Axehandle Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.3771°N, 114.7619°W
INTO THE DARK · CAVES DIRECTORY
Caves in California
120 Caves Found Free Options Available
California has more cave variety than almost any other state: lava tubes in the Cascades, marble caverns in the Klamath Mountains, talus caves in the Coast Ranges, and sea caves along the Pacific. Lava Beds National Monument alone has over 800 lava tubes — 25 open for self-guided exploration with no permit required. Crystal Cave in Sequoia requires a hike up and a reservation. Subway Cave near Lassen is free, unlit, and genuinely wild. The Gold Country cluster around Murphys includes Mercer Caverns and Moaning Cavern within a few miles of each other.
Every cave listed here is on public or accessible land. Always bring three light sources, water, and let someone know your plans before entering any undeveloped cave. Temperature inside: typically 50–62°F year-round. Explore all caves on the Trek4Free map →
Type
Access
Balconies Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.4991°N, 121.2024°W
Balconies Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.5000°N, 121.2012°W
Balcony Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7450°N, 121.5452°W
Bear Gulch Lower Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.4744°N, 121.1863°W
Bear Gulch Upper Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.4730°N, 121.1869°W
Bell Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.2036°N, 118.6618°W
Bertha's Cupboard Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.6891°N, 121.5306°W
Big Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 37.5832°N, 114.4580°W
Big Painted Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7319°N, 121.5230°W
Black Chasm Cavern
Limestone Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.4322°N, 120.6265°W
Blue Grotto
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7074°N, 121.5143°W
Bodhidharma Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 37.2843°N, 122.1599°W
Boulevard Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7456°N, 121.5448°W
Bower Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 37.7480°N, 120.0359°W
Bowers Cave (Cave of the San Martins)
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.4392°N, 118.6457°W
Boyden Cavern
Limestone Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.8149°N, 118.8176°W
Boyden Cavern - Sequoia National Forest
Limestone Guided Nat'l Forest $17
A limestone cave in Kings Canyon carved by the same underground water that carved the canyon above it — accessible by a short trail from the canyon floor at the bottom of one of the deepest canyons in…
Bronson Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.1211°N, 118.3139°W
Burnt Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.4085°N, 118.6251°W
Caldwell Ice Cave
Ice Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.6919°N, 121.4765°W
Caldwell Ice Cave
Ice Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.6948°N, 121.4722°W
California Caverns
Limestone Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.2025°N, 120.5091°W
Catacombs
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7051°N, 121.5152°W
Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.5990°N, 114.2457°W
Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.6425°N, 114.2434°W
Cave of Munits
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.1972°N, 118.6698°W
Cave Rock
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.8695°N, 117.0105°W
Cave Rock
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 33.5447°N, 117.7403°W
Cowboy Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.1155°N, 115.4234°W
Cox Ice Cave
Ice Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7157°N, 121.4997°W
Crystal Cave - Sequoia National Park
Limestone Guided Nat'l Park $17
A marble cavern discovered in 1918 by two fishermen, tucked 3 miles off the Generals Highway on a rough access road deep in Sequoia National Park. Crystal Cave is named for its calcite formations that…
Devils Hole
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.4253°N, 116.2914°W
Dripping Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 33.5517°N, 117.7443°W
Fallen-In Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.4080°N, 118.6263°W
Fern Chamber
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.4755°N, 121.1867°W
Gaviota Wind Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.4828°N, 120.2385°W
Gaviota Wind Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.4830°N, 120.2386°W
Gaviota Wind Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.4822°N, 120.2374°W
Golden Dome
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7105°N, 121.5135°W
Goshute Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.0664°N, 114.7933°W
Greenhorn Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 35.5703°N, 118.5908°W
Gypsum Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.2239°N, 114.9003°W
Hall City Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.4068°N, 123.0082°W
Hawver Cave Gate A
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.9162°N, 121.0147°W
Hawver Cave Gate B
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.9138°N, 121.0154°W
Hell Hole
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.9886°N, 122.0708°W
Heppe Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.6978°N, 121.5464°W
Hercules Leg
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7031°N, 121.5155°W
Hidden Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.4069°N, 118.6268°W
Hidden Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.5826°N, 122.4200°W
Hole in the Wall
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 37.6195°N, 119.0116°W
Hopkins Chocolate Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7091°N, 121.5140°W
Ice Cave
Ice Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.3359°N, 121.4234°W
Indian Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 37.7441°N, 119.5593°W
Indian Joe Cave Rocks
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 37.5249°N, 121.8178°W
Indian Well Cave (Upper Entrance)
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7126°N, 121.5069°W
Jot Dean Ice Cave
Ice Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.4911°N, 121.6170°W
Juniper
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7065°N, 121.5115°W
