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Moaning Cavern Park
Categories: Hotels & Travel Tours Active Life Local Flavor Tours, Active Life, Local Flavor [Edit]
5350 Moaning Cave RdVallecito, CA 95251
(209) 736-2708
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 5 pm
Sat-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
74 reviews for Moaning Cavern Park
74 reviews in English
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Review from Louisa S.
Oakland, CA
1/30/2012
Really nice qualified staff here put your mind and fears at ease when it comes to the cave rappel and the adventure tour. It turned out that one of the people in our party was too claustrophobic for squeezing through the very small spaces on the underground adventure and our guide was perfectly helpful when it came time to determine whether to push on, or call it a day. If you do go, I might suggest bringing your own set of coveralls (available at our local ACE Hardware for only $15) because all of theirs are already ripped in the seat, just where you need it the most!
It's a spectacular cave and a nice friendly, low-key facility. We were surprised at how down-to-earth (haha) the place was since the advertising for it all over the foothills is a bit much. We liked it so much we went to California Cavern the very next day which is also really cool!
I hope to go back and visit Mercer Caverns next. -
Review from Lynn B.
Vacaville, CA
1/13/2012
I admit I was a little leery when we first pulled into the parking lot. It just seemed so 'touristy' however, the friendly staff were so personable that we immediately felt more at ease and less like tourists. Thanks to a great Groupon offer, the husband and I were able to ride the 1500' zipline for a great price. Doing this first helped build up my nerve for the cavern rappel...I have a horrible fear of heights and this is my year to face the fear and do it anyway.
The zipline was cool but over too fast...as all zip lines are it seems. However, the rappel is sooooo worth the money! If you're going to do the tour anyway, you might as well suck it up and rappel into the cave. You get to see the same thing but from a way different perspective. It will challenge you, scare you, and you may have moments of wondering what the heck you were thinking when you signed up....but once you get to the bottom you'll be so glad you did.
Big pat on the back for the achievement!! Don't forget to grab your rappel card so you can get a discount for future trips...so much fun you will want to do it again. -
Review from Bryanna L.
Anaheim, CA
1/9/2012
I concurred my fear of heights when I did the rappelling in the cave. :)
It was my first time going up north with my boyfriends family and I enjoy the area. The people that worked there are very friendly and they make you feel like you can do anything if you have a fear of heights like I do. The zip line was very fun because you go so fast if your a thrill seeker. -
Review from Jessica F.
Sacramento, CA
1/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
(This review is for the zip line only.)
A-OK is a good way to describe my zip line experience.
I admit it, I'm spoiled. Before coming here, I had already been ziplining twice, once in Costa Rica and once in the redwoods near Sonoma. Based on these two experiences, I expected a longer flight, with multiple zip lines. This is one, long 1,500-ft. zip line, which is speedy and exhilarating, but is also over before you know it.
For a 1.5-hour drive from Sacramento (for us), the 40-ish seconds of fun is a blip. I think it's a great experience for first-time participants (we just squeezed in ahead of a busload of 19 students) and those with children who want to ride tandem. I also think it would be well worth the trip to pair the zip line with some of their other offerings, like cave tours and cave rappels, or the three-hour adventure trip (something that looks awesome, but I don't think I have the cajones to do - lol). Too bad we didn't plan for this ahead of time.
The staff was friendly and helpful, and they have something for everyone, even gold panning and gem mining.Listed in: Day trips and outings
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Review from Amanda J.
Garden Grove, CA
1/8/2012
Had a fantastic time on the cave rappel & zip line!!
During the cave rappel I got a little freaked out because my rope got tangled, but the staff was so helpful. One of the staff members got on the rappel and came down to help me & provide moral support. After I made it past that point it was so fun! The free fall was amazing, what a gorgeous cave!
The zip line was super fun! They drive you in a truck to the top & go over everything with you. My fiance & I went at the same time, and it felt like we were on it for a long time! It was a fun experience that we could share together! So memorable!!!
Afterwards, I went inside to buy souvenirs and get a snack. They have a good variety and everything is affordable.
I highly reccommend this!!!! -
Review from Gabriela D.
San Diego, CA
12/28/2011
Stunning! We booked the adventure tour and had so much fun. Going down to the 165 feet rappel and all the tunnels. It's worthy!!! It was my husband first time in an adventure like that and he preferred the rappel part than crawling in the cave. I loved the cavern! Really small spaces to crawl, but really cool!!!
