Spiral Tour

Explore the largest vertical cavern chamber open to the public in California

Rates

• General Admission (ages 12+): $27.56
• Child (ages 3-11): $20.14
• Small Child (ages 0-2): Free (Please make sure small children are included in your reservation!)

Prices includes Online Reservation fee.
10% off for Military personnel with valid ID*

Duration

45 minutes
Tours depart at the top of the hour

Accessibility

Moaning Caverns is accessed by walking 235 stairs down and the same 235 stairs back up (a round-trip total of 470 stairs). This includes some steep and narrow sections. Guests with heart, breathing, or joint issues should carefully consider their abilities before taking this tour. There are no alternate exits aside from the stairs.

Liability Waivers are required for this activity! Check your confirmation email for a link to sign.

About

Moaning Cavern is in the marble deposit of the Calaveras Formation. The main chamber, which is the largest public cavern chamber in California, goes down over 180 feet before funneling into smaller passageways that finally end over 400 ft below the surface. Your tour will end 165 feet underground at the site where scientific excavations revealed the bones of humans and animals that had accidentally fallen into the cavern thousands of years ago.

The Spiral Tour leads visitors into the large main chamber (tall enough to hold the Statue of Liberty from toes to torch!) by first descending a steep, narrow passageway of 91 steps to the top of the room, 65-ft below the surface. From there, guests will continue down the 100-foot tall historic spiral staircase to the bottom platform - 165-ft underground (that's 16 stories!). Our guides will explain the human history and geology of the cavern along this adventurous 45-minute tour.

Once the tour is over, it’s time for a workout! At the end of your tour, you’ll climb back up the 235 steps to the surface. (There are no elevators here at Moaning Caverns!)

For guest and guide safety, we do not allow anything into the cavern aside from keys, wallets, and phones/cameras. Please plan to leave purses, fanny packs, and all other types of bags in your vehicle during the tour. We suggest wearing clothing with pockets large enough to hold these items. We also do not permit food or drink of any kind.

***For reasons of liability and safety, please note that minors are not able to take this tour unaccompanied. An adult (18+) must be present for the duration of the trip.