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    California Cavern State Historic Landmark

    4.6 (97 reviews)
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    Updated 2 months ago

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    Precious gems by the office
    Adonis B.

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

    Lizzy C.

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

    Trail to caverns
    Jennifer N.

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

    Jungle Room

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

    California Cavern Cave Map
    Trina M.

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

    Amy C.

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

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

    John S.

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

    Sylvain B.

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

    Someone forgot to turn their headlamp on for this pic!
    Youri Y.

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

    The resident Vampire
    Bill O.

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

    A white frog in the cave.
    Twilite S.

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

    At the entrance

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

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    Ask the Community - California Cavern State Historic Landmark

    Is this business still open? We have made multiple phone calls and phone does not seem to be ringing there. Is there a better phone number, we are trying to schedule a very large group trip 160+ people.

    We drove 3hrs to go see the caverns for my 4th grader's project he got assigned. Despite all the websites, Google maps, etc saying it was open, there was a little white sign hanging on the gate saying ,"Closed for winter. Estimated time of reopening… Read more

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    Review Highlights - California Cavern State Historic Landmark

    The Middle Earth tour is reported to be one of the most extreme caving adventures in the US.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Mercer Caverns - Classic Zortar, fortune telling automaton

    Mercer Caverns

    4.2(177 reviews)
    3.9 mi

    We visited Mercer Caverns in Murphys for my daughter's 24th birthday and it turned out to be a…read morereally unique experience. We arrived around 10:30 AM and were able to join the 11:00 tour with no problem. The tour lasted about 50 minutes, which felt like the perfect amount of time. Our guide had a bit of a dry sense of humor, but was knowledgeable and kept the group moving at a good pace. The caverns themselves were impressive -- it's amazing to see such a beautiful natural space that has been left mostly undisturbed for thousands of years. The formations are stunning and unlike anything you see above ground. A couple things to be aware of: some of the stairs are steep and can be wet, so you definitely need to watch your footing. There are also a few spots where you have to duck your head. It's not difficult, but you do need to be mindful as you go. The temperature inside stays cool year-round (around the mid-50s), which is nice on a warm day but you may want a light jacket. The entire tour is guided, and you descend about 160 feet underground via metal stairways. It feels adventurous without being overwhelming. Overall, it was a neat, memorable stop and a fun way to celebrate a birthday. If you're in the Murphys area and looking for something different to do, this is definitely worth checking out.

    Discovered by William Mercer in 1885 who noticed a breeze coming out of some rocks, he thought he…read morefound gold but instead found this amazing underground cavern. He charged a pinch of gold for admission and probably made way more money from the caves than he would have if there was gold. Parking lot is small so its best to get there early, they have a set amount of people that can go on each tour and they do sell out. The giftshop is easy to burn some time at and if you are a fan of classic boardwalk fortune telling automatons, there is a Zoltar set up inside. I loved this cavern, there are steep wooden stairs you'll be scrambling on and low hanging rocks, you feel very intimate with the cave and even if it's hot outside, it's always nice and cool underground. Our tour guide was amazing and I loved hearing the stories as we descended. The most interesting anecdote was how they used to conduct tours by holding a wooden plank with a candle on it in their mouths. It's a very enjoyable family adventure though you may have to help young children up and down some of the stairs.

    Photos
    Mercer Caverns - Steep stairs

    Steep stairs

    Mercer Caverns - Caverns

    Caverns

    Mercer Caverns - Honeycomb

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    Honeycomb

    Kennedy Gold Mine Tours

    Kennedy Gold Mine Tours

    4.8(40 reviews)
    18.8 mi

    This is a fantastic tour. Our guide Frank, one of the founders of the non-profit which maintains…read moreeverything, gave us a very informative and entertaining tour. If you like mining history, this is a must. Even if you don't, it is well worth doing. There is so much to see here, all beautifully restored and preserved. All these years of driving by on Hwy 49, and I had idea how much was down here to see.

    Took the guided tour at the Kennedy Gold Mine. Both myself and my boyfriend had not been to the…read moreKennedy Mine other than passing by it when in the area. They have a large outdoor area that has some of the old equipment on display. There is also a small museum area and gift shop. They have a cute little area with trinkets you can purchase. They staff was very friendly, greeted us with a warm welcome when we arrived. We had about a half hour before our tour started so we browsed the museum. There is a restroom located outside the museum in a building just across the walk way. Our tour was just over 90 minutes and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. The tour started in the museum, we watched a video on the mine as well as learned about the placer mining and hydro mining. We visited a few buildings around the property, saw how the large rock grinders work and the machinery used to extract the gold from the sand. How they tested samples. We were able to see the engineers office, the pay station, safe, office and bunk house. They have a small building dedicated to the 47 lost in Argonaut mine. It was really cool seeing all the machines they used and getting a history of the Mine back in its operating days.