We luckily got a private tour, since another couple didn't show up :)
Took us about 1 hour to go through and we liked our guide.
Friendly staff at the gift shop.
If wasn't far, I would come back more times. -
Review from Karen T.
CA
9/10/2011
September 3, 2011.
I appreciates the fact they had plenty of staff. (ie the youth had summer jobs!)
But i found the staff to be into one another instead of the customers. More training?
The staff at the top were better-- They however kept asking me if I was scared. No. No. No. Listening would be good - note I was the only one up there at the time.
There was no option for video taping the event. It is FUN and a good money maker, just ask the people who do skydiving in Hollister.
The ride it self. for me -- it was shorter then I expected, more expensive then I think it is worth, not as fast as I had hoped, the views were just ok-- all and all for me it was a yawner. If there was a money back policy I would have asked for a refund.
That said I have to add a note- I did skydive a few weeks back for my first time and that was definitely scary/fun/ adrenaline pumping Good Time! -
Review from Robert H.
Concord, CA
10/2/2011
If you have never gone spelunking then this is the place to go. FIrst, you must sign up for the rappel into the cavern. It is stunning. Once you start your adventure, get ready to fit into some places you never thought you could fit . Dragon's Nostril and the Meatgrinder (for the guys in the party) pretty much sums it up
BTW - My wife and daughter went on the zip line which is something I want to go do. -
Review from Gino O.
Orinda, CA
8/19/2011
This place has something for the whole family. The zip line was fun specially since my kids got a real kick out of it (had to do tandem since they are still young.
The cavern was tremendous. However it is not for people who are claustrophobic or have real fear of heights. As noted in other reviews, the initial descent is thru a very narrow tunnel and then you go down a spiral staircase another 100 ft. The guides were very friendly & knowledgable with lots of entertaining tidbits of information.
The kids really enjoyed panning for gold and other semi-precious stones. They had so much fun it was so difficult to pull them away to go home.
Definitely worth the trip. Zip line kinda expensive when you have to pay for multiple people but something you must do at least once in your life. Next time, will try to rappel down the cavern instead of the walk tour. -
Review from Linda L.
Oakland, CA
10/28/2011
Went here with my boyfriend and another couple and did the adventure tour. It was incredibly awesome. For those who have never done this before and want to try, go for it! It is physically challenging and a great team building adventure. If you are afraid of heights, deathly afraid, don't do it. But it was incredible fun. If you want to do something a little safer, ziplining is awesome! Make sure to bring an extra set of clothes if you are doing the adventure tour, you get messy. And make sure to wear something that withstands rocks that can possibly rip your jeans. *Don't wear new things*
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Review from M R.
Ripon, CA
7/13/2011
I noticed that this place had a 1500 foot Zip line on their website and had to try it. When I got there, it was pretty cool to see the different people going down the zip line. It looked pretty intense looking up from the bottom, but I was eager to try it.
When we arrived there was a pretty big line. They do not except reservations, so if you go on the weekend make sure to get there early. If not, I would recommend booking the cave walking tour and you can do that while you wait for your turn to zip. I think we had to wait about an hour and a half before we were able to finally zip line. The cost for the zip line is $39, which is a little steep especially if you are paying for multiple people. But, hey...this is something you don't do every day though, right?
The cool part is they give you a frequent flier card and any subsequent zips on a different day are $31 and $24 if you go again the same day. All I gotta say is that it was a blast and I am looking forward to zip lining again!
After we zip lined, we took the cave tour. This is not a tour for people who are claustrophobic. It is a very tight area when you first take the decent into the cave. I don't consider myself to be really claustrophobic, but I found myself having a bit of anxiety. It only lasts for the initial decent down and then opens up. I have never been inside a cave like that and it was a fun experience. If you haven't done this before, it was worth experiencing this at least once. However, I don't think I would pay to go in there again.
If you are looking to zip line or walk inside of a cave, I would recommend this place. I know I will definitely go back for the zip lining. -
Review from Jennifer M.
Benicia, CA
8/1/2011
Waste of money. I never zip lined before but I really expected something different. Maybe a rush, anything.. But nothing. U basically pay $1 per second down the line.
The staff was friendly, that's about it. -
Review from John H.
