Mitchell Caverns
Essex (Providence Mountains, Mojave Desert) · near Essex (nearest services) / Barstow (100 miles west) · California Desert
Caving
At a glance
- Depth
- 120
- Season
- October–May (summer heat extreme — avoid) · Check California State Parks for current tour schedule and availability
- Cost
- ~$10–15 adults · $4–7 children · Check California State Parks for current pricing
- Difficulty
- Easy to moderate · Guided through developed pathways · Narrow passages in places
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No permit. California State Parks fee applies. Providence Mountains State Recreation Area is extremely remote — 100 miles east of Barstow on I-40. Full tank of gas essential. Check California State Parks (parks.ca.gov) for current tour availability as tours have had scheduling changes in recent years.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Gear
- Light layers (cool inside, hot outside — the temperature contrast is dramatic) · Sturdy shoes · Water for the surface approach
Caving detail
- Nickname
- El Pakiva & Tecopa — Desert's Hidden Underworld
- Cave type
- limestone
- Tour length
- 1.5 hours guided tour
- Formations
- Stalactites & stalagmites · Draperies · Cave coral (unusual dry formations) · Helictites (gravity-defying crystal formations)
- Featured caves
- El Pakiva · Tecopa
- Intl tip
- The Providence Mountains are some of the most dramatic desert terrain in the Mojave — sweeping views of the desert floor from above 5,000 feet, with the Marble Mountains and Old Woman Mountains visible to the north and south. Combine Mitchell Caverns with a drive on the Mojave Road (the historic overland trail covered in the off-road guide) for a complete Mojave Desert adventure.
The guide
Mitchell Caverns occupies one of the most unexpected locations of any California cave — deep in the Providence Mountains of the…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mitchell Caverns — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.9264, -115.54