California Cavern State Historic Landmark

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

Friendly and informative staff greeted us and provided a memorable tour. This place reminds visitors to escape the hustle of daily life and embrace Earth's enduring geological beauty and history. Thank you to Faith and Bryan for such a lovely experience. Seeing a cameo appearance from two bats was the perfect ending to our tour! The silence and cool air felt grounding. I hope to return before it's closed for the winter.

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.

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.

Recommended to any family who needed a quick outing. Activity is not to the point. Go inside the shop and pay for the tickets. Then meet up outside the back of the shop with your group and tour guide when the time is up. Walkways were small and narrow. Watch your head at some points to avoid bumping onto cave rocks. Tour guide was informative and funny as well. Must carry small tiny purses or fanny packs. Backpacks , whether small or big, are not allowed due to the tight spaces.

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!

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 !!

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!

This is worth seeing atleast once if you have the chance to go. Very nice and peaceful . Do not wear white as you will be going theough very narrow spaces. Do not carry anything with you.

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!