Classic NorCal attraction! I have been coming here since I was a kid, and it just gets more amazing as I get older. Nothing but beautiful formations and rich history. Near Columbia and close to Calaveras Big Trees. We did all 3 in an easy and affordable day trip. WARNING: The stairway down is 165ft of tight clearances and wet surfaces. My 10yr old daughter freaked out 10 steps down, and refused to go...taking my wife out of the tour as well. Be prepared for moments of anxiety...but they are short lived, and it is WORTH IT! read more

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

Such a cool experience! You climb down 16 flights of stairs which is 160+ feet below. You will definitely feel it in your legs on the way back up but the experience was worth it and the guides are super friendly, have a lot of great stories and take you picture down in the cavern too! read more

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Oh man. My first spelunking experience in the US. I'll tell you: it's worth it. You HAVE to try this at least once in your life. We did the exploration tour, which is around 4 hours(-ish?). We started mid-day where its soooo burning hot but hey, we're going down to the cave so it didn't matter. Our guide was really nice and accommodating. He explained a lot of things, helped us went through tricky areas, and ensured that we're not getting claustrophobic inside. I always love cave exploring, and this does not disappoint. If you love adventures (and hopefully not claustrophobic), I encourage you to visit this place! read more

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Spending the weekend in the local area gave me the chance to finally check out this place. Although you can do a walk up, they do recommend you reserve your spot on a tour online because they limit group sizes. It would be a shame to get there and you're advised the tour is full. When I called, all the earlier tours were full...so I had to reserve a spot with the last group. This place is tucked away in the hills. Just keep following the signage. There's a small parking lot up front with overflow parking in the back. I didn't explore the park section but was told you can do things like axe throwing. I was here for the cave tour. While waiting, I saw kids panning for gold in a sluice box (they sell bag of dirt in the gift shop for this). I would say that this is not a good tour for anyone who is claustrophobic or has a fear of heights. There are some small & tight walkways. You also go up/down a spiral staircase that feels very exposed. I've been to numerous caves and caverns. Each is unique. This is a small cavern compared to others I've been it. But it's still pretty cool. It's tall but not excessively wide. According to our guide, their are a couple off pavement tours for those of you that are cave spelunkers. There's a small gift shop, but there's not a lot inside. If you're looking to kill 2-3 hrs, this is a good option. read more

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It was our third time on the tour - twice before were with school groups (middle school) and were hectic but still fun. We're all three a lot older now and was fun to remember the previous trips but agreed that the "regular" tour was much more informative and interesting. Our tour guide was great and was full of cool facts and shared personal experiences in the caverns. read more

This is a must see if you are around the area! The spiral staircase is a bit of a challenge going down but it's all worth it. Kids have no problem going down but for the not so young, it will take longer to descend. It's a total of 235 steps down and more than 410 feet depth approximately. Discovered in the 1840s & opened to the public in 1922. Back in the days when there were no flashlights, it is such a brave discovery. My kids were hesitant to do it, but they were happy they did. It's part of history that we all need to see. read more

I've done there regular tour (2024) and Expedition Tour (Feb 2025). Both amazing experiences each time. I had an incredible tour guide named Emily each time. She listened to all my concerns for the expedition tour and made it like they say, "An experience of a lifetime." I just wanted to make it know how great of a tour guide she was and it was super cool to see her again. I have remembered everything she told me so she definitely made an impact for a wonderful experience. 100/10. lol read more

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

I would give 10 stars if I could. My friends and I did the half-day crawling expedition tour through the cave. Before I talk about that, let me say this: The staff I talked to on with phone to plan were awesome. The staff on site (all of them) from ticket counter to gift shop were super friendly and welcoming. Our guide (Tyler) was absolutely awesome. He was knowledgeable, supportive, and just downright cool. Tyler treated our group like we were old friends coming to visit. The adventure... insanely awesome!!! Almost five hours of dark, dirty, crawling, climbing, sliding, squeezing guided exploration down into the earth. Helmets, headlamps, knee and elbow pads, and a liability waiver. Perfect! Sign me up! A 100' spiral staircase in the main chamber... then down into tiny passages and fissures til you are 230' below the surface. At one point our guide (Tyler) reached up and touched the bedrock OVER our heads. We continued down through (fittingly named) passageways such as The Meat Grinder, Godzilla's Nostril, and The Birth Canal. Passages led to increasingly tiny (3' tall chambers) our guide called "rooms." These "rooms" also had fun names like, The Breakdown Room or The Pancake Room. After getting through that, it was a 40' fissure climb through The Chimney, onto a ledge above the main chamber, followed by a manual belay descent back to the platform floor. OUTSTANDING! EVERY SECOND OF IT WAS OUTSTANDING. This trip is PERFECT for a group of family or friends wanting to adventure out and share a heavy experience unique from so many other things. I have done A LOT of adventure excursions and exploring around California and beyond. This has become one of my favs. A special experience. DO IT!!!!! read more

