Crystal Cave

Sequoia National Park


Discovered in 1918 by two parks' employees who were going fishing, this unique cave was carved by an underground river and has marble formations estimated to be up to 100,000 years old. Tickets for the 50-minute introductory tour are only sold online in advance or at the Giant Forest Museum and Foothills Visitor Center, not at the cave. Bring a jacket.

Stalactites hang like daggers from the cave ceiling, and milky-white marble formations take the shape of ethereal curtains, domes, columns and shields. The cave is also a unique biodiverse habitat for spiders and bats.

Tours fill up quickly, especially on weekends, so buy tickets online at least two days before your trip. Wheelchairs, baby backpacks, purses, strollers, tripods and walking sticks are prohibited inside the cave. Water bottles are available for purchase in the cave bookstore. Note that the cave may close during rainy weather (refunds are available).

From the Lodgepole or foothills areas, allow at least 90 minutes to get to the cave, which is a half-mile walk from the parking lot at the end of a twisty 6.5-mile-long paved road. Look for the signed turnoff for Crystal Cave Rd about 2 miles south of the Giant Forest Museum.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sequoia National Park attractions

1. Giant Forest Museum

3.37 MILES

For a primer on the intriguing ecology and history of giant sequoias, this pint-sized modern museum will entertain both kids and adults. Hands-on exhibits…

2. General Sherman Tree

4.31 MILES

By volume the largest living tree on earth, the massive General Sherman Tree rockets into the sky and waaay out of the camera frame. Pay your respects to…

3. Tunnel Log

4.33 MILES

Visitors can drive through a 2000-year-old tree, which fell naturally in 1937. It once stood 275ft high with a base measuring 21ft in diameter. Regular…

4. Giant Forest

4.34 MILES

This 3-sq-mile grove protects the park’s most gargantuan tree specimens. Among them is the world’s biggest, the General Sherman tree, rocketing 275ft into…

5. Moro Rock

4.37 MILES

A quarter-mile staircase climbs 350 steps (over 300ft) to the top of Sequoia’s iconic granite dome at an elevation of 6725ft, offering mind-boggling views…

6. Sequoia National Forest

4.67 MILES

Bordering long stretches of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, this national forest area, named after the enormous Sequoia trees it contains, was…

7. Crescent Meadow

4.84 MILES

Said to have been described by John Muir as the ‘gem of the Sierra,’ this lush meadow is buffered by a forest of firs and giant sequoias. High grass and…

8. Wolverton Meadow

5.11 MILES

On the northern side of the Giant Forest, Wolverton Meadow is at an elevation of 7250ft. It has picnic tables, hiking trailheads and a winter snow-play…