Wonderful adventure. Highly recommend the expedition experience! Easy to book. Staff was fantastic and professional. A great adventure if you have have any interest in caving, regardless of experience. read more

Beautiful family educational trip to take with the family! Party of 20 no problem! They accommodated our XL Family with no- ifs' ands' or buts'. The drive up to the cavern is very scenic, lots of trees, nature & life. Plenty of parking and space for everyone. The service is exceptional, our tour guide dude was pretty awesome- really informational. The cave tour itself is about 45 mins. The gift shop had gemstones, artifacts and crystal jewelry of all types. Outside there are some nice picnic area benches we got to lounge on while waiting for tour time to approach. Overall, a beautiful outdoor activity. Pricing is reasonable, I would recommend if you find nature fascinating. read more

Black Chasm Cavern - Tours Near Me - Volcano, California

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About an hour outside Sacramento you can find a beautiful cavern - how cool is that?! Black Chasm Cavern has hourly tours, tours max out at 20 people, and are on a first come first served basis. $20 per person. We arrived at 10AM on a Saturday and hopped on the very first tour of the day. Our group had about 10 people total. The tours lasts about 45 minutes and afterward the tour guides hang around the gift shop and share some additional facts with and let you handle some of the rocks found in the cavern. The cavern has steps and platforms for viewing and at no point will you be stepping on or climbing rocks, so as long as you can handle some steps, this should be easy enough for you. Inside is very beautiful and you'll be amazed at the miles of cavern that will be below your feet! Definitely make a day trip of this and stop in Sutter Creek and Jackson afterward for some food. read more

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Its been a while since we did the tour, we are ready to revisit and go thru the tour again.

Such a cool experience! The tours run every hour so try to plan ahead! Our tour guide was amazing and super funny! read more

Bobblee should not be giving tours ! She talks like Minnie Mouse / tweety bird. We asked several other people in our group and they all agreed they couldn't understand her. I asked her to speak slower and she told me she was on a time limit.!!! This was my fifth time to bring friends here. I was so embarrassed!! We also felt very rushed, she kept looking at her watch. I love the caverns and feel they are very unique. If we come back we will NEVER go on her tour again! Worse tour because of guide!! read more

Great way to spend the afternoon! The cave tour is a must. Bring a picnic and enjoy the grounds. Also grab a bag of gem to use the panning tables to find goodies. read more

Black Chasm Cavern - Inside the cave - Tours Near Me - Volcano, California

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$20 admission was a fair price. Ben was an outstanding guide. It's independently owned and operated. A decent climb to get down 100 feet and back. Some very narrow spots and some spots where you need to duck as you pass. Our guide shared the history which was fascinating. I was reluctant to break out my camera given how many have been dropped so far down the cavern. All the staff was friendly. Certainly recommended. read more

I entered the Black Chasm Cavern last week for the first time. Last tour of the day and I was the only one there. As a result, I had a private tour, by default, with Phil. He was a great guide and very knowledgeable. He was answering questions, I didn't even know to ask! I'd been intrigued by the underground ever since I visited the Luray Caverns in Luray, VA. Phil was personable, friendly and truly seemed to enjoy what he is doing. There's a whole other world below us that is worth exploring. I definitely recommend this tour! read more

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Nice tour of this vertical cave. 162 steps almost got me, but alll was well. The guide was great. My group had 2 seniors, 1 40 year old and a 9 year old girl. All enjoyed it read more

Very nice cave. Our guide was very knowledgeable and fun. The staff in the gift shop was very friendly and helpful. On your way out don't forget to walk the zen trail. read more

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Okay here we go... Not worth the Overpriced 25min History. The tour guide is Awesome but the information given its pretty much 4 mini paragraphs through out the tour. Before you walk in, when you walk in, walk down Steep steps (be careful,because they are Wet). Another Brief Discussion where he shines light with his flash light and explains a little more history. Walk down another 2 flights of steps (steep) And He talks about the history of the cave and what certain things look like etc. Here's the Three Stars . No Hiking involved You can't explore anything on the Grounds as there is no where to go. Pretty much down the flights.of Stairs and up your way back (if you are out of shape) take your time. **Overpriced Entry and I will not do it again, not worth $19.00 per person. (Rounding off)Adults: $18.50  (Adults: 13 and up+) Children: $10.00 (under 5 Years: Free) Bathrooms ****(4) Now I can Say where Clean Hand Sanitizer (where in place) ****(4) Customers met Service ****(4) Anyone 5years on Up is Considered an Adult-Adult Price read more

