Sequoia National Park’s Crystal Cave has captivated over 50,000 visitors every year since the 1980s. After a four-year closure due to back-to-back natural disasters, the cave reopened to visitors last summer, quickly selling out its guided tours.
Now, visitors have another opportunity to book a spot on a guided tour of the cave from May 22 through November 1, 2026.
Visiting Crystal Cave
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have around 250 caves between them, but Crystal Cave is the only one open to the public via guided tours; in fact, visitors are not allowed to enter without one. Each tour accommodates up to 35 people, and advanced reservations are required.
It’s recommended that guests arrive early for a 20-minute self-guided hike to the entrance, before meeting their guide for a 50-minute tour of the cave’s elaborate marble formations. The half-mile round-trip journey takes you through multiple chambers via steep paths and stairs, each showcasing unique geological formations.
Tours are available daily between 9am and 3pm starting May 22nd, 2026. You can book them at the Sequoia Parks Conservancy website.
History of Crystal Cave
Crystal Cave formed gradually over 1.2 million years, beginning as limestone left behind by a prehistoric sea. Layers of limestone accumulated over time before being transformed into marble by intense heat and pressure. Gradually, mildly acidic water carved its way through the marble, creating intricate features throughout the cave, including fissures, stalactites, stalagmites, and crystal draperies. Today, an ancient stream continues to trickle through the cave’s interior.
Though Indigenous groups like the Monache and Yokut have lived in these mountains for millennia, the cave was “discovered” in 1918 by NPS employees C. M. Webster and A. L. Medley during a fishing trip. Park Superintendent Walter Fry secured the entrance shortly after and began developing the site as a visitor attraction, which opened to the public in 1940. Park rangers have offered guided summer tours since 1982.