Bower Cave
Greeley Hill (Stanislaus NF, near Yosemite) · near Greeley Hill / Groveland · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Caving
At a glance
- Depth
- 100
- Season
- Access managed by the Forest Service — historically gated; check current status and any guided-access programs
- Cost
- FREE (when accessible) · Check current Forest Service access status
- Difficulty
- Moderate — a collapsed-roof grotto reached by a short hike; historically featured a ladder descent into the chamber
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Managed by the Stanislaus National Forest — historically gated to protect the sensitive site and for safety. Access rules change; check current status with the Groveland Ranger District before planning. Treat as a sacred Miwok site.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
- Gear
- Sturdy shoes · Headlamp (for the lower chamber) · Warm layer · Respect for a sacred and sensitive site
Caving detail
- Nickname
- The Miwok Grotto with a Tree Inside
- Cave type
- limestone
- Tour length
- 1–2 hours (when open)
- Formations
- Collapsed-roof grotto (open chamber) · Trees growing from the cave floor · Underground lake · Sacred Southern Sierra Miwok site
- Featured caves
- The grotto chamber
- Intl tip
- Bower Cave is off Highway 120 near Greeley Hill, on the way to Yosemite's Big Oak Flat entrance — the same corridor as Carlon Falls swimming (swimming guide) and Groveland's Iron Door Saloon. Always confirm access status before making the trip.
The guide
Bower Cave is one of the Sierra's most enchanting and unusual caves — a collapsed-roof limestone grotto near the Highway 120 co…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Bower Cave — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.79, -120.047