Terrible customer service. They don't allow reservations. This is the second time I've showed up from out of town to be turned away with no guarantee that they can tour you at the time they tell you to come back. The worker just booted everyone out of the gift shop because she had to run and check on the tour guide. There has to be a better way to schedule tours. Absolutely ridiculous. I would give zero stars if it let me. read more

The most informative tour I've ever taken in my life! Josh had such energy and enthusiasm while describing the formations and history of the cavern! After we finished he tour we did gem mining! The kids had a blast! read more

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While you should note the warning of many stairs and low openings, the tour is nicely designed to give frequent breaks so it doesn't become an ultimate stair master workout. Cheesy jokes keep you entertained, but the varied formations will capture your attention and not let go. Bring a sweater as it's a constant 55 degrees down there, but skip the jacket because you will work up some body heat from the climbing. Kids did better than the adults because they didn't have to duck from time to time. Taller folks watch your head! read more

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What a great experience for my family and I. My wife, who was hesitant at first, along with my two boys ages 12 and 9 all went here during our short stay at Angels Camp. Zack, our tour guide was amazing. Educational but so much fun for our kids. We learned so much and will never forget our fun time at Mercer caves. Boys had fun mining for minerals....must do. Wow cant say enough about the great service and time we had at Mercer Caverns read more

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I was worried this would bore my boy tweens. But they loved it. We've been to several caves in the past. This one has unique formations and dangerously steep stairs and a few tight-ish spaces (which my kids loved). While we waited for our tour to start, the kids bought and shared a $11 bag of sand and sluiced. read more

Caves fascinate me. I find it so amazing that they were formed over millions of years. All of those magnificent rock formations are so cool. Mercer Caverns definitely has its share of great features. My favorite has always been the Chinese Meat Market section. I swear it looks like the rocks are really veggies and meat. I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in Murphys. read more

As caves go, Mercer Caverns gets an ok. You decend to a total of 160 ft. down using very narrow and steep stairs. You just have to be very careful, and none in our group of 10 had any problems. Some nice formations, but no large cavern room with lots and lots of iunusual formations by the limestone drip. Were about 10 different stops highlighting some unusual and features of the limestone formations. Lots of stalactites and stalagmites, along with some very interesting formations. Tour takes about 45 minutes, and the guide was very knowledgeable. On a hot day, a great place to go since it is 58 degrees underground year around. If you like caves, a stop here will be worth the time. Admission is $12 and they did take my credit card. Lots of items in the souvenir shop. read more

THE most unprofessional group of employees I've ever encountered at the gift shop / ticketing booth. We attempted to go on the tour with our kids (2 & 5). They lasted only through the first cavern before they couldn't go any more. Our tour guide was extremely nice and told us that we would get a full refund if we were to leave. We went back to get the refund and the 2 guys behind the counter argued with me that we don't get a refund and that we were on the tour too long. He then continued to argue with me about this without even trying to resolve it. Called credit card company to deny the charge, and will be calling their management tomorrow to discuss how they treat people. There are many other caverns around here to enjoy, so I would go with them instead of this sham. read more

This is the third cavern tour I have taken in this area and by far the best! Our tour guide Jerry had such personality, great stories, all the while very attentive to the group and our safety! Some really tight spaces for my husband and grandson to be expected as they are tall but there were even a few spots my 4'10 1/2" had to duck! Strenuous stairs, but they do warn you at the top before you buy your ticket. Well worth it! Loved every minute of the tour! read more

I don't recall what they charge, but I remember thinking that it was a bit pricey for a tour of a hole in the ground. Nevertheless, I found our little spelunking expedition to be most interesting and enjoyable and, perhaps most importantly, about 30 degrees cooler than what was going on above ground at the time. (Speaking of above ground, have you ever heard "The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes"? It's by this guy named Jake Holmes and it contains "Dazed and Confused", the song Jimmy Page appropriated and enjoyed some level of success with. Incidentally, don't you think it would have been cooler if they had spelled "confused" with a "z"? You know, like "Dazed and Confuzed"? No? Maybe it's just me. ... I would appear to have gone off on a tangent. A thousand pardons. Let's continue, shall we? Good.) I do believe that Mercer Caverns would be well served by the placement of a few bats. You know. For effect. But then again, who am I? The Cavern Nazi? read more