Lake Shasta Caverns
Limestone Guided Private $35
Marble caverns above Shasta Lake, reached by a 15-minute boat ride across the reservoir followed by a short bus ride up a steep hillside — the approach is as much the experience as the cave. The caver…
Lake Shasta Caverns
Limestone Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.7974°N, 122.2767°W
Lava Beds National Monument
Lava Tube Self-Guided Nat'l Park $25
More than 800 lava tubes honeycombing a volcanic landscape on the flanks of Medicine Lake shield volcano — and 25 of them are open for self-guided exploration with a flashlight you can borrow from the…
Lava Brook
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7133°N, 121.5097°W
Lava Tube
Lava Tube Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 35.2164°N, 115.7513°W
Lehman Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.0054°N, 114.2207°W
Little Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.2163°N, 118.9052°W
Lovelock Caves Archaelogical Site
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.9633°N, 118.5577°W
Mammoth Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.6722°N, 121.3349°W
Manson Family Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.2716°N, 118.6175°W
Marble Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.3987°N, 123.3348°W
Marble Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.3941°N, 123.3301°W
Meadows Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.2149°N, 118.9050°W
Mendocino Point Blow Hole
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.3021°N, 123.8043°W
Mercer Caverns
Limestone Show Cave Private $18
A small but extraordinarily dense limestone cave in the California Gold Country foothills — discovered in 1885 by Walter Mercer while prospecting for gold, and operated by his descendants ever since. …
Mercer Caverns
Limestone Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.1512°N, 120.4781°W
Merrill Ice Cave
Ice Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7284°N, 121.5489°W
Mitchell Caverns
Limestone Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.9384°N, 115.5123°W
Moaning Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.0690°N, 120.4660°W
Moaning Cavern
Limestone Show Cave Private $20
The largest public cave chamber in California — a single room 180 feet deep that you reach by a spiral staircase descending through the opening, looking down into darkness as you descend. The cave ear…
Mud Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 32.9256°N, 116.1911°W
Mud Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 32.9274°N, 116.1950°W
Mud Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 32.9207°N, 116.1844°W
Mud Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 32.9246°N, 116.1893°W
Mushpot Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7136°N, 121.5087°W
Ovis
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7040°N, 121.5170°W
Packsaddle Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 35.9396°N, 118.4607°W
Painted Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.0708°N, 119.8563°W
Paradise Alleys
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7042°N, 121.5164°W
Picnic Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.4078°N, 118.6296°W
Pinnacles National Park - Bear Gulch Cave
Talus Cave Self-Guided Nat'l Park $30
A talus cave formed not by water or lava but by boulders — massive chunks of volcanic rock that tumbled into a narrow canyon and piled up, leaving a twisting passage system of chambers and crawlways b…
Pintwater Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.7942°N, 115.5694°W
Pluto's Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.5680°N, 122.2826°W
Pluto's Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.5675°N, 122.2826°W
Pluto's Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.5694°N, 122.2849°W
Quartz Crystal Cave (blocked with concrete)
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 32.8226°N, 117.0160°W
Robber's Roost Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.3015°N, 115.6125°W
Rose Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 39.1322°N, 114.3959°W
Scandia Fun Center Entrance
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.6585°N, 121.3642°W
Sentinel Cave (Lower Entrance)
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7102°N, 121.5088°W
Sentinel Cave (Upper Entrance)
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7085°N, 121.5112°W
Skull Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7314°N, 121.5107°W
Small Cave Entrance
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 35.9994°N, 114.8658°W
Smuggler's Den
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 32.6357°N, 116.0927°W
Spooky Canyon
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 35.0310°N, 116.3301°W
Subway Cave - Lassen National Forest
Lava Tube Self-Guided Nat'l Forest Free
A free, self-guided lava tube on National Forest land near Old Station, California — one of the most accessible wild cave experiences in the US with zero admission fee. The Subway Cave formed roughly …
Subway Cave (entrance)
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.6860°N, 121.4189°W
Subway Cave (exit)
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 40.6845°N, 121.4175°W
Sunshine
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7028°N, 121.5195°W
Symbol Bridge
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7333°N, 121.5263°W
The Grotto
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.0987°N, 118.9277°W
The Grotto
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.0766°N, 118.4290°W
The Real Manson Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.2574°N, 118.6604°W
Thunderbolt
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7128°N, 121.5109°W
Tickner Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.6877°N, 121.5317°W
Valentine Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 41.7093°N, 121.4778°W
Vanalden Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.1318°N, 118.5625°W
West Iron Portal
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 34.1149°N, 115.2566°W
Whipple Cave
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 38.5132°N, 114.9693°W
Williams Hole
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 36.2312°N, 115.6915°W
Wind Caves
Cave Self-Guided Public Land
OSM-mapped cave entrance · 32.9909°N, 116.1122°W