Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park Re-Opens Crystal Cave for Tours

07.30.2025

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park are world-famous for their towering groves of giant Sequoia trees, but they’re also home to another big thing: an underground system of more than 200 caves.

Step inside that hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. The cave was closed for four years due to the 2021 KNP Complex fire and historic flooding in 2023. Now this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

Getting to the cave involves a steep half-mile (round-trip) hike. You’ll pass cascading waterfalls en route to the cave's entrance, where your guide will meet you at a giant spider-web-shaped metal gate.The 50-minute tour winds through dimly lit subterranean tunnels and passageways decorated with fantastical formations a million years in the making. It is chilly inside (temperatures can drop to 50 degrees!) so bring a jacket. 

Created by acidic water that naturally sculpted the cave’s crystalline marble walls, icicle-shaped stalactites are suspended from the ceiling, deposits of delicate rock descend the walls like curtains, and there’s a dome resembling a giant dollop of whipped cream. Shimmering fairy pools and an ancient stream are also part of the underground scenery.

By the time you’re through, it’ll be crystal clear why this cave rocks!

From Visalia, take CA 198-East and Sierra Drive for about 34 miles to reach the Ash Mountain entrance of Sequoia National Park. Drive Generals Highway for 14.5 miles and turn left at the sign for Crystal Cave (near the Giant Forest). Drive 6.5 miles to reach the parking area. 

Allow plenty of time to reach the cave. At the park entrance, expect to wait 30 minutes on weekdays and 1 hour on holidays and weekends to get into the park. The drive from the Ash Mountain entrance to the cave takes about 1 hour.

Timed guided tours are available daily during the summer season through September 7, 2025. In addition to the park entrance fee, tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for children. Tickets must be purchased in advance on the Sequoia Parks Conservatory website and are not sold at the cave. Get your tickets.

Story and photos by Yvonne Pasquini, @yvonne_pasquini

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories

  1. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

    View

  2. Afternoon on the Island

    What is it about tiny islands in the middle of lakes? There’s something that just draws you in. It’s even more fun when getting there is half the adventure because you have to reach it by canoe, kayak, paddleboat, or a ranger-guided boat tour!

    View

  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

    View
  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

  1. Locals' Feature: Jim Litchfield, Owner of Reno Fly Shop

    If there's a river, you're likely to find Jim Litchfield there. As the owner of Reno Fly Shop, Nevada's premier fly fishing outfitter and shop, Jim's passion for rivers knows no bounds: he's fished in places near and far, including Alaska, Bolivia and Christmas Island. But home is beautiful Reno, where he has been running Reno Fly Shop and leading tailored river float and fly fishing adventures (including beginner-friendly options) for over a decade.

    View

  2. Volcanic Activity

    Northern California is home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the country: Lassen Volcanic National Park. The region features geothermal areas, including the largest dome volcano in the world, Lassen Peak. Hike to the top of this active volcano on a 5-mile out-and-back.  

    View

  3. Great Is an Understatement!

    Tucked against the Utah border in eastern Nevada, Great Basin is a hiking wonderland of 13,000-foot peaks, ancient forests, sub-alpine lakes, and marbled limestone caves.

    View
  4. Lake Nacimiento
    Sponsored

    Savor Summer in Paso Robles

    Ready for the “Great California Road Trip”? Keep it real and rolling in bucolic and beautiful Paso Robles. This down- to-earth destination has everything you need to enjoy the coolest experiences.

    View