Loved our guided tour from Phil ! A super kind and funny guy ! We came at the end of the day and were the only people other than one other couple in the group . Our son was being super fussy and Phil made sure that we felt welcomed even with our crazy little one acting a fool . Most places I would just give up and leave to avoid a scene but he gave us options which made our tour possible ! Will def be coming back when my youngest is more grown , and hopefully we still get the pleasure of getting a tour from Phil ! The gift shop has lots of interesting pieces to look at , wish we would've had time to wash and find some jems , next time forsure ! read more

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I took a spontaneous trip up here with my sister to explore one of the many caverns' here in Nor Cal. What I really enjoyed about Black Chasm is that it felt very intimate. There wasn't a large crowd of guests, quaint little guest shop to browse while waiting for the tour to start, clean facilities, and easy location to find with GPS. One of the many delights is that if you're paired with a Guide that actually enjoys their job, then you can feel the excitement of how passionate they are about this historic landscape of beauty. We got lucky that we had "Karen" and she was sooooo passionate about the tour. There was a section at the very end (bottom) of the tour where she pointed out shapes that appeared like stuff you'd recognize (aka, cobra snake, etc). There's also some Hollywood fandom that involved using the cavern, but I don't want to spoil the tour with those details. Afterwards, there are little walking trails around to make for a nice way to spend the afternoon. Even though the inside does have a staircase and the some of the walking areas both above your head and at your feet can feel 100% claustrophobic, it's worth the descent. This is such a gem of a location and it houses some gorgeous photo-op's and historical beauty. If you're looking for a little day trip getaway, or date idea, add this to your list! read more

Black Chasm Cavern - Blue Marble! - Tours Near Me - Volcano, California

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Wonderful experience! Our three year old loved this. Reasonable prices and we had a private tour. Staff were all very friendly. This place isn't packed, so you get a great experience. The cavern was very cool and our son loved the "gold mining" outside! Would definitely come again and recommend this place! read more

I went alone after I completed some solid soul searching and lifestyle changes and it was a perfect way to solidify my accomplishments and it was just beautiful and I truly enjoyed the experience. read more

Cool quick spot to check out or take the family. I don't think it's worth the price though. They should go off of donations. It's such a small and short tour. My favorite caverns has to be Shasta. These are still fun to see, any stalagmite and stalagtite are always awesome to be in the presence of. The tour guide was really nice and knowledgeable. read more

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Our tour guide was super friendly and knew a lot about the caves. It's $19/adult and about a 45 minute tour. It was a little pricey for me because we didn't go very far into the cave, but the staff were amazing. read more

Black Chasm Cavern - Inside cave - Tours Near Me - Volcano, California

We had a huge party come in and Logan accommodated us extremely well. Upon arrival we were told the next group to go on was 1PM, so we waited the amount hour. The wait wasn't too bad since they have the gift shop to entertain the kids. When it was our time we checked in with him at the back porch. He was very informative of the history going on about the cave. the stairs are pretty steep the first couple flights so be very careful. I was clinging onto my phone for dear life. It was absolutely gorgeous, Logan explained how the calcite is formed and etc. 10/10 read more

A very nice cavern. It's large, well lit, got amazing features, and the tour guide was great. I would highly recommend, it's worth a drive out to see read more

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Fantastic cavern and a must see!! This is the third cavern I've seen in the past few weeks and I have been really amazed at how each one has something unique to see. Black Chasm contains an incredible amount of helictites which is found in less than 5% of caves on earth and is magnificent to see in person. In addition, there are beautiful crystal formations and so much to try to take in during one trip. Our guide Caren was super sweet and did a great job guiding us through the cave where due to our small group size we were able to get the most out of our experience. The stairs are pretty steep, and wet in certain areas but not difficult to get up and down. After our tour we did the small hike on the property Caren suggested where there are giant marble monoliths. I highly recommend doing the hike as the rocks and moss covered trees are gorgeous! I loved this tour and highly recommend!! read more

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Way cool Had a great time, history and mystery, great place to hide from the heat. Family fun and educational Will definitely go again read more

