California Cavern State Historic Landmark - Mountain Ranch, California

Jessica C

Had a great tour today with Brian. Loved learning about the local history and enjoyed the walk through the cavern. We took the basic tour which was accessible for someone in our party who isn't completely steady on their feet. It looks like there are lots more challenging options if we want to come back for more visits. Appreciated the lighting and hand rails. Beautiful sights to see. I added a picture of the Buddha rock!

Jen Zeller

Great family adventure. We went on a school field trip. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly. There were some tight spots and one kid had a panic and subsequent asthma attack.

Jean Garcia

I visited California Caverns with my granddaughter. What a great way to spend an afternoon. Our tour guide, Brian, was very knowledgeable and friendly as well. The cave itself was beautiful- full of so many types of rock formations. It was well worth the drive!

Tom Sparks

This was such a nice place to visit. I brought my 12 year old daughter here to explore the caverns! Price was great! we got all signed up for the next avail tour. We had a little time so we had a picnic at one of the picnic tables. The souvenir shop had a lot of cool cave related things to purchase so we picked up a few items. The walk to the cave was nice! it was warm out but I knew the caves would be colder so I brought a sweater just in case... I forget the temp inside the cave but its much cooler and consistent than the heat outside. I didn't really need the sweater! Inside the caves were great! We learned a lot thanks to the wonderful tour guide.. I think her name was Sigg? I could be mistaken! All in all we had fun! I plan on visiting soon with more family!

Lloyd Panjikaran

Hidden gem. Has normal guided tours and an expedition tour for more seasoned explorers. I would have gone for the expedition tour if I knew about that option early. You would have to crawl through tight spaces in the expedition tour.
The normal tour was great and we saw the rock formations. Our guide was very knowledgeable .
Make sure to avoid unnecessary contact with the rocks as oils on skin can damage the rock.

Nicole Bell

First, the constructive criticism... The website and other reading material (including anything on site) really don't prepare you for how physically involved this is. You may think, "Duh? It's a cave?" but there are people who read the website, see that they only recommend tennis shoes (instead of requiring them) and they don't give any warning whatsoever about the bending and twisting and kneeling you're expected to do while walking on wet and slippery ground the entire time so they'll bring people that are unable to do those things... Only for them to have to back out once you're there. And they will have to make that decision for themselves. The tour guide won't, even though they really should for everyone's health and safety.

One of the members of our group made it the 1/4 mile walk to the cave entrance before the tour guide warned us of the physical expectations and what to expect. The member of our group ultimately decided to forgo the tour, which left him to walk the 1/4 mile back to the building alone. It was really disheartening. However, it was the right decision. There is a 0% chance he would have been able to do the tour.

They did give him a refund on his tour, which is nice but doesn't make up for anything.

BUT - Assuming you're a healthy, able-bodied person, this is probably the most interesting cave I've ever been in. The history behind it really makes it what it is (I don't want to spoil anything so I won't elaborate). Of course it's beautiful. Don't think I'm inferring otherwise. The history merely illuminates the natural beauty.

It's also a novice level tour. My children completed it without an issue. It takes about an hour to get through it.

The tour guide definitely knows his stuff. He's a local guy with a passion for caves and it's extremely apparent. The tour wouldn't have been what it was without him.

The panning was a big hit with the kids and the gift shop was simple yet had anything you'd need. There are plenty of clean bathrooms to use and the drive there is BEAUTIFUL. Be prepared for no cell service for a good while.

This was a fun, unexpected adventure that was added to the California trip and I'm stoked I got to experience it. I highly recommend it for (healthy, able-bodied people)! I think that's enough rambling, lol.

Georgia Hensley

It was a great experience. This is the place to take the kids! We had a very nice tour guide who took us about a 1/2 mile into the cave. At first we walked about a 1/4 of a mile to the caves entrance. Its always 53 degrees inside our tour guide said. He was very knowledgeable. They have a very nice and fair priced gift store clean restrooms and lots of parking. Cave City / California Caverns is located at 9565 Cave City Rd. Mountain Ranch, California 95246. They are open fron 10:00 - 5:00 Wed. through Sun. They are closed Mon. and Tues.

I recommend wearing trainer shoes(sneakers), boots or shoes with a good sole because its wet and slippery. Bring a hoodie or light jacket (even if its real hot outside) because its cold down there

Weijia Jin

This cave is a little out of the way hence much less crowded than the other cave tours in the area. No reservations needed. There is a short quarter mile walk to the entrance of the cavern which is partially shaded. Our guide went over the history of the cave and pointed out interesting formations. We took one of the last tours of the day and that could be why it felt a little rushed.