California Cavern State Historic Landmark — Local services in San Andreas

First, the constructive criticism... The website and other reading material (including anything on site) really don't prepare you for how physically involved this is. You may think, "Duh? It's a cave?" but there are people who read the website, see that they only recommend tennis shoes (instead of requiring them) and they don't give any warning whatsoever about the bending and twisting and kneeling you're expected to do while walking on wet and slippery ground the entire time so they'll bring people that are unable to do those things... Only for them to have to back out once you're there. And they will have to make that decision for themselves. The tour guide won't, even though they really should for everyone's health and safety.

One of the members of our group made it the 1/4 mile walk to the cave entrance before the tour guide warned us of the physical expectations and what to expect. The member of our group ultimately decided to forgo the tour, which left him to walk the 1/4 mile back to the building alone. It was really disheartening. However, it was the right decision. There is a 0% chance he would have been able to do the tour.

They did give him a refund on his tour, which is nice but doesn't make up for anything.

BUT - Assuming you're a healthy, able-bodied person, this is probably the most interesting cave I've ever been in. The history behind it really makes it what it is (I don't want to spoil anything so I won't elaborate). Of course it's beautiful. Don't think I'm inferring otherwise. The history merely illuminates the natural beauty.

It's also a novice level tour. My children completed it without an issue. It takes about an hour to get through it.

The tour guide definitely knows his stuff. He's a local guy with a passion for caves and it's extremely apparent. The tour wouldn't have been what it was without him.

The panning was a big hit with the kids and the gift shop was simple yet had anything you'd need. There are plenty of clean bathrooms to use and the drive there is BEAUTIFUL. Be prepared for no cell service for a good while.

This was a fun, unexpected adventure that was added to the California trip and I'm stoked I got to experience it. I highly recommend it for (healthy, able-bodied people)! I think that's enough...

I’ve been to another caves, and this one did not meet my expectation. There are other cave’s look more natural, better preserved, and the shapes are amazing too but the tours are much shorter because of the length of the cave. For this reason I was motivated to see this one because it looked longer and if you want to spend more money do some spelunking. Is always nice to see how mother earth is from underneath, and for first timers this cave may be okay, with all this being said I only give this place two stars. The reason why I did not give this place more stars is; first the tour guide we got needs to work on some personal hygiene, at first I thought the rocks were omitting a bad smell but oh boy! I was wrong. Secondly, the tour guide did not finished the full tour, we still had to do 3 more rooms which didn’t get to see. It was explained to us that it was because we were not on time at the time of departure this didn’t make any sense because there was a family who looked like they had been waited long enough before we arrived. When we bought our tickets they told us there was one group leaving in few minutes or we would have to wait an hour for the next tour. It was this family that we joined. The explanations for why we couldn’t see the other rooms seemed unreasonable. Third and lastly, once you leave the shopping center you spend about 7 to 8 minutes waking before you get to the cave entrance which is a nice hike but in between stops waiting for others and safety speeches your time goes there. So the fact that they say this tour is 60 minutes long I think it should be about 2...

Dear Isaac's Mom, Isaac asked us to share a review so that you would know he was alive and doing well. My wife and I are pleased to be able to report that your 7-foot-tall bouncing boy is alive and seems well. He provided us with an excellent tour of the cave system and answered questions about the history of the geologic formations, the mineral and stone that surrounded the cave, the history of the cave and its ownership. In more serious moments, he also shared myths, legends, and ghost stories which are incredible to hear while standing underground in a cave! I would note a minor concern that he really seems to enjoy diving into holes and disappearing, but it does seem to suit his day job. Hearing his laughter echo from the darkness of the hole he dived headfirst into was a bit anxiety inducing. It was a relief to watch him come back out, also head first. The small group of 7 or so found ourselves giggling as we watched him shimmy his way back up and out of that hole! It was a fun experience to share the tour with a group of strangers, and we even did a bit of math homework trying to figure out how old particular sections of the cave were. First time in a while I've felt young, I'll say that. If I had friends who liked going underground, hearing a bit of story and seeing some beautiful (and strange) scenery, I'd ask Isaac to give us another tour. Thankfully for my claustrophobia, only my wife enjoys it. We'll be back again and looking...