Calaveras County is home to some of California’s most unique attractions, from the century-old Frog Jumping Contest held every May, to its incredible show caves.
In fact, Calaveras has more show caves than any other county in California, including Moaning Caverns, the largest single cave chamber in the state.
Here’s a closer look at this underrated natural landmark…
California’s largest single cave chamber
Moaning Caverns is an enormous vertical cave chamber measuring 165 feet tall, which is even taller than the Statue of Liberty without its base. Including its undeveloped passages, the cave reaches a total depth of 410 feet.
While Indigenous peoples used the area for thousands of years, modern “discovery” didn’t occur until the Gold Rush, when miners explored the cave in the early 1850s. The name “Moaning Caverns” came from eerie moaning sounds that emanated from its entrance.
Early visitors were slowly lowered into the cave in a bucket with candles for light — but luckily for today’s visitors, a 100-foot spiral staircase was added in 1922. Built from WWI battleship steel, the staircase is a marvel in itself.
The cavern is remarkable for its size, but it’s also beautiful, with enormous stalagmites, stalactites, crystal “cauliflower” on the walls, and more fascinating formations created over hundreds of thousands of years.
Visiting Moaning Caverns
The cave itself can be explored on two types of tours offered by Moaning Caverns Adventure Park. The family-friendly Spiral Tour costs under $30 and takes visitors down the spiral staircase, and the Expedition Crawling & Spelunking Tour invites visitors to wear lighted helmets and crawl through the undeveloped parts of the cave.
Moaning Caverns Adventure Park also offers some complementary experiences such as axe throwing and panning for gemstones. It’s less than a 30 minute drive from California Caverns, the longest cavern system in California — more on that here.
🌐 Learn more: Moaning Caverns Adventure Park