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If your in Amador county, adventurous and are thinking of things to do , I would say this about tops my list. My legs say that for sure! I signed up for the tour which took about 45min. You wait for your guide and go through an enormous flight of narrow stairs, it was iron but let me say this , they were roughly 100yrs old. Can't hear anything or see anything if ya got stuck. Luckily they have lighting in the cave to help with the blackness that can fool you into seeing things. I'm not that adventurous so I just got to the bottom and that was it. You can sign up for a tour to do the deeper exploring if ya want that goes further, No Thanks ! That was far enough, my poor thighs have had enough! read more

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This is an amazing activity. The site is breathtaking save the staff is super professional. Warning, lots of kids accompany Thier parents for the descent. They can often be noisy and interrupt the presentation at the bottom which can be frustrating. Scott did a great job of rounding up the questions early and asking parents for assistance. Be patient because the experience is worth it. read more

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A cool, family friendly activity. The cavern isn't too tight. if you are afraid of heights, the spiral staircase is pretty tall. I am afraid of heights, but focusing on the staircase wasn't too bad, and well worth the descent. read more

I am so pleased that I get to visit this place! We did the spiral tour which cost $22.00 However it was not enough time to tour the cave but I still had a blast! If you are wanting to do the crawling and spelunking that will cost $115.00 for the adults which we were too late to reserved our spot! Sadly we were not able to do it :( The staircase has 144 steps which leads you down the cave and once you reached it I was blown away! I took as much pictures. Cave was so beautiful! Kids are also welcome but safety first please hold onto the rails! Thank you for the great experience! read more

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We went yesterday (6/27) at 11am and our tour guide (I couldn't remember their name) was amazing. If you are afraid of heights or claustrophobic, you may want to reconsider. The only tight spaces you go through during the walking tour is the first few steps. From there, it is open but you go down a pretty big staircase. It is definitely worth it. I've never seen anything like it. read more

Deep in Calaveras County, on the fringe of Stanislaus National Forest is a place for the whole family to enjoy if you love the outdoors. In this case, you may also say indoors outdoors. If you're looking for adventure, they have zip lines, climbing wall and cave tours. There's two types of cave tours: expedition tour and spiral tour. The expedition tour requires you to wear a helmet and climbing gear, which will be provided for you. Bring your own knee and elbow pads though since you will be needing them for safety. Not recommended if you're claustrophobic. The spiral tour takes you down a 32 foot spiral staircase (16 stories) descending down below the deepest chamber cave in California. Once below, they will turn off the lights so you will be in complete pitch dark surroundings. Your eyes will eventually adjust, but it's quite an experience being in that type of environment deprived from any form of light. If you're into these kinds of adventures, you will definitely get your money's worth. It's a guided tour and safety of everyone comes first and foremost. Definitely not for the faint of heart, and you gotta be fit to climb up and down those stairs. You will learn about the history of the cave and how it was formed from millions of years of how a tiny drop of water created such a vast and wonderful chambers that proved deadly to animals and early humans that fell into the abyss. If you're looking for something new for the family this summer after this pandemic is over, try and visit the Moaning Caverns Adventures Park for something different and thrilling. read more

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Fantastic experience! Highly recommend if you're in the area. Went on Sunday afternoon (07/31) for the tour at noon. Tours begin at the hour and you can book online (recommended) or walk-in. We got walk-in tickets for four. Ample parking. Wear shoes since there is a lot of stair climbing involved in this adventure. So many facts to know about the cavern - the whole experience is just incredible. Cavern is constantly at 61 degrees and maintained at high humidity (80%) to keep the calcite formations intact. Well lit cavern (don't know how they mustered the courage to put electrical connections in this massive cave in various sections). Amazing tour guide - she was very knowledgeable, funny, patient with questions, and took photos for our group! Did I say I highly recommend it?! read more

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Fun times with Emily! We took a spur of the moment trip to revisit the cavern with our daughter. Although, I've been here a handful of times before, this tour is hands down probably the most memorable. Emily was very informative, gots jokes, and stories. 5 stars to Emily! Everyone else was very friendly and attentive -- one offered to take a picture for us. After the tour, my daughter enjoyed panning for gemstones and identifying the gems on our trip back to town. The trip is short but worth it. read more

