Found it on YouTube while we were planning to visit Big Calaveras tree park. We were surprised to find the big deep down cave below an obscure looking hole. There is large effort gone into creating a spiral staircase and space enough for people to visit. Although infrastructure has aged and not much to talk about, the experience in cave is thrilling and a bit scary (height and darkness). A memory nonetheless in a nice cool weather giving a respite from hot sun outside read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Spiral staircase. Takes time to go back up. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

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Great little adventure, they had just re-opended with smaller/limited group size due to COVID19. The tour guide and the overall organization is top notch and they quickly fixed a small issue with our reservation. We were the most impressed with the lights being turned off. You can also very easily combine this with the natural bridges hike which is a 5mins drive. read more

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

We had a great time at the moaning caverns! We did a staircase tour. I feel it was the right amount of length. We had ages 63 all the way down to age 6. Must be able to do stairs. The guide had lots of interesting facts about the caverns but not overwhelming. I feel it was a bit overpriced but they're just a business trying to survive after I'm sure they were closed during Covid times. Great people in the gift shop too. read more

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

The cave itself is really amazing, but I feel like they could do a better job of warning people with young kids how strenuous and potentially dangerous it is for little ones. We took my 3 yr old and 7 yr old with friends that have a 4 and 5 yr old. The stairs going down to the platform are really steep, and then the spiral staircase was really scary with a small kids. The stairs are caged, but a 3 yr olds foot could definitely fit through the gaps in the spiral stairs. If they fell on the stairs I don't know if the caging around the stairs would definitely keep them in, there are large gaps. We went down last in the tour so we could take our time, but it was still difficult and unnerving. I'm not generally afraid of heights, but the trip down the stairs definitely rattled me. My 7 yr old handled it OK, but I was a bit nervous for him on the stairs as well. I would absolutely not recommend the tour for kids under 7 or 8. Also, really make sure your kids go to the bathroom before the tour starts. Once you get to the bottom, if your kid suddenly has to pee, you can't go back up the stairs until the tour guide has finished their talk because they turn the lights off midway through their talk. read more

My husband and I had such a fun afternoon here. We laughed, learned a bit, took great photos, and laughed some more all the way home. Tips: be prepared to climb, a lot. Have your phone on a lanyard or something around your wrist. Hydrate beforehand. It's not that cold, so don't over dress. Most of the climb (stairs) are narrow, but it's not confining. Bring something to wipe yours hands with because there's no way to not hold the railings that every other person is also holding. One person was carrying their 2YO. I have no idea how. I definitely don't recommend that and you can't wear them on your back. Kids need to be able to walk on their own or in a front sling. Personally, I wouldn't bring a child younger than 10. read more

Moaning Caverns is a great day trip for the whole family. Cost of admission is very reasonable. I recommend the spiral tour. It's a guided group tour down a switchback stairway to the top of the cavern followed by a descent to the bottom of the cavern using a spiral staircase. Some of the views you will see are spectacular. Things I can say I have not seen anywhere else. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and make the entire visit fun and educational. The trip back up the stairs to the top was a little rough but I powered through and surprisingly the kids ran the steps with no issues. The initial set of switch back stairs were very narrow. In areas I had to turn sideways or duck to make it through. They also do not allow water bottles of any kind so drink plenty before you go into the cavern. read more

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We did the Spelunking expedition tour and it was an amazing adventure! Tyler was an awesome guide, perfect for this job. He gave us all the freedom to explore what we wanted on our own. Yet, if anyone got nervous he provided perfect guidance with his calming personality. read more

The crawl tour was a challenging and memorable adventure for my boys and I! Had a great time, spelunking, exploring, crawling, shimmying, squeezing, and climbing our way through. Would definitely recommend, especially for those who are athletic. Hailey was a great tour guide ... knowledgeable and encouraging! read more

