California Cavern, Mountain Ranch

About California Cavern

California Cavern in Mountain Ranch is a show cave featuring underground walking tours through crystalline mineral formations. The Trail of Lakes and Trail of Lights cave walks lead visitors through chambers decorated with rare speleothems, including beaded helictites in the Middle Earth area and an impressive array of stalactites in the Jungle Room. For those seeking more challenging adventures, the cavern offers professionally guided wild cavern spelunking expeditions: the Mammoth Cave Expedition and Middle Earth Expedition. These expeditions include passage through the Womb Room, a narrow chamber that tests visitors' comfort in tight spaces. The cavern's geological formations have attracted notable visitors throughout its 150-year history as California's first show cave, including authors Bret Harte, Mark Twain, and naturalist John Muir. Originally discovered in 1849 or 1850 and initially called Mammoth Cave, the site preserves delicate underground beauty formed over millennia.