Awesome tour! Worth the price! If you get claustrophobic or can't handle going up the most stairs of your life, I would not recommend. There was about 20 people in our tour group. The initial climb down is about 5 flights of stairs through some very very tight spaces. Once you get down to the cavern, it is another trek down the tallest set of spiral stairs I have ever experienced in my life. They do turn off the lights at one point, which can be a bit suffocating. I have never experienced darkness like that before. The climb back out was a challenge. I was definitely wheezing a little tune by the time I got back to the top. Our tour guide was wonderful! The staff was super friendly. This place is definitely a stop to check out! read more

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Great experience and a must see!!! I heard about the caverns from a friend and decided I had to check it out. I went on a Monday and didn't book in advance, hoping they wouldn't be too busy. During the week they have hourly tours that run around 45 minutes. The $20 fee for adults is totally worth it! I did the Spiral Tour and went in with a group of 7 people. Rona was our tour guide and she was great! She was very knowledgeable and down to earth. If you have bad knees or a major fear of heights this might not be be a good tour for you. The entranceway leading down into the cavern is somewhat narrow down a flight of stairs, 65 ft to the first platform. You stop at the first platform and the guide talks a while, then you go another 100 ft down the spiral stairs. I'll be honest, I have a bit of a fear of heights and my legs were like jello once I reached the bottom! The stairs are really cool, but you can see off the side and all I kept thinking was dear God don't let these 1920s built stairs collapse today!! Clearly I survived the stairs and it's worth the journey since the bottom of the open cavern is AMAZING!! It is the largest single-chamber cavern in the state. The history is very interesting, especially the pile of bones that includes human remains dating back to around 13,000 years old! For the more adventurous type, you can book their Expedition Tour which takes you further down into the caves. To me the climb back up out of the cavern wasn't too bad. It was much better than going down and the guide gives you plenty of time. I absolutely loved this tour, as every cavern has its own history to explore!! read more

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Fun spot to take your family when you are in the area! They have zip lines, axe throwing, and cavern tours. The cavern tours are a bit anxiety-inducing if you are afraid of heights. But it is worth it! I was able to do this tour twice, and really had to make sure I didn't look down when taking the stairs. It kicked my butt on the way back up! They have another tour option that is three hours long and I heard that this one has some very tight spaces you have to make it through. Both times I went through the spiral tour the tour guide told us different facts about the history of the cave! This is definitely a must see if you love history and if you are in the area. Book your tour in advance online and check in in the gift shop! read more

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This is a must visit! Super cool for kiddos 7 and up! The spiral tour is really awesome...but it is a climb back up! My kids loved it and definitely want to do the other tour the next time we are in Tuolumne County! read more

Highlight of vacation in Yosemite area. Cavern was really something. One formation called The Igloo was over 500,000 years old. Very nice people as well. Excellent guide. Recommended read more

This is a fun kid friendly place to visit. The staff are informative and make it a point to make it a safe experience. Descending into the cave feels somewhat treacherous but is actually safe. Even though the staircase seems really old. I bet there are often longer wait times to get tour tickets especially during the busy times of the year or day. I didn't buy anything at the gift shop but it seemed like the usual shop to buy trinkets. There seems like lots of parking. I would go again. read more

Very cool adventure with science and history and a touch of exercise too. Great value for the experience.

Fun and exciting. Legs were a little wobbly after walking up the spiral stair case but definitely worth it read more

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Such an amazing time here. My daughter and I went and took the guided tour with helmets, knee and elbow-pads, and head-lamps. We got filthy and it was amazing. Crawled, climbed, and shimmied our through amazing formations. Our guide, Madison, was a delight. She exemplified expert knowledge about caving and made the adventure a memorable one. I would suggest Moaning Caverns to anyone, and will surely be back in the future! read more

Had a absolute blast! Didn't research enough before coming but we went with a toddler and two children, at first they were scared but then they loved it! Our tour guide, Angel, was super informative! Going down I may had a bit of a panic attack but the end was total worth it! read more

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We went yesterday for our Father's Day trip. We did not know what to expect but boy were we pleasantly surprised and fascinated by the entire experience. We booked, online, the 2pm Spiral tour. The check-in process was easy. They had our tickets waiting for us at the ticket counter. When it was time for the tour, we thought it would be a hike to the cavern's entrance but it was literally right next to bathrooms. The cavern runs beneath the bathrooms and gift shop. It's a little bit of a tight squeeze with a steep and extremely narrow staircase to get to the spiral staircase. You will need to hold onto the rails and walls. The spiral staircase is small and has a handrail on only one side. You will need to hold onto the cage for additional support. Once you get down to the landing area, you get to take a picture with your group and then the guide provides some education on the formations in cave, the sounds, and some history on the gold rush and indigenous tribes. Then all the lights come off! The guide even showed us where the fossilized bodies were discovered in the cave. Pretty amazing! Must do adventure! read more