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It was definitely a new experience for me. I was shaking when finished walking after the spiral staircase. I think I was dependent on not slipping and was focused on stepping on the right step each time. The tour guide had a lot of information and history of the cavern. It was unexpected for him to shut off all the lights and blow out two last candles where it was pitch black. I couldn't see what's ahead or in front of me. But this was to stimulate what the miners had used back in the day. I'm currently recovering from my shocked legs and thighs that are painful to walk. Hopefully I can walk normally soon! I suggest not bringing your bags or backpacks because they would not allow that on the tour. Wear or bring a light jacket it was cooler down there. Use the restroom before you go because there are no restrooms below the cavern to use. Be careful with your steps because some of the steps on the staircase can be slippery. Wear shoes that are comfortable and has grip. Take your time for each step don't rush it! read more

Beautiful and interesting place. Make sure you can go up and down many steps in a very tight space. It can be claus·tro·pho·bic. read more

Did the expedition tour with my buddy. I am 6'1 220 lbs athletic build. I can't imagine anyone larger, doing this tour. There were a couple areas where I almost got stuck, had to do some wiggling to get through, but made it. The tour guide Haley was very helpful and informative. I have never done a cave crawl like this before and after it was over, I felt very accomplished. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS TOUR IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE TIGHT SPACES. read more

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The staff at the park was wonderful, from scheduling our tour to the time we left. The property was nice for a picnic before or after a tour. We did not participate in the rock climb, zip line, or ax throwing. The cave: Very impressive is the spiral ladder to get down into the cave. Also impressive is the explanation of the various formations in the cave. Not so impressive is the cave itself. Once you are down on the floor, there is no where to go. The guide explained there is more to do, but it costs more and must be scheduled. It's a good trip if one has never seen a cavern, but a bit disappointing if someone is already familiar with caves. read more

I definitely recommend this tour. Very interesting and fun for the entire family. Must be able to go up and down stairs easily. Don was a great tour guide. Seriously considering doing the spelunking tour. read more

We did the Spiral tour and it was awesome. The tour guide was knowledgeable and just great to listen too. It is amazing how big that cave really is.... read more

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

Really great tour. We opted for the cave expedition and it was exactly what I was hoping for. Lots of crawling through tight narrow caverns to see awesome geological formations. The guide was very knowledgeable and very good at caving. He provided lots of instruction on how to maneuver the sometimes difficult passageways and gave plenty of time and opportunity for people to explore to their hearts content. I unfortunately forgot his name but wanted to give a shoutout for a great tour. You definitely want to be fit for this as it is physically demanding, there are options for an easier path during some sections, but its definitely not a walk in the park. Highly recommended for the adventurous. read more

This place is great and the staff is awesome. I've been to Moaning Caverns in the past, but this was my 13 year old son's 1st time and he is ready to go back because he had a great time as well. My only complaint is the loss of the repelling option. I still recommend visiting for a walking tour or splunking adventure. You'll love it! read more

Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and entertaining! The cave was beautiful and we made it in and out without problems. The history of the men who worked in it to find gold was fascinating. read more

Our tour guide was so fantastic! Hate that I can't remember their name! But their jokes/puns were ON POINT and of course their knowledge of the cavern was immaculate. I've actually done this tour multiple times and I never get tired of it. Every tour guide puts their own unique twist on the info and i always learn something new or have a good laugh! Thank you for the memories!! read more

This place is incredible! Head warning of tons of steep steps going into the cavern. The beginning half of the way is VERY tight. I am an average sized woman and had to turn sideways a few times. I had a bit of trouble with clauterphobia and anxiety getting down in the cavern, but used my coping techniques and tried to distract myself from the fear. Boy, was it worth it. The guide was very fun and knowledgeable. It is a spectacular sight to see and wonderful information learned. Well worth the gazillion stairs and panic attack. We went in the off/colder season so the rock climbing and axe throwing was closed, but I'm sure you could ask someone working there and you could do those things. There are nice trails to hike and a thing to do gold panning. You can buy a bag of substrate and pan it on site or at home and find wonderful gems and fossils. What an adventure! read more