I have lived in California my whole life and grew up just hours from here and can't believe I had not visited this amazing place before. I made sure to get there before 10:00 so I could get on the first tour. Our guide was very informative and really into geology which was cool. Tours average about 45 minutes. I was a little worried that the walk would be strenuous but it wasn't bad at all. There is so much to see that the time goes by really fast. I can't wait for them to open up more chambers and possibly have access to the underground lake someday. This cavern has whet my appetite to see all the other caves in the area. read more

Black Chasm Cavern - Underground lake expected to open to public in a few years. - Tours Near Me - Volcano, California

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Black chasm cavern is a bit of a tourist trap, but overall was enjoyable. In my opinion it's the best of all the nearby caverns. It has some very unique formations that are rare in the US. It's also really well maintained and has a great guided tour. I think that $20 per person is a bit pricey, but it was enjoyable. It'd be a great cave for someone who hasn't seen a cave before. It's not that "pretty" or colorful, but it's a huge cave with nice formations to see. The tour took about 45 minutes. You have to go down and back up about 5 flights of stairs, but there are platforms between to stop and rest and look around. Very doable for many people. I'm terribly out of shape and although I huffed and puffed my way back up, it wasn't that bad or too difficult. I'm also larger and could easily fit through the narrow stairways. There were a few areas you need to duck but otherwise it's very manageable to navigate. I'd definitely recommend to any locals or people looking for a day trip as it was enjoyable and a good experience to see something new and unique. Good for older kids too. Don't take your infant or toddler because they will struggle with the steps and that can be dangerous. Kids over 6 would be best. There was a group of boy scouts in my tour who seemed to really enjoy it. read more

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Had a great time checking out the different formations. Note that if you are a larger person you may find this a bit tight. Several spots are quite tight (18" wide, four feet high). You will be climbing five flights of stairs to exit - u leave the way you enter. But it was a great time. Had a wonderful tour guide. read more

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Took a detour on the way back from Tahoe on Memorial Day. Wonderful tour and tour guide (Don) and we saw some really cool (literally and figuratively) caves with beautiful formations. You do have to be able to go down and then up a few steps, but it's split over a couple levels so easy to take a break if needed. Very friendly and helpful staff in the gift store and also the back office (had to contact them afterwards due to forgetting something in the store). read more

25 minutes is not a considerable wait unless you have short-attention-span kids, so thank heaven for the fun gemstone panning, sizeable gift shop and clean bathrooms. The tour itself was awesome: the cavern was COOL! and cool (my husband put his sweater on), our guide was knowledgeable and cutesy funny ("If you enjoyed the tour, my name is Ben, if not, it's Chris."--hey, I did say cutesy funny, not comedy club funny), but most importantly, the kids were captivated (HOORAY)! The 1-hour drive from Sacramento wasn't too bad for us. There were plenty of things to spot that our city-dwelling kids found fascinating: horses! hawks! grapevines! broccoli! (actually trees in the distance, but I have imaginative kids) We liked the first parking lot since it was shaded as was the easy trail to the entrance/gift shop. Other interesting places nearby: the Indian Grinding Rock Park has an excellent museum. read more

Caves are always fascinating especially if those walls could talk. Speaking of walls there are signs here asking patrons to PLEASE DO NOT LICK THE WALLS, lol...tour guide said yes people really do that, shows you how stupid people can be (his words). Stalactites and stalagmites inside were impressive. Cavern was on the smaller side (this is a mini version of the Luray Caverns) and gets very tight below. Not for those w claustrophobia or bad knees (climbing the tight stairs can be a workout). Bring a picnic as ticket times can take up to an hour before entering. read more

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The people and tours were great I wish I could give 5 stars but the gift shop and check in location was about 107 degrees. I had to remove my shirt and walk around topless until the tour started. I think it made some others uncomfortable but I just couldn't handle the heat. Bring some ice cubes to stay cool. Other than the heat the place was great and the guy who was our tour guide was cute he had good jokes too. read more

