own confortable clothes and shoes on the tour. No beverages or water are allowed inside the cave, so drink before you go to your tour. Ziplining was great and fun, just a bit pricey for one 30 second ride. The view was amazing! We brought our GoPro3 camera, you are allowed to bring any type of camera as long as there is a strap on. Overral, we had a great memorial and enjoyable experience at the park! They offered us military discount, if you are in the military, show your id card! We will be back later to tray repelling down the cave! read more

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So much fun!!!! My boyfriend and I bought the combo for cave rappel and zip line for 99.45 each. Soooo worth it!!! So much fun!!! The employees are very knowledgable and in great mood. Great experience! Beautiful place. Bring your GoPros! read more

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Wow what a great time! We did the adventure trip and had a blast. Our guide was Serena and she was awesome! She answered all our questions and was very knowledgeable in geology. She was very encouraging during the entire trip, helped out whenever someone needed help, and encouraged us to explore on our own as she watched for our safety. I cannot express how much fun we had. This is an adventure that I will not forget. My top picks; -adventure trip ($98/person. Must be in good physical shape and not afraid of the dark and tight spaces) -Serena, our guide. All staff was friendly too. read more

Another Reckless event I organized with my group and it was oh so good! This is where you mix all your weird feelings in a blender and grind it all together... excitement, fear of the unknown, fear of heights, claustrophobia, confused, ignorance, fun, success, victory or whatever-the-heck-else you may wanna add... The result will be one huge drop of endorphin that makes you proud and boastful. You just wanna be a banshee and scream, "I DID IT!" I wanna go back and do the zipline part. Yeah, I got too excited with rappeling that I didn't do the zipline. Well, honestly, it was not budgeted on my part. I didn't realize I can do a combo. Oh well... that's a great reason to come back and do it all again with a plus! read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

My husband and I along with some friends did the rappel into the cave and zip lining. I was a little nervous for the rappel, but once I got down to the bottom I wanted to do it again. We will definitely be back in the future! All of the employees along with Keith the manager were super friendly and knowledgeable. The zip line crew told us about a few local spots to go check out, and we had a great time finding them. Thanks!! read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

Great adventure with my family. All the steps can be a bit difficult, but worth everyone.

I've told everyone else about this, so I might as well Yelp it. The kids (mid 40s) were visiting. They wanted to go zip lining, so off we went to Moaning Cavern. In a minute everyone, to include 70 year old Grandma, had signed up to zip line. She (and everyone else) loved it. I didn't get to go, I had to stand down at the end of the zip line and take pictures, my lot in life. You won't regret an afternoon spent at Moaning Cavern, even if you're the one that has to take the pictures.. read more

Booked a long weekend in Pinecrest to play in the snow with my family and got no snow! Took the kids here for something to do. The cavern tour was neat and the tour guide was entertaining. Keep in mind that it is just a walk down a long spiral staircase where you hear some history & facts about the cavern, and then you walk back up. Gift shop at the top where you need to walk in/out of the cavern tour, of course. My kids liked it, so I'll still give it a thumbs up. I have to remove a star because despite all the tour guide's knowledge about the cavern's features, he kept mispronouncing 'stalactite'. read more

We had a great time!! This is a tour that everyone (who can walk 450 steps, 225 down to 165' and 225 back up) must do!! We took our 9yr old grandson and 6yr old granddaughter on this adventure and they did great! They were a bit scared going down, but once we reached the bottom, they were ecstatic to have done this. We would recommend this to everyone! Don & Shannon read more

This is a must do for locals and tourists! I've driven pst this place several times and decided to check it out. You will not be disappointed. The pictures do a good job of trying to show what you will experience but you cannot properly appreciate the experience without taking the tour. The staff are friendly, the tour guides are awesome and the cave is beyond awesome. read more

Super duper cool cool. We had a wonderful time, highly recommend it if you are in the area.

Great time on the 1500 ft zip line . Took my boy and a group. Very safety focused. Good gear and they move the crowd thru quickly. The are negotiating a much longer line which will expand their operation greatly. Friendly wand intelligent staff. The only reason I didn't rate them a five is that I thought $39 per person for one run was a little steep. They do offer package deals which would bring the price down some. They could do two runs for $39 and that would be more reasonable. We will go back once they have their next really long line in operation. We did not do the caverns or wall climbing. Maybe we will give that a try next time. read more

Definitely a recommendation for the whole family either the zipline or the moaning cavern tour. Hubby and I now have done both. Price- reasonable for cavern tour but slight higher for zipline. Half off on your second zip trip. Service- friendly and humorous staff Location- great for the zipline. Only outdoor view of trees. read more

Loved this place!! We did a cave tour & gemstone mining. Our tour guide was hilarious, yet really knew what she was talking about! We both learned so much about limestone & the original founder of the cave. After our tour we did the gemstone mining, which was so much fun!! All the employees were friendly & helpful. We will be back! read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