Aptos, CA
7/10/2011
Great time on the 1500 ft zip line . Took my boy and a group. Very safety focused. Good gear and they move the crowd thru quickly. The are negotiating a much longer line which will expand their operation greatly. Friendly wand intelligent staff. The only reason I didn't rate them a five is that I thought $39 per person for one run was a little steep. They do offer package deals which would bring the price down some. They could do two runs for $39 and that would be more reasonable. We will go back once they have their next really long line in operation.
We did not do the caverns or wall climbing. Maybe we will give that a try next time. -
Review from Jennifer T.
San Jose, CA
8/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
went up since i bought tickets off of groupon for the zipline. it was fun. next time i'll want to go down "superman" style. We did the cavern tour, and wasn't much for the $15 paid.....we basically paid to walk down a lot of stairs. maybe i'll do the rappel next time i'm there.
btw, we went on a Friday and there were no lines! =) -
Review from Amy L.
Los Angeles, CA
4/30/2011
My family is pretty active when it comes to vacation (forget the bikini, pack your hiking shoes) and we've pretty much exhausted all campsites and national parks around the Bay Area. My mom asked around and my aunt suggested the Angels Camp area for a day trip. At first we were just going to go for zip-lining and rappeling, but we ended up getting a reservation for the 3-Hour Adventure Trip. At $130/person, it ain't cheap, but it's so worth it!
The only reason I'm not giving 5-stars is due to the wait. Our reservation was for the tour was at 2PM and they recommend checking in at 1:30PM so you can suit up and watch the safety video. They provide these orange Ghostbuster suits, helmets, knee & elbow pads to help keep you clean and unbruised. Trust me, you're gonna need it. Our tour group ended up being pretty small (just 6 people total + the guide), but we had to wait over an hour for the people ahead of us to clear out and return the harnesses so we could get started. From there on out, it was pretty exciting.
RAPPELLING // I was pretty confident about this part since I've done a tiny bit of rock climbing before and I thought we'd just be sidling down the cavern wall. Mm, not so much. You're suspended in mid-air for 80% of it. I was getting a little scared looking down thinking about how far it is to fall. The rope and harness are very secure though, so if you can get over the fear of heights, you can enjoy the view of all the stalagtites/mites and easy yourself down.
ADVENTURE CAVE TOUR // What a challenge! The description mentions some crawling so I figured we'd be walking around and get on my hands and knees through a tunnel or two. It is way more intense than that. You will be crawling, dragging, pushing, squeezing, and contorting through the tightest crevices. Not to mention the mud, puddles, and sharp rocks. Luckily none of us are claustrophobic (the other two people on our tour took the emergency exit because they couldn't handle it anymore) and had a great time. It's definitely a struggle (and a great workout!), but where else can you get this kind of experience?
When you finally emerge victorious, there is another loong flight of stairs to reach the surface again, but it's a breeze after the cave tour. We were rewarded with some cold bottled water when we were finally done, a pretty nice touch. Our guide Hayley was great and it was a lot of fun having her lead, help, point out, and give us anecdotes through all the rock formations. You definitely have to have some strength and courage (or ignorance) to conquer the Adventure Cave Tour, but I would recommend it for anyone looking for something fun that's dirty and all natural. Happy spelunking! -
Review from Catherine M.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/6/2011
WOW. What an experience!
I went about a month ago for my birthday and again a week ago to bring my sisters on the experience!
We did the Zip lines and best of all the Rappelling! Amazing experience. If you've never done it and need a thrill in your life, do this! It's scary, fun and once you've done rappelling your hooked! Well at least I am!
Michelle, Tim, Greg as well as most of the crew there are so great! Very personable and make it an over all amazing experience!
I look forward to many returns! Thanks all at The Moaning Cavern Park!
I dig you guys! -
Review from Meno G.
Los Gatos, CA
4/3/2011
Went here yesterday. They have tours every 2 hours, so make sure you are there before the tour starts, or you might have to wait a whole 2 hours if you just miss the tour.
Tour is OK, but it goes by really fast. The walk down seems to take a while and if you keep looking down you get a cool scary feeling from how high you are. When you get down, the guide talks for about 10 minutes and then the tour is over and you have to walk back up. The walk up is a ******. My legs ached a lot and I had to take a break after walking up the cylindrical staircase. Also, there is always water leaking everywhere, so all my clothes got dirty. :(
Anyway, I probably wouldn't come here again, $15 for an OK tour is not something I'd want to pay for again. -
Review from Leopard S.
