California Cavern State Historic Landmark

We know that California Cavern was the very first cave in the state to be opened to the public for guided tours in 1850. In the early days, the cave was known as "Mammoth Cave." The original tours, though impressive, were shorter than they are today, since more of the cave system has been discovered over the years.
Early visitors included Bret Harte, Mark Twain and John Muir who wrote about his visit in his 1894 book "The Mountains of California." For 150 years, visitors have enjoyed the unique delicate beauty of the cavern's crystalline formations. Some speleothems, such as the beaded helictites found in the Middle Earth area are very rare. Others are so numerous as to be spectacular, such as the "Jungle Room's" array of stalactites. Besides 2 fun walking tours, we also offer the wonderful opportunity to participate in underground adventures - our professionally guided wild cavern spelunking trips - the Mammoth Cave Expedition and Middle Earth Expedition.