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Heading up there for a birthday like we have done in the past, and find out the zipline is closed. They state they are open year round, and weather providing the zipline operates. Apparently not anymore. So much for getting that ride on my birthday. I was told that they were bought out and the new owners close it down for quite some time and open it back up in the summer. What I heard was the new owners are greedy and do not want to pay staff unless it is extremely busy like summer months. What a bummer. This place was great and we have gone several times. Not going back and will discourage others from going also. Don't want my friends to waste their time when greedy owners pick & choose when they feel like working or not. read more

The expedition tour is really fun. My 14-year-old son also likes it very much. It's a totally different adventure. The leader is very nice and the whole tour is interesting. Highly recommended. read more

Such a bummer this is seasonal only now. It is February and spring-like weather. I am a local (Tuolumne County). I enjoy zip lining with kids on their birthdays and mine too. (birthdays were free). I also didn't see anything about splunking- only saw the spiral cave tour on their website. read more

Cute little adventure to do if you have little ones with you! Gift shop has a verity of souvenirs. The tour was a great experience. Climbing up the stairs is a workout! Lol. Dogs can be on a leash. They don't recommend dogs in the tour due to some dogs flipping out. read more

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This place is awesome!! I love the zip lines. The cave is pretty cool but the stairs kick your butt. The tour guide was super friendly. Now, back to the zip lines, at first you might get scared but when you go down it is starts to get a lot more fun. This is the perfect place to have some fun. You have to meet Cuddles the bird. He is so cute. But he can get annoying. He makes whistling noises like a guy would make when he sees a girl. And cuddles does it to anyone. If you have ever seen the movie Rio, Cuddles will remind you of Nigel the evil bird. Overall this place is neat and exciting!! read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Old zip lining, cave adventurer statue - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

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Beautiful place to visit BUT! I feel like the website was not clear at all regarding health, age, height, weight affecting the ability to go down into the caverns, or the safety factor. We took our five month old in a front carrier as recommended on the website, and it was so hard to maneuver through just the first 65 feet that we turned around and left. We felt VERY unsafe, it was very steep, very dark, and very narrow. The first part of the corridor (before the metal spiral staircase) was almost like descending a ladder, but facing forward. It definitely required both hands to not fall. Very scary with a front baby carrier. My husband is 6'3" and his shoulders were rubbing both sides of the first part of the descent. The website states that 'walking' age children are able to go through, but I definitely wouldn't ever take a child there under the age of maybe 8 or so. Also, the website made it seem that the ten story staircase was an optional part of the tour, but it was all one tour. We did not go on the staircase so I cannot opine on that. All in all, if you are claustrophobic, heavy set, out of shape, very tall, or a small child/baby- this isn't for you. read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Photo of my 6'3" husband vs. tiny passageway for reference - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

Great introduction to cave touring. It was just long enough to enjoy without totally freaking out. :) It's humid and warm so no need for a coat. Lots of narrow stairs up and down (like 230+) so if you are scared of heights or unsteady on your feet, you might want to skip this one. Overall, very fun and informative! Zach did a great job leading and teaching us. :) read more

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300 lbs 6'. I Made it. Barely. Not recommended for non athletic people. My son of 4 came With and the gaps in stair case railing on sides was just big enough that had he tripped and fell on staircase; he would have gone through. Me holding his hands as he cried and Whimpered going up trying to hurry out gave me a surge of adrenaline to keep going haha. Super fun. Keep little ones at home and far butts at the top to bird watch read more

Came here for a day trip! We weren't there for more than 1.5 hours. This place is really expensive! You pay $75 to rappel down a rope straight into a cave, and then climb back up a 100 step staircase. It was probably more than that. We opted for the cheaper option and just climbed the staircase down to the bottom, and then back up. There's also zip lining. Unfortunately you only zip down ONE line! I'd rather go to a park where you can zip down multiple different lines for the same price. They have one near the Santa Cruz Mtns. It's nice if you're interested in looking at stalactites and stalagmites. But, I wouldn't recommend anyone to drive a far stretch just to see this expensive cave. read more

Expedition tour in the big cavern: You will be taking the staircase down to start the Expedition tour, not rappelling. If you are over 6ft tall and not in lean shape and flexible, you are going to have a very difficult time. Army crawling through the cavern is the biggest part of the tour. You're definitely going to feel like you may get stuck in tight places. You will have to pull yourself through tiny spaces on your stomach using your elbows only, and pushing with your heels or toes behind you, twisting around rocks when moving on to other parts of the cavern. It is physically challenging and not for those with claustrophobia. We did it yesterday, are both in good physical shape, but still think there should be a height and weight restriction. You will get dirty and muddy, wear stretchy pants, thin but durable long sleeves, and all the gear they provide you. Do not go in shorts or t-shirt !! Scratches and bruises guaranteed. The cost is $90 a person, a 2-3 hour tour. Overall adventurous and unique experience. Cassandra was a great guide! read more