We decided to check out Black Chasm Cavern on a Saturday. We got a bit of a late start (my fault) so we expected this place to be packed when we arrived. We were pleasantly surprised to get on a tour within 20 minutes of arrival. Cute gift store. Nice bathrooms. Sylas was our guide and was so much fun! Very informative and I really appreciated the puns. The owner's dog showed up, which was a bonus! Sweet, sweet dog who loved everyone (but looked a bit underfed so bring treats?), especially precious with children. Highly recommend the tour! We did a short hike afterwards to look at some really cool rock formations thanks to a tip from another reviewer! read more

The cavern tour is very nice! Informative, interesting and adventurous. We took our son who is 4yo on the tour and he enjoyed it a lot and learned things. The caverns are bigger than I thought with interesting history. There are also hiking trails in the wood in the area. Overall great place for a visit rain or shine. And the temp inside is 57-58 all year long. read more

Black Chasm Cavern - Going down the stairs - Tours Near Me - Volcano, California

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After discovering this place from a brochure I picked up at Plasses resort, I've been wanting to visit Black Chasm Cavern. So for my birthday, my family came up here early before opening to get a spot on the tour. We had come previously around noon and the wait was going to be 4 hours so we made a special effort this time and this magical place did not disappoint. The gift shop/museum is great. There was a great assortment of gift items and interesting facts presented. It was a nice space to hang out before your tour started. Prices were reasonable. The tour guide was very funny and engaging. Very experienced and knowledgeable. We had fun exploring the caves as we went deeper and deeper down the stairs to the various caverns and levels. So well lit and such good stories about each of the areas and formations. Didn't know it was so deep. Temperature even on a hot day is cool. All in all highly recommended! Afterwards we went into the town of Volcano for a nice brunch! Will bring others back! read more

Black Chasm Cavern - Stalagmites - Tours Near Me - Volcano, California

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Black Chasm Cavern is simply fascinating! My first time ever embarking on a Cavern tour, and I enjoyed each and every second of it! Black Chasm Cavern is a dissolution cave that's located in the small town of Volcano about 15 miles south of the city of Jackson. It's best known for its' abundance of the rare cave formations known as Helictites which are crystals that twist and curl from cave walls in every direction. While they are only present in about 5% of all caves on earth, Black Chasm Cavern ironically has millions of them. Due to this grave and remarkably rare discovery, Black Cavern Chasm has been declared a National Natural Landmark and has been recognized for its' surplus of Helictites since 1976. Cell phone reception on the drive up to the cave site is spotty, so it's highly recommended that you screen shoot a map and the directions. One you arrive to the site, there will be no cell phone reception at all. I parked right in front of the visitor center, but there is also more parking if the main lot gets full. Tours are about an hour long and begin on the hour. I actually missed the first tour because I was late, but I was able to catch the next tour right after. They recommend that you arrive at least 30 minutes prior to starting time of your tour. The gift shop is adorable! They have so many beautiful rocks and souvenirs for sale, and there's a neat replica of a cave formation inside. Tours are currently $18.50 per adult and they offer discounts for seniors and children. We began our tour on the back deck and made our way down the stairs to the entrance of the cave. Here, our tour guide spent about 10-15 minutes educating us on the history of the Cavern. We then descended down into the cave, stopping a few times to admire the unique cave formations. Our tour guide explained the differences between stalactites and stalagmites, and she also pointed out a few formations that resembled animals and facial features. A few of the formations had special nicknames too. I was so surprised with her memory! But then again, after doing this every day several times a day, I guess it becomes embedded in your brain over time. The amount of Helictites that we saw were so uncanny! It's crazy to think that only 5% of all caves in the world have them. My favorite part was looking down and being able to see the clear blue water of lake. It's a small peep hole, but the blue water is so vibrant in color. Another favorite was reaching the end of the cave and getting to see the most photographed stalactite! There's a nickname for it, but I can't remember what it was. It was so beautiful and posed as a great backdrop for a picture! Speaking of pictures, they're allowed here in this cave! Take as many as you want, but be careful as many people have lost and dropped their phones. The cave is about 58 degrees and very cool, so it's recommended to bring a jacket with you. There is no food, drinks (even water), purses, or bags allowed inside. The descent from the entry to the end is 165 stairs. Nothing too difficult, but the stairs are narrow and some of the formations have angles that will require you to duck underneath them. This tour is totally worth the money! I'm so excited that I was able to explore my first Cavern here. I would recommend this cave tour to anyone, especially those who are visiting Amador County. read more

