Crystal Cave
Sequoia National Park · near Three Rivers / Visalia · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Caving
At a glance
- Depth
- 200
- Season
- Late May–September · Closed fall through spring · Book 30+ days in advance
- Cost
- Tickets required — standard tour ~$25 adults / $13 children · Park entry: $35 vehicle or America the Beautiful Pass · Tickets NOT sold at the cave
- Difficulty
- Moderate · Half-mile walk to cave entrance · Some narrow passages inside · Bring a jacket
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Tickets must be purchased in advance — NOT available at the cave. Purchase at the Lodgepole or Foothills visitor centers or online. Book at least 30 days ahead for summer visits. Park entry fee required.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Gear
- Jacket (stays in the 50s inside) · Closed-toe shoes with grip · Tickets purchased in advance (required — NOT sold at cave entrance)
Caving detail
- Nickname
- Sequoia's Hidden Marble Underworld
- Cave type
- marble
- Tour length
- 45–60 minutes · 0.5 mile inside · 0.5 mile walk each way from parking
- Formations
- Polished marble walls · Stalactites & stalagmites · Soda straws · Flowstone · Fairy pools · Cave streams
- Featured caves
- Standard Marble Tour · Wild Cave Tour · Historic Candlelight Tour
- Intl tip
- Crystal Cave tickets must be purchased at visitor centers (Lodgepole or Foothills) before driving to the cave — there is no ticket sales at the cave entrance. Many visitors drive all the way to the cave parking area before learning this. Plan ahead: buy tickets first, then drive to the cave. The cave is accessible only by driving through the park on Generals Highway.
The guide
Crystal Cave is the thing hiding inside Sequoia National Park that the giant sequoias keep most people from finding. The marble…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Crystal Cave — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.5853, -118.7561