Cave 4 stars, Tour 5 stars I recently took a caving trip with my honey and 5 kids. We toured several caverns and a goldmine. Let me start by saying that some of these reviewers are mistaken. The cat and the crazy steep steps are Moaning Caverns also in Murphys, CA. I suppose the feel of any of the tours is totally dependant on the guide. We were very lucky to get a quirky, humorous, lifelong cave addicted older guy, named Jerry with a little twang in his talk (and yes he did smell of cigarettes). (He reminded a me a little of Earnest in the Hey Vern commercials from the 80s.) This tour was the first of several we did over the week. It gave us the ruler by which we gauged the others. The tour was fantastic. Our guide was funny and laid back, yet full of information. We quizzed the kids on what they learned and they remembered so many facts. Even now after several weeks, they know the rare and beautiful formation that Mercer won prizes for is called aragonite flossferri. The tour included a good amount of history which was not boring at all. Our family was very interested in learning and we were satisfied with what we got. The cave itself is great. It is not too difficult to navigate although there are alot of steps. They do not have extended exploring tours where you can crawl around and go into the deepest areas of the caves, but they are very conscious of conservation. Our family thought this was one of the top 2 caves we explored on our trip. With that said, there was one little thing that bothered me a bit. We said we were going to another cave that day, and he basically gave california cavern a thumbs down, but admitted he had never been inside. He said it was pretty much a horizontal cavern and not much to see. I think it would be a better business practice to give no negative critisizm of a competitor, especially without personal knowledge. Califonia Caverns was our other favorite cave (but not as great of a tourguide). Both were spectacular. read more

It was cool, something different. Very pricey if you have a big group considering what you do and how long the tour lasts (45 mins). Not something you ever need to do again in your life, esp. for that cost. We had 6 adults and 4 kids aged 3-7 and the group rate gave us a few bucks off but still cost over $100. You pay less for the kids, but come on, 3 year olds did not appreciate or care about the caves and it was a bit of a pain to have to worry about their safety and carry them at certain spots. I don't recommend for kids under 5 and think they should have been free. We also had Jerry as a tour guide. He was very off putting in the store, pretty rude to us and yelled to us about closing the door. Asked the kids if they wanted him to come to their house and stand in their doorway. Umm, ok. However he was fine during the tour, an entertaining character. The part the kids liked the most was the gem mining. Fun for them...again rather pricey at $9 for a bag of rocks x 3. Did we really just drop $30 on rocks? read more

My son and I took the last tour of the day yesterday. It was nice since only 5 people plus the guide were on the tour. The tour guide, Amber, was very nice and helpful. It was an easy walk down stairs, since we stopped several times to look at various formations. I normally walk with a cane for balance reasons, but canes, purses, camera bags, and backpacks are not allowed on the tour. Amber explained very nicely how there is railing to hold onto on both sides of the stairs to help me walk. She was right, I think the cane would have been more of a burden than a help. Some of the passages are quite narrow so I totally understand the reasons that they don't allow baggage. Cameras are allowed, so you are able to take pics of the cave interior. I can only imagine taking the tour with a larger group. Since I live so close, I think I'll stick to frequenting cave tours during the off season. read more

410 stairs, but every one worth it. This cave is gorgeous. So many interesting formations and even helictites. U might not wanna be terribly tall or excessively horizontal as there are some challenging portions of the stairs. The history of how the cave was developed is amazing and the area the cave inhabits is so peaceful and serene. Tickets were $15 per person. I would go back. read more