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A thousand stars for the rappelling experience. The entire crew was so genuinely nice and patient. It was an experience I will never forget. I wish I could bottle the adrenaline rush you get when you first go into the birth canal. When you lower down into the main cavern, you will be in awe. They let you go down as slow as you want, or as long as your grip strength will allow. We hung out for a little bit, just to take it all in. I got a little bumped & bruised but it was 100% user error. It has been a few years since I last rappelled and our ropes got a little tangled. When we arrived at the bottom of the spiral staircase, a lovely lady shared some of the history, showed us the bone pile, and even gave us the lights out experience. The workout up the stairs was good for the legs. The Mr. wasn't up for anything more strenuous than the rappel, so I can't wait to go back with a friend for the adventure tour! The 50% off a future return coupon was an unexpected bonus, score! read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Post rappel, making friends. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

We took our 13-year-old grandson that lives in Mississippi my husband and I and him we just had the best time it was so much fun. I really enjoyed all of it so interesting loved all the details of the cave and cavern the spiral staircase was awesome so very well-built stable. You felt safe the tour guide toook such great care of us was wonderful. She was so kind and caring and very detailed and just let us know everything about the cavern everyone that worked there was wonderful we just had the best time the price was great we will definitely do it again. Going down with much easier than coming up. Lol but it was a work out and we surely enjoyed it and we thank you so much..!!! We loved learning all about it!! we can't wait to take other grandkids back to see it!!! read more

This cave was one of the biggest caves I have explored in the area. I was told it can fit the statue of liberty twice over. I recommend going on one of the earlier tours to get a chance at a private tour. We were guided by Angel, and she was awesome, wonderful, I mean just amazing. Learned more from her than any of my professors. The mysterious and elusive cave monster was a nice touch. 10/10 , would go again. read more

Don't let those stairs stop you from partaking in the Spiral tour. Yes, there are 264 stairs down and back. It's narrow and a bit claustrophobic, but you aren't rushed to set any speed records. Once you start to make your way down and see the changes in the cavern and beautiful formations you forget about all those stairs. Our tour guide, Scott, was very considerate of all of the group, young and old. He was informative and took time to answer questions. It was a great experience and would do it again in a heartbeat! read more

We saw many good reviews and decided to take the long drive and come here for the cave adventure, but it turned out to be such a disappointment for both the time we spent drive there and the high price we paid compare to what we experienced. We did the sprial tour, It is $23 per person, although it says 45 mins tour, you spend most of the time going down the 144 stairs and come back up. I am confused where is the adventure as they claimed on their website, but maybe the scary and not seems so safe spiral stair case was what they meant by 'adventure'. I saw some reviews mentioned 'tourist trap' and it definitely fits that category as you will be surprised how little you would see, experience or learn from this tour. Also you will be going with a big group of people and imagine that many people all go down and back up together on that old, tall spiral stairs built back in 1922, it was a bit scary especially if you travel with kids or seniors. Although the pictures looks nice from the website and the reviews, but once you get there, it is such a big difference in real life and what a disappointment. overall not worth the price and drive. read more

Talk about a workout! Lots and lots of stairs but worth it... the cave is super cool and I believe they have fun activities like are throwing if you go early enough in the day. We somehow end up here later in the afternoon when we've has trips and do the final tour. Another cool place nearby with caves is Upper Natural Bridge Trail which is 2mile hike to a creek that flows thru caves and you can swim thru the caves... love that trail. read more

Shane was a wonderful tour guide on our Saturday, 9/21/2019 expedition tour Shane's explanation of caves, how to get in/out, what we were experiencing was all informative and interesting. So glad we did this expedition and so happy Shane was our guide. We really enjoyed it. We also thought the entire staff at Moaning Caverns worked well together and seemed to really like to work together, what a fun group of people. I will wear my Moaning Caverns shirt with pride. Just finished washing our dirty, dirty clothes!!! Thanks again!! Sue and Patrick from Chicago read more