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Really cool and unique tour! Highly recommend the spiral staircase tour. The cave is gorgeous inside. read more

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If I could put more than five stars, I would. My girlfriend and I did the cave expedition and it was TOTALLY worth the 95$. To start, our guide was AMAZING. They really are good at gaging the levels of the people in the group. When we walked in the door at the shop, we were immediately greeted and told exactly where we need to go. The staff is friendly, funny, and helpful. Especially when you sign up for something new, it's nice to have people there to help you. The cave expedition is by far the coolest thing ever! The entire journey is different. Nothing really repeats and there are several opportunities to explore. My girlfriend and myself are relatively fit and it wasn't even that bad. We were never once worried about anything at all. We will be definitely coming back! Plus the zipline is pretty cool too. I can't stop thinking about when we can go again. read more

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The tour is great. Highly recommend! There are a lot of narrow stairs but the tour is informative and fascinating. read more

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

It's one of these places that doesn't have a ton to offer, but it's great anyway. You're just going down the cave and come back up. There's essentially nothing else. (calling it "Adventure Park" is bit of a stretch for that reason though) But the cave really is worth checking out! Impressive volumes and features, and welcoming tour guide. There's the option of really *exploring* the cave and go spelunking, but we didn't try that. read more

What a cool place! Perfect for the summer heat, as he inside of the cave is 61° year round. Our tour guide was awesome. Funny and informative. We brought our three littles and they all did fine on the staircase. It is a lot sturdier than I would have thought. We learned a lot and had a lot of fun. We also enjoyed the gem sluicing and the axe throwing activities. All were fun, and we had good directions / supervision from the employees who were helping us. They have a nice, well stocked gift shop for patrons to buy shirts, stuffed animals, gems, and other items. It also has a cool display case with some of the ancient items they have found in the cave. My only suggestions I might offer would be to make a larger women's bathroom on site, and to sell packaged sandwiches along with the ice cream, drinks, and chips they already sell, so guests could buy a complete lunch there. They did have some nice picnic tables in the shade on which we ate our picnic lunch we had brought This is our third caving location we have been to, and I think it might be our favorite because of that really cool staircase and how fun the guide was. read more

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2 stars for our tour guide. Emily showed no euthanasiam. It was a chore for them. Gave an extra star for the experience. Tour guides make or break the experience...ours broke it. Such an attitude. read more

Would highly highly recommend this tour, one of the best things we've done in California (and I've been living here for 18 years!) and in the world. We did the expedition tour this past Sunday 8/7, and Tyler was our guide. He was an amazing lead, having worked at Moaning Caverns for 7 years (although unfortunately he had to be let go during the pandemic for 2 years but so glad he's back). It's definitely one of the most challenging caving adventures we've done. Had no idea we could fit through such small space but Tyler was gracious to let us take our time since our group took up the whole group of 6, and we crawled through every crook and cranny he suggested. Highly highly recommend! read more

I went once when I was ten then again a couple days ago. It was stunning. They guide waited for my family (my nephew was scared of the stairs and took a lot of time) and answered our questions. This is a very good place to go if you want adventures. I don't know about anything but the cavern tours and the gemstone sluice but it's pretty cool read more

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

Had a blast! My mom has been wanting to come to the Caverns for years and we were finally able to make it happen. The tour guide yesterday was so funny and had a wealth of interesting facts to share. I was nervous of if I could handle the stairs but amazingly it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. A truly cool and unique experience and my family os discussing coming back for the expedition tour! read more

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

We went to the Moaning Caverns in May 2024. The experience was a disappointment. We paid $23.00/person and it wasn't nearly as informative or exciting as the caverns in Arkansas (we visited this one 1st). Moaning caverns had one room and not much to see. I would not go there again even if it were free. The Arkansas caverns was $12.00/person and had a walking tour of many, many rooms; there were a lot of interesting picture snapshots to take; there was an elevator and walkway for wheelchairs. This was well worth the money. We don't recommend spending $23.00 per person to walk up & down 242 stairs. read more

The whole experience is truly wonderful. The expedition tour is one of a kind. The guide is so friendly and very attentive.

Really amazing experience for the family, pictures alone don't convey the experience of the descent or the history of what you're experiencing. It's the second most fun I've had going all in into a moist cavernous abyss with 15 other random strangers...... read more

We did the expedition tour AKA spelunking and it was a lifetime memory. This was way not intense than expected but gorgeous, challenging, unique and a must do for an adventurer. Plus we got to hear the regular tour, which I would recommend to anyone not super physically fit, Claustrophobic or has kids. A must do in my book, exciting, crazy at times and a bit scary but so so amazing!! read more

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