Mercer Caverns - Cave formations - Tours Near Me - Murphys, California

If you have never been on a guided cave tour, this is a great place to start. Unlike many tours, this one is easy and gentle. It usually takes less than an hour to do the whole tour, but you are on foot the whole time walking down carefully placed cement or wood stairs. The history the the cave is facinating, and the fact that it is easy to bring kids along and casually walk down it without claustrophobia, is a total plus. Some of the stalagtite and stalagmite formations and simply unique. The stories that go along with them, and the names they were given because of the way they look will make you laugh when you see the character in the formation. read more

A nice way to spend the afternoon. We had a great time. You might want to bring a light hoodie to wear, it's 55 degrees in the cave. However you'll want to take that off on the way back up! It's over 400 stairs & it's 16 stories down into the earth. There's some beautiful sights to see, amazing that it's all alive. It's a quick turn from the main street of downtown, so keep an eye out! Adult tickets are $15 each. Interesting fact, it's privately owned & always has been. Pretty amazing that it's been so well preserved! read more

We went here in early November, so past the busy season. The employees working the gift shop were great, one giving us very helpful info on things to do and places to go while we were in the area. Our guide for the tour was John, and we were the only 2 on the tour. He did a great job, the cavern was really cool, and would definitely recommend to anyone going to the area. read more

I took my two kids (5 & 7) the Mercer Caverns around 3PM. When we got there we were informed that the next open tour wasn't until 5PM. So we bought a couple of gem stone bags and did some panning. The kids loved that. I was a little afraid that my kids wouldn't be able to handle the tour, but they were troopers. The caves were amazing. Our tour guide was also very knowledgeable and patient (black dude). My kids loved the tour and got a lot out of it. **NOTE** Call ahead of time. The tours fill up and if you come to late you are S.O.L. read more

This is such a cool thing to do if you happen to be around these parts. Not many places offer the opportunity to go 16 stories underground in to the middle earth. Our tour guide was very witty and entertaining and definitely sparked our imagination as we looked at all the different formations: Homer and Marge, Repunzel, the porcupine, etc. Go and you will know what I am talking about. The steps are steep and not for the faint of heart. However, there was a little 9 year old girl on the tour with us and she did just fine. I wouldn't recommend it for any younger than that. Also, the tour takes you through some tight spaces where there is a lot of ducking and maneuvering going on so the big and tall be prepared. Definitely very interesting and worthwhile! read more

Awesome experience while visiting Murphys. The tour guide (Marilyn?) was great...glad we didn't have the other tour guide that smelled like cigarette. The formations inside the cave was amazing! Knowing that it's been around for thousands (millions?) of years was incredible! The ground is beautifully landscaped. There's also a gem panning area for the kids to do (dirt available inside). A must visit when visiting Murphys. read more

Ok, walking in a cave and traveling up and down 16 floors worth of steps is not everyone's idea of fun. Enter Jerry, comedian, historian, cave explorer, and illustrious tour guide. You were always engaged and aware of the safety rules as you spent 45 minutes exploring a place very few get to see. From the incredible rooms of formations to the pure darkness near the bottom of the cave, you could only stare in amazement and laugh a few times at Jerry's cave humor. It was well worth the money and time to see a part of history and learn more about the wonderful Californian gold mining town of Murphy. Thank you Jerry for making this tour not only fun but informational! read more

The tour was super fun. Mr. Mercer and his stories/imagination really bring the cave to life. 16 stories seems like nothing on this tour, since there are so many stops along the way. Not sure how this might compare to other cave tours, as this was really the only one in my recent memory. But, it's definitely worth your time! The cave is always 55 degrees, which is a pretty comfortable temperature, but for those who get cold easily, a light jacket is probably nice. read more

Only Jerry (tour guide) could make 16 flights of stairs fun for everyone. My Wife and I with all four kids (8, 10, 15, 20) took on this amazing adventure. Beautiful, privately owned cavern. The tour took about an hour. Jerry was super informative, funny, and made sure the kids got the science behind this natural wonder. The temp outside was in the low 90's. Inside the cavern a lovely 55 degrees. No need for a jacket....you will be sweating on the climb back up. If you are in this area...THIS IS A MUST SEE experience. read more