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The staff really make the Moaning Cavern experience special. From the store staff, knowledgeable and funny guides, and awesome zipline and rock climbing staff, they're all fun people to be around. Things to do here: walking tour of a historic cavern, repel exploration, axe throwing, rock climbing (free with cavern tour), zipline, pan for crystals (super fun for the kids), picnic. Things to bring: food for a picnic (there is no hot food served here), GoPro if ziplining, and flashlight for some cavern fun. The inside of the cavern is humid. Prepare to take hundreds of stairs down and back up. Take lots of photos because the cavern is beautiful. Lastly, don't skip leg day because you'll need it. The cavern tour is scheduled in blocks of an hour, so 10am, 11am, etc. Have fun! read more

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Amazing experience! This tour is totally worth the drive! Staff were friendly and helpful while I waited for AAA to come get my keys out of my car. Also loved our tour guide. Highly recommend it. read more

It's good enough for Huell Howser it's good enough for me. A fascinating cavern which is quite different from any others we've visited. Quite the vertical experience hoofing it down the iron spiral staircase. The staff elaborate on the history of the cavern which is interesting. Great spot to enjoy the cool air on a hot summer day. read more

Not far from Angels Camp. Very neat family fun spot! Your guides are very knowledgeable and the history of the cavern dates way back.

Moaning Cavern is simply surreal. Discovered by miners in 1851, the vertical chamber near Angels Camp is so massive it is the largest public cavern in California--big enough to hold the entire Statue of Liberty. When the cavern was first opened, visitors would climb into a large bucket and then be slowly lowered to the chamber's floor. We would have died... Nowadays, a spiral staircase provides easy access, or, if you prefer to get in touch with your inner Spiderman, you can take a 2 1/2-hour adventure tour that goes into the cave's deepest spots, roughly 280 feet below the floor of the main chamber, through narrow passageways with names like Meat Grinder, Pancake Squeeze and Birth Canal. And then shimmy your way down the sheer cave walls. No thanks -- I think we'll just stick to the staircase. That was tough enough! read more

You gotta get down in that beast and turn off the light!!!! Feel that natural air conditioning and make sure you da kine first

Great experience to do with friends and families. A great activity for kids to learn about nature

We did the spiral tour as a homeschool group. The guide was AWESOME! He was friendly, funny, patient, and understanding to some who were having a challenge with the heights. During winter the zip line and rock climbing was not available which was a bummer. But it was a great experience. read more

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Our family loved this tour. So amazing to have access to this cavern. We highly recommend it. The staircase is intimidating but feels safe. We stayed close to our kids and all was good. Staff was very friendly. read more

Moaning Caverns Adventure Park - Awesome spiral staircase! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Vallecito, California

Such a helpful and friendly staff. Very easy to sign up to get tickets online and pay using a credit card.

Great tour of caverns for families with older children. Due to the spiral staircase that's pretty steep with 144 stairs, this might not be a good cave tour for very young children or anyone with certain health conditions. read more

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My kids aged 15,13 and 10 loved it. From a parent's perspective, it was cool but I was sort of hoping for more. The tour itself took about 1 hour and that was really about all you could do at the place. There were no other activities to speak of. No zip lining, axe throwing or anything else. For the cost it would have been nice to have something else to do for a little while longer. I would recommend going to the natural bridges if you're looking to do something else with your afternoon. read more

One of the best place for the day trip from Bay Area. Amazing stuff and don't forget to visit the downtown Columbia. Family loud other activities like ax throwing and gemstone finding. The spider stairs into the cave is an amazing experience. read more

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The expedition spelunking tour was so much fun! Tyler was an excellent guide and his professional and calming attitude was very reassuring throughout the tours challenging route. Definitely coming back and will recommend to others. However, do not underestimate the demanding physicality of the expedition, it is not for the faint hearted. It gets tight and you will get a major work out! read more

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