Sacramento, CA
3/15/2011
Out of all the caverns I've been to, this was by far the largest. The drive from Sacramento was beautiful, I'd recommend taking the 16 East and the 49 South route. There were a few people there, but no big groups, thank goodness. We checked out the gift shop-nothing I haven't seen before, but still neat stuff. They also offer rock climbing.
The basic walking tour was $14.75 for each of us, 45 minute tour, no biggie. Our group going to do the walking tour was relatively small, no more than 12 people I'd say. Lots and lots of stairs-better to leave the purse in the car ladies, as the first walkways are narrow. Also, it was about 61 degrees in the cavern, but really not necessary to wear a jacket, since it was a humid 61 degrees.
Once you get down the spiral staircase, built in 1922, the view is really spectacular, from the "chocolate waterfall" to the "igloo". Of course, my favorite part is when they turn off the lights.
After the tour, we did the sluicing, we got the large bags of dirt, sediment, gems, etc. from the gift shop and off we were. It was fun. We didn't do the rappel or the zip lines for financial reasons, maybe next time. Make sure you say "hi" to Cuddles, too! -
Review from Mike D.
San Jose, CA
5/29/2011
I was pretty disappointed with this place. We did the walking tour, which was $15 per adult. I thought the price was OK, but the tour was way over crowded. The guide even admitted they over sold it. I haven't been in a lot of caves, but was not impressed with this one. The whole place seemed like a tourist trap.
You go down to the bottom of the cave on this rickety feeling steel/iron stair case. I'm not scared of heights or crowds, but the this old stair case, made 80 years ago made me nevrous when I started doing the math of 50 people on it at once. It was probably a couple hundred feet tall.
We were intersted in trying the zip lines but couldn't bring myself to spend the $39 for a 20 second ride. There were no shortage of people forking over the money for that though. Looks like fun, but for the 4 of us to go (me, wife and kids) it would have been over $150. Even if you go tandem, it's the same price.
All in all, I'm probably not going back. Maybe some of the more excotic tours where you climb around harder to access parts of the cave would be better...
On the plus side everyone we encountered there was super nice. It was also Memorial Day weekend, so I'm sure the holiday weekends are their busier times..... -
Review from Susanne B.
Fairfield, CA
10/11/2011
I booked an adventure tour at Moaning Cavern as a surprise for my son's seventeenth birthday. I called and asked many questions, and the staff that does their bookings over the phone was super nice and very patient. Also, if you book a tour on your actual birthday, either the rappel or the tour is free! So when I booked the rappel and the adventure tour, I only paid 76 dollars, instead of 130. What a deal!
The rappel and the tour were a great experience for my son! We were told to dress in clothes that could get dirty but he was given overalls, knee pads and a hard hat and didn't ruin any of his clothing. The staff allowed my husband to go down the stairs and take pictures of my son "coming down" whithout paying admission.
The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is that I thought the adventure tour was supposed to take about 3 hours but my son finished in just over an hour. Guess he is in great shape and he was the only one on the tour (There was another couple, but the lady "chickened out after the rappel" and didn't finish) -
Review from Laylee D.
Chico, CA
10/4/2011
Four of us (2 couples) came here last Friday to zip line. None of us had ever done this and we were a little apprehensive. The staff were all very professional and safety oriented. By the time we were harnessed and on the platform, we were comfortable enough to even video the event! I wish we could have done it twice, I would really enjoy the quick trip the second time around. If I see another Groupon, I will definitely go back!
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Review from Janet B.
Placerville, CA
4/4/2011
We went to Moaning Cavern Park for the zip lines. It was great! The staff was super professional and we really got the sense that they were focused on safety and knew what they were doing. We had a group of 10 who were zipping, including 70+ year-old grandparents and a couple of 6-year-olds. They handled our large group really well, shuttling us up and down to accommodate babysitting and picture-taking. I would highly recommend indulging in a couple of zips, and doing the Super Style on the 2nd trip. You fly like superman, instead of sitting, and it's way cool.
A couple of cautionary words.
First, the place got super busy by 11:00. We got there about half an hour before the zip line opened, so we were the first to go. About half way through all our zips, two separate groups of two arrived; not so bad. But by 11:00, the place was swarming with people and cars. Not all of them were zipping...many were doing the cave tour and rock wall. We were there on a Saturday, on one of the first non-rainy weekends we've had in many weeks, so that probably contributed to the crowdedness.