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    Kennedy Gold Mine Tours
    Kennedy Gold Mine Tours
    Kennedy Gold Mine Tours

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    Roaring Camp Mining Company - Setup when you secure a gold pile

    Roaring Camp Mining Company

    4.5(22 reviews)
    15.2 mi

    Time of our lives! It's a reasonable drive from almost every major city in Central CA. Family…read moreowned, and ran like a well oiled machine, it's well worth the trip. Everyone you'll speak with is very personable. We took the Saturday evening tour which includes a dinner. A scenic drive, with many switchbacks, gives you a stunning view of the valley and riverbank at sunset. During this drive, there will be historic insights provided by the driver until you make it down to base-camp. While dinner is on the grill, you'll be given a personal tour around the active mining area, cabins and general store. You'll have several choices of how you spend your time before dinner, and there is no wrong answer. I won't give away too many details, as everything is apart of the magic but we plan on coming back again either for their day tour or camping trip!

    We absolutely loved everything about Roaring Camp Gold! The setting is beautiful, the activities…read moreare fun and unique, and the staff makes you feel right at home. We brought our 10-year-old daughter and she had the best time--gold panning, tubing the river, exploring, and soaking up the adventure. It's such a rare find to have something both adults and kids can enjoy equally. We can't wait to come back next year! The camp site is so intimate you can go all day without seeing another person. It feels like your own personal oasis.

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    Roaring Camp Mining Company - Cabin

    Cabin

    Roaring Camp Mining Company - View of the valley during sunset

    View of the valley during sunset

    Roaring Camp Mining Company - Campfires every night

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    Campfires every night

    Preston Castle - Preston's Castle

    Preston Castle

    4.1(138 reviews)
    25.7 mi

    Preston Castle Haunt - what a yearly tradition! My wife, my parents, and I have been making the…read morespooky pilgrimage for years now, and it never disappoints. You just can't beat a haunted house that takes place inside an actual haunted prison. The vibe alone gives you goosebumps before you even step inside. Add in the scare actors (who I'm convinced are local kids living their best creepy dreams), the friendly staff, and the affordable merch, and you've got the full package. This year's haunt felt longer with even more scares tucked around the corners--right up my alley! Preston keeps stepping it up, and I'm here for it. Until next year, Castle... we'll be back.

    Came here for the haunted house event about a week ago and I'm not sure if I would come back again…read more Tickets were $35 each (purchased online) and you have to park and walk about 10-15 minutes to the castle or you can take the little van that drives you there which also takes the same amount of time. We took the van to the castle but they don't drop you off directly in front of the castle so you still have to walk down through security and then to the castle. Porte potty's are available right before security and once you walk up the hill to wait in line to enter the castle. There were a couple food trucks when we went, we were expecting a few based on what was said online but not sure if it depends on the time. We waited over an hour in line to enter the haunted house and if you do really believe in ghosts this place is pretty haunted. The event itself wasn't scary, the actors aren't able to touch you but there's obviously loud screaming and they may be a bit too close for comfort to get a reaction out of you. You do have to climb up and down quite a few stairs and then there's a second part lead outside and back in the castle (barely any lighting and it's a dirt road so you have to carefully walk). Many strobing lights as well so do avoid if you are triggered by that. The energy throughout the castle was not pleasant or welcoming, I was very excited for it to be over as the haunted house itself was not very good and I was mostly tired from all the walking. There's a merch truck outside at the end of the castle as well. We also decided to walk back instead of waiting for the shuttle but there absolutely no lighting and many ditches with uneven flooring so you have to be very careful. Overall experience was not my favorite and I wouldn't come back again.

    Photos
    Preston Castle - The castle with the haunt ticket you receive before security.

    The castle with the haunt ticket you receive before security.

    Preston Castle - Enter if you dare.

    Enter if you dare.

    Preston Castle - The viewing walking in.

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    The viewing walking in.

    California Cavern State Historic Landmark - walkingtours - Updated May 2026

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