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Black Chasm Cavern provides a super cool experience, literally and figuratively, as the cavern is underground (as caverns often are) and was easily a good 20 degrees cooler than the air temperature that day! Stalagmites and stalactites and a blue pool at the bottom, oh my! And those cool living formations growing on the rock in multiple directions are just begging you to take pictures of them! PRO TIP: watch your head when going up and down the stairs... and hold that phone/camera tight because if you drop it, you are never getting it back! BONUS PRO TIP (you're welcome!): Catch a glimpse of the water located WAY down at the bottom of the cavern from BOTH spots where it is visible! When you're in the area, this is a must-see! *****FIVE STARS***** read more

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Fantastic!! I am pretty much scared of heights, so that was a thing. And to top it off- I packed shoes that were both left feet! Lmao Back to it. It was wonderful! Drew was our guide and he was funny and informative and made everyone laugh and feel at ease. There were small ones in our group and he answered their questions so perfectly. The caverns are a real treat! God exists people! You can learn about the days gone by and about the future of the earth! What a beautiful place! The walk in is (if your afraid of heights) kind of scary but all good! Did you know the only vegetarian spider lives here Crazy, I know.. Honestly, do it! Worth your time! read more

Had a great time viewing this beautiful cave with our tour guide Marigold. Wow so stunning.... My husband and I totally enjoyed the 50 minute informative tour. It is best to bring a light jacket because it is 58 degrees in the cave and wear comfortable shoes because you will be climbing a lot of stairs and watch your head on headache rock... lol... The Black Chasm Cavern is know as the "best helictite cave in the West". You will descend about 100 feet below the surface. It was a very spiritual adventure for me. The tour cost was 18.50 for adults, but remember if you are over 55 you get the senior discount. Enjoy ! read more

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There's a first for everything. And on the afternoon of Saturday 9/15/18, I had the opportunity of going to an underground cave tour. This is something completely out of my element but I figure why not? The vast amount of positive Yelp reviews really enticed me to see what this was all about. "Black Chasm Cavern" is located in the small unincorporated town of Volcano which is roughly a 25-minute drive from Jackson in the historic gold country terrain of Amador County. Visiting here is a blast from the past as you feel as if you've gone in a time machine back to the 1800's. Do keep in mind that cell phone service is very spotty so make sure you have your GPS to the exact coordinates when finding this place. There are plenty of signs which helped simplify which way to turn. Once at the cavern, they offer two parking areas; one right by the gift shop and another on a gravel lot (which is where we parked). My lady and I arrived right before the 2:00pm tour. Admission (as of September 2018) was $18.50/per person and tickets can be purchased inside the gift shop. They also offer a printable $1.00 off coupon if you go on their website. Our group consisted of about 15 other adults and children while our tour guide explained detailed history of the cavern itself. From start to finish, the entire tour was roughly 55 minutes long. From the start, you walk down three different levels of very steep stairs while descending roughly 100 feet below the earths' surface. If you happen to be visiting here during the warmer months, it is highly recommended that you bring a sweater or light jacket since inside the cave is a cool 58° year-round. Once inside the cave, you witness some of earths' natural phenomenons including the only known helictites on the west coast. For people that have never heard of this, they are thin, stony, curling cave deposits that form slowly as tiny water drops emerge from its tip and evaporate. To see all these interesting formations was absolutely breathtaking. Pictures were allowed as I was able to capture some unbelievable shots. Inside the Black Chasm includes a lake (which you can view from the second level). There are also several other caves but those cannot be accessible from the stairs and are closed to the public. Do keep in mind that if you are afraid of heights, you may want to skip the tour. Also, if you are claustrophobic, it can get a little tight once inside. But overall, this is a decent tour that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a little on the pricey side but for something out of the ordinary, this was a fun above average experience. My rating, four stars. read more

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This was a cool experience. My 8 year old son really enjoyed learning about the cavern and the history behind it. He loved it so much that he wants to keep exploring more caverns. Overall an amazing guided tour. read more

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Had Phil as our tour guide, he was the best. Super chill with great humor. Answered all our questions and even told us some extra cool stories about the cavern. My girlfriend and I would highly recommend! read more

It's fun, great tour guide, worth the trip! The cavern has special, unique formations. You do need to walk stairs, and bring something warm to wear inside the cavern. read more