Crystal Cave

Is this tour right for you?

Crystal Cave is a breathtaking marble cavern, but visiting requires preparation. The tour includes a half-mile round-trip hike with steep terrain and stairs, and the cave environment is cold, damp, and dark. To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience, it’s important to review the key safety guidelines below before your visit.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Visiting Crystal Cave requires physical exertion and may not be suitable for everyone. Those with claustrophobia, difficulty walking, heart or respiratory conditions, recent surgery or illness, or other physical limitations should avoid the tour. The cave is also not recommended for young children who cannot walk on their own, and baby backpacks and strollers are not permitted. Visitors assume all risks associated with personal injury and loss or damage to property. The park is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Prepare for your trip

Crystal Cave is a stunning marble cavern, but visiting requires preparation. The tour includes a half-mile round-trip hike with steep terrain and stairs, and the cave environment is cold, damp, and dark (around 50°F).

• Time your travel accordingly. Lines to get into the park can be over an hour long, especially on the weekends. It is still at least another hour from the park entrance to the cave parking lot. (See:TRAVELING TO THE CAVE)
• Park pass. To speed up your entry into the park, we recommend purchasing your park pass ahead of time at www.nps.gov/seki.
• Gas up. There is no gas inside the parks.
• Hydrate. Be sure to stay hydrated and bring drinking water, as there is no water available at the cave.
• Shoes that are non-slip. The trail to the cave, and especially the cave itself, can be slippery. Good shoes are recommended.
• Bring snacks. Visiting Crystal Cave can be a commitment of several hours. Food is not allowed in the cave itself. However, in the parking lot, there are picnic tables to enjoy your food before your tour and bear boxes to store your food items while on your tour. 
• No pets are allowed in unattended vehicles, outside, on the trail, or in the cave.
• Dress in layers. Summer in the park can be pretty hot. However, the cave is 50˚F (10˚C) inside, so a jacket is recommended.
• Apply sunscreen if you’d like. There is a half-mile hike to and from the cave.

TRAVELING TO THE CAVE

• Purchase your park pass ahead of time. Lines to get into the park can be over an hour long, especially on the weekends. Tour ticket does not include park entry.⚠️  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are moving to only accept cashless payments for entrance fees at park entrances as well as walk-in wilderness backcountry permits. Cashless operations saves a significant amount of money, helps us be safe, secure, and effective, and allows us to spend more time with you. Most credit cards, debit cards, and digital forms of payment are accepted including Discover, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay, among others.The park is working with external partners who are interested in selling park passes for cash and credit cards.Learn More

• Sequoia National Park entrance. From the Sequoia National Park entry station, plan for at least 60 minutes to get to the cave parking lot. 

• Kings Canyon National Park entrance. From the Kings Canyon National Park entry station, plan for at least 120 minutes to get to the cave parking lot.
  
• Please drive slowly. The Crystal Cave area was at the epicenter of the KNP Complex Fire in 2021 and the severe winter storms of 2022 and 2023. Sequoia Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service have been working to restore safe access to Crystal Cave following the damage, including removing dead-standing hazard trees, repairing damaged roads, and restoring the solar electrical system that powers the cave lights. 

• Vehicles over 22 feet and trailers are not permitted on the road to the cave.

• NO GAS inside parks.

• The cave road closes one hour after the last tour of the day.

THE CHECK IN PROCESS

Prepare to be away from your vehicle and facilities for the next 2 hours. 

• Use the restroom. There are restrooms in the cave parking lot, but there are no restroom facilities on the tour.

• Store your food. Secure any food or scented items in the food lockers.
• Secure personal belongings. No backpacks, bags, hiking sticks, or baby carriers are allowed inside the cave. They may be used for the hike to the cave, but must be left unattended at the cave entrance. Do not carry loose items that could be dropped or lost in the cave. You may not consume food or beverages inside the cave.
• Photography/Videography. Personal photography is permitted, but tripods, monopods, and selfie sticks are not. Flash photography, including lights from video cameras, is not allowed inside the cave. Be sure to tag us in your adventure on social! @sequoiaparksconservancy
• Children must be carried in a front-facing or able to walk independently; baby backpacks and strollers are not permitted.
• All visitors assume risk of personal injury and property loss. The park is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
• Check in for your tour. Please have your confirmation email or your QR code handy.
  
• Orientation. You will be given a short orientation before you begin your hike down to the cave.
• All cave visitors will step in a hydrogen peroxide solution to help reduce the spread of White-nose Syndrome to protect our winged friends inside the cave.
• Flashlights are not permitted in the cave.

TRAIL TO THE CAVE

You will have about 15-20 minutes to hike down to the cave’s entrance. Once you reach the cave, your tour guide will unlock the famous spider web gate, and your 50-minute tour will begin. 

• The 1/2-mile trail to the cave is steep and strenuous with stairs.
• The trail is paved but uneven, and wheelchairs cannot be accommodated.
• There is poison oak growing along the trail. Do not touch the plants.
• Rattlesnakes and bees are sometimes encountered. Do not approach and inform the staff if you see either.
• Beware of rocks that may fall onto the trail, and watch for obstacles.

GRAB A SOUVENIR

On your way back to the parking lot, you can stop by our cave kiosk again to purchase park-related items. The Crystal Cave tour and kiosk are operated by Sequoia Parks Conservancy, the official nonprofit partner of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Every ticket and product purchased goes directly back into the parks. Thank you for being a part of our mission to safeguard these beautiful parks for generations.

• The kiosk is cashless. No cash is kept on the premises.