Shasta Caverns Visitor Center — Attraction in Shasta Lake

The gift shop has a lot of interesting trinkets- the dirt you purchase to sift outside is a wonderful option for children. Boat ride across is easy, light jacket is recommended. The bus that takes you to the cavern is clean and comfortable. Our driver was hilarious- if you are afraid of heights sit in the aisle because there is a spot where it’s pretty eye opening to how narrow the road is! The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. We had 47 in our group and I do think 20-30 would be better so everyone can hear and see things at the same time. There were things some of us missed because we were around a corner and couldn’t...

I am absolutely sure that the caverns are stunning and very much worth the trip, but there was really important information that was not on the website for us to consider when we bought our tickets and then drove 3 hours to get there in 103° weather. Because of the drought, the lake access to the caverns is now a 2-mile walk up and down a steep dirt path. This might not be a problem for many, but if you have a kid like mine, there's no way in heck that little hike is going to happen. We were prepared for the heat, but not for the hike. I hope we have a chance to try again, but this time our trip was a waste of time, money...

Tour takes 2 hours and it flies by. Between taking a boat / bus / hiking things keep moving and it keeps everybody engaged. This is a cool cave, tons of rooms and pathways you get to explore with the guide. For people with kids that are sensitive to sound / light there is a light show at the end that was not a highlight for our sound-sensitive family member 😄

Saw a baby black bear from the bus on the way up to the cavern which was super cool. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife on the ride.

Best deal at the gift shop is to get the bag of dirt that you pan through running water outside...