Second, it's pretty expensive. The first zip is $39 and the second is either $24 or $31 depending on how to do it (regular or super). We all went twice, so ~$55 per person. You get a zip card that'll give you a discount on any future zips. And, if you take your little kids on a second run, (the ones who can't zip themselves b/c they're too light) the adult doesn't have to pay.
Last thing: the area is lovely. It's just outside of Murphys, which is a cute little touristy town with a fantastic main street, restaurants, shops, etc. Found a great spice shop with awesome rub blends. And Calaveras Big Trees state park is just up the road, maybe half an hour or so. It's a great place for a day hike, or a short walk around. -
Review from Keit K.
San Francisco, CA
10/11/2010
3 solid stars for being entertaining but left me with a kinda cheated feeling. The $65 rappel was supposed to last 10-15 minutes but I finished in about 7 minutes. Just a small drop and done. It was pretty safe, you cant really fall since you are tied to a rope. The only way you die is if you goof around or have a death wish. There is one part where I had no foot grip on the wet marble, thought I was gonna die. Then I realize I was connected to a rope that leads straight to the platform where someone pulls me in.
I skipped the $40 zip line and bought 2 $6.99 bags of gemstone dirt bags to pan. They were fun but read closely and they say it's enriched gemstone dirt, ie real gemstones put back into dirt to assure enough gems are in there. I got about 1600 carats worth of un-faceted gems. Good value in my book, only wished it wasn't enriched, kinda sucked the fun out of it. Good value thought.
One more thing, I think the legal wavers are just crazy, you cant sue them even if you die due to misinformation or equipment malfunction! -
Review from Jerry E.
Portland, OR
8/16/2010
"Zzzzzzzzzzz!" Is what my son says when you ask him what the zip-line sounds like.
"No, it was fun!" Is what he says if you ask him if it was scary. Now he's only 4, but 4-year-olds know a good time when they see it if you ask me. As for my wife and I, we had an absolute blast too.
We didn't have enough time for the spelunking tour, (next time) but the climbing wall, rappel and zip line are all a blast. The climbing wall is a great family activity, it's not particularly technical, so everyone can find success on it. The rappel is a real clencher though, so be ready to face some fears when you pop out the bottom of the chimney and you're still hanging 100ft above the floor! (No 4-year-olds allowed on this one folks, for good reason). As a climber I can tell you that my behind-the-scenes snooping confirmed my initial impression... these guys are wired in the safety department. So go, take the fam, get scared, have fun, and enjoy! -
Review from Elle P.
6/8/2010
This was my second visit to Moaning Cavern. I came here about 10 years ago and Moaning Cavern is just as good as I remembered it, if not even better.
My sister and I did the 165-ft rappel and the Adventure Tour (1.5 - 2 hr caving) and then we did the zipline.
The rappel is a bit scary and intimidating, but it's such an adrenaline rush. They set you up with coveralls, hard hat, knee and elbow pads, and gloves (before you had supply your own pads and gloves, glad they supply them now). Be sure to wear clothes you don't care about ruining/getting muddy. You watch an instructional video and the guide goes over what you're supposed to do.
The first part of the rappel is down a tunnel (not too bad) and then at one point you find yourself in an empty space -- a really large open space. You don't freak out because you see that there are still more rock below you and and in front of you. You continue to rappel down and then you find the rock runs out.
Yes, you're dangling mid-air 70+ft above the cave floor while tourists below take mad pictures of you. It's a free descent all the way down. This is actually the easy part.
After the rappel, we got to spelunk. This is so much more fun that the traditional quiet little walking tour. You get to actually get down and dirty, climb, twist, and contort your way through the cave tunnels. My favorite part of the tour is the last 45-ft climb up the chimney. It's great fun.
Afterwards we (mom included) did the 1500-ft zipline. Whee! Nothing to do sit back and relax. And before you know it, it's over.
A great day!!! -
Review from Joanne W.
Morgan Hill, CA
7/23/2011
Private owned so the state does not control the fun the people do. Worth the long drive to this cavern. I will be visiting again. Next time repelling and zip lining again. sooooooo much fun.......
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Review from Carol Y.