I went here last summer with the bf and we enjoyed ourselves very much. It was about an hour drive East of Stockton and the route is easy and scenery was alot of wide opened spaces. Bring cash, because I remember they charged to use your ATM. I It's a guided tour through the cave, which goes underground I believe 16 stories. The steps are really steep and at some parts you gotta watch your head. The inside of the cave is remarkable, it was amazing to think that someone many years ago discovered this cave and now there are man made steps inside so the public can view it. Our tour guide was funny and witty and very informative on the facts of the cave and it's discovery. I remember the tour lasted about 45 minutes, you start and end on the same side of the cave. Afterwards, we had a little picnic at the picnic tables they have at the location. It's really dry and hot there, we went in the middle of August. But the views are pretty, mountains and trees everywhere. On our drive back we stopped in a little town called Valley Springs. Very cute, and quaint. We ate at an ice cream shop, which was packed, and the people were so friendly . I think they could tell that we weren't from around there. It's a nice little town, I enoyed walking around what they called downtown and poking into the little shops. The day was definitely worth the drive, I would stop by there if you were in the area, or if caves interest you. It's not like a hard core tour, like what I expected at first. There were a bunch of little kids on our tour, that asked a question every 5 minutes. It was cute though, and our tour guide had an answer to every one. read more

A great spelunking adventure for everyone. A short drive from Murphys this is a great escape from the blazing summer heat of the foothills. Getting an earlier tour will help keep the group size smaller. Our group was full around 1:00 but I noticed the tour group before us was only a family of 4. The tour is very informative and captivating. Looking forward to exploring other caves. I recommend taking a quick detour to explore the caverns and escape the heat. read more

Two words: Cave Bacon. Or at least that's what the tour guide kept referring to the formations as when I came here with my family last summer. It cracked me up, but honestly? She didn't seem too interested in actually giving us a lot of information. A lot of her attitude can only be described as... extremely condescending. That said, I enjoyed myself. Not only was it beautiful, but it was a relief to just get into the caverns as it was blazing hot outside. The tour itself wasn't tiring or anything. We went with a rather large group though, so maybe that's why we went so slowly. read more

Great tour, well worth the cost. Steep stairs, and a few places to bump your head. Lots of amazing formations. Couple things to note. 1. If you become easily chilled, bring a light jacket. Its about 45 minutes and approx 55 degrees so you are cooled off by the end. 2. If you have really bad knees/hips.... you may want to read some more reviews. It gets pretty steep and cramped in a few spots. If you in the area, go check this place out! You may want to call ahead to see what times the tours are that day. read more

This place is amazing!! I can't believe I waited so long to check it out. - Our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable - Fun adventure at a great price - Close to many places to eat Very steep stairs. If you are afraid of heights this may not be for you. read more

So i had this planned out for a while but never got to go until I was in the bay area and decided to just drive there first before I go back to LA. Let me say it was well worth it and my GF loved it. The reason I am giving 4 stars was due to the surly lady who was selling us the tickets to the tour. She was pretty much scaring my GF into thinking it was going to be a climb like we were rock climbing. Other than that the tour was amazing. It is a bit chilly in the cave but since it was hot I did not care. The stairs do get steep and narrow, some people might get freaked out. They let you see part of the cavern in which they tell you, "you can leave cause you can't go back" Then it becomes a bit of a challenge for tall people in some of the sections. You can take pictures but you can't touch the walls must always use the rail. The tour guide was awesome and informative. The tour is about 45 minutes and its not bad for the 15 bucks you pay for. They plus is they also accept credit cards so it was good. I definitely recommend this place if you never been in a cavern. read more

This is a very small tour and pricey for just showing small cave. If you are around in the area .. you can go but not worth driving all the way from Bay Area. Our tour guide was very rude as well. read more

Was in town for a wedding...from LA so need constant stimulation. Saw the town of Murphys in 15 minutes and needed to fill some time ...Worth the $17 and hour time for the tour to see something that I can't see in the city. Tour guide was fun and knowledgeable. I'm a little claustrophobic and have a fear of heights so I focused on looking at the stairs rather than down either side of the steep stair railings. read more

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A great way to cool off on a hot summer day! According to our tour guide, the cave is 55F year round so didnt need a jacket, but good shoes are a plus (although I managed in flip flops!) The tour is about 1 hour long and you go down 16 stories (and then back up again!) along some pretty steep staircases. I took my adventurous 4yo with me and he did great! Our tour guide, Elyse, was awesome. She had tons of info to share and some fantastically corny cave jokes. People of all shapes, sizes, and athletic abilities will be okay on this walking tour... There's also good panning activities and a cool gift shop. If you're in Murphys for a wine weekend, take a one hour break and a one mile drive to experience this amazing wonder of the world! read more

Great tour. Caverns are really neat. No issues with our guide as he was generally pretty cool (I uploaded a photo of him :). Would recommend if you're in the area. read more

Mercer Caverns - Our guide. - Tours Near Me - Murphys, California

A must especially if you have kids. Great experience and guides are very informative.

The caverns were so amazing, I've never seen anything like it. You really can get up close and see the details of the cave, it's so well preserved. Our party of 11 was easily accommodated and it we hardly had to wait (on a Saturday, mind you). Our tour guide Jerry was super funny, knowledgable, and friendly. He had a great sense of humor, which added entertainment, but also provided a thorough description and history of the cavern. Definitely a must see! read more

The tour for Mercer Caverns takes you up and down many flights of stairs to see various formations in the cavern. Our tour guide was friendly and gave us a good overview of the place and the history behind it. He discussed how it was discovered and made the tour very interesting. He also easily answered all the questions we had. The cool part was when he showed us the different formations and the names given to them. For example, some formations looked like angel wings, chicken, asparagus, etc. The tour was over in about 45 minutes but was definitely worth the price of admission. If you have a group of 10+ people, you get a slight discount. read more

Wife and I really enjoyed this place. My sons (9 and 7 yo) had an excellent time. Our Tour guide (Marylin?) was very pleasant and gave us a very informative and fun tour. She was very patient with our group which had 4 families with kids ranging in 1-10 in age. We didn't feel rushed at all and she gave us plenty of time to take pictures and ask questions. My son had quite a few questions and a statement. We actually went to another cavern the day before, but could did not think it was right for our other family kids, aged 2 and 4. We stayed at Angel's Camp and the drive was short and pretty. Make sure you ask your hotel if they have discounts, you could save a little and spend it on souvenirs. One thing my kids like is to pan for minerals/gems. Don't cheap out if you have kids and get the biggest mining bag, your kids will be amazed at sifting and finding so many treasures. read more

My 7 year old daughter loved this place. Yes, there are a lot of stairs, but no problem for normal, energetic kids. You can purchase a bag of sand for them to sift through in the running water troughs to search for gems and fossils. Worth the trip, and our guide was fabulous! Thank you! read more

Wonderful cave tour. Our guide was informative and interesting. It wasn't very busy when we went so we had a great opportunity to enjoy the cave. They have a fun gift shop as well. read more

Mercer Caverns - Tours Near Me - Murphys, California

Caves were cool, but the people who run this place are snotty and rude. Arrived at 1pm, attempted to buy the tickets and a geode, and was told by the elderly cashier that they were resetting their system and it would be a few minutes. Fair enough. Browsed the shop while we waited for them to let us know the system was back up and could take cards. We checked back in with them after 10 minutes and was told, "Sorry buddy, you should've purchased the tickets when you first got here, we're sold out now." Right. So we had to wait an hour for the next tour. I'd give the caves 5 stars, and the bumpkins who run the place 1star. read more