5/3/2010
So many activities to choose between, but for this particular Sunday outing, my group stuck strictly to the Zip Lines. For that, you don't go anywhere near the confines of the caverns. Instead, you zip across the lush greenery of the hills just outside. Once you pay for your first zip, any subsequent rides are $24 for life, so long as you remember to pick up your free zip card and show it to the cashier each time. After three zips, you are forever allowed to go "super" (as in Superman-style, as opposed to the regular upright seated position). After seven zips, you get one free.
They don't recommend cameras up there, but you can bring them at your own risk (though if you're looking into repelling, there is a strict no-camera policy). My group had people taking pictures on the platform just before taking off and people waiting down by the landing platform to capture shots of riders as they were zipping in.
Though the lines are said to be 1500 feet high, the ride itself is not too bad. The wind can have riders twisting as they zip and lighter riders (like myself) may need additional weights added to their harnesses in order to get enough momentum to make it all the way across to the landing platform. But not to worry, the staff at the landing platform are trained and ready to pull you in if you don't make it all the way across on your own. -
Review from Anna F.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2011
Came to Moaning Caverns with the intention about doing the 165ft rappel, but since I'm a scaredy cat about heights I thought I'd do the walking tour first instead. The gift shop is built right above the cave and the entrance is a really narrow staircase that descends into the cave. After the initial decent to the first platform, you'll also climb down another spiral staircase to reach the bottom of the cavern. The remainder of the tour is completed at the bottom of the cavern. There really is no where else to explore unless you plan on doing their adventure tour.
I've visited other caves, so I wasn't expecting much, but my tour guide Garrett was enthusiastic and had a great personality which made the short walking tour very enjoyable. I'm glad I made his tour because I heard the next tour guide on my hike back up and he sounded bored and very robotic.
I am reserving that final star for when I will return for the rappel and adventure tour later this year :) -
Review from Liz K.
Cary, NC
9/27/2008
Yes, I admit it, I'm a geek fascinated by rock formations and caves. My wonderful bf knowing my geek tendencies and my love for adventure decided to surprise me with a trip to Moaning Caverns.
We decided to do the 3 hour ADVENTURE TOUR w/Rappel ($130/person).
I found myself rappelling into a cavern 165 feet below ground. The rappel experience is invigorating and my favorite part of the tour. First you are surrounded by rock on both sides of you and then you are dangling in the middle of a huge vertical cavern with only the ropes and harness to support you.
Heart racing and amazing.
The rock formations are incredible. While some would feel a bit of anxiety dangling from a 165 foot rope in the middle of a cavern that can house the Statue of Liberty, I was in awe of the beauty the rappel allows you to experience from that perspective. Absolutely breathe-taking stalactites, almost looks soft to the touch.
After the rappel, you are unhooked from the rope supports. This is your last chance to stand erect because the rest of the tour you will be for the most part, on your knees.
While lowering ourselves by rope into our first tunnel, you can view bone remnants gathered under a huge boulder of prehistoric people who had fallen into the cavern thousands of years ago. A bit humbling, I might add.
This is where you start crawling or lie flat on your tummy while pulling yourself through 6 tight squeeze tunnels that are sometimes muddy, slippery, and small to say the least. Definitely not recommended for those who are claustrophobic or afraid of the dark. A few of the squeezes are aptly named "the meat grinder", "Godzilla's nostril", "the pancake squeeze", and "the chimney". Well named for good reasons.
You can only get through "the pancake squeeze" by lying on your back between two big slabs of rock that are inches apart. You are then supposed to catapult yourself with your feet by pushing yourself off a rock in hopes that you pushed yourself far enough to pull yourself out with your hands.
After squeezing, pulling, and slithering through these tight spaces, you scale rock with the help of a rope to only find yourself once again in the huge cavern from where you began.
This is where I was disappointed. I expected that we were crawling to another magnificent cavern that only us brave cave squeezers could go.
ZIP-LINE TOUR $79/per person for 3 zips.
Since we were already here, we decided to zip through the air in hopes to reach 40 miles per hour from one platform to the next. I raced my bf on the 1500 foot twin zip and of course the winner is writing this review.
Not for those who are afraid of heights.
OVERALL: The rappel is awesome and I would do it again. The crawling through tight tunnels is a good physical challenge that you should experience at least once. I would do it again if I was crawling to another unreachable spectacular cavern that you can only reach through crawling. The zip lines are fun but incomparable at price and beauty when done in the rain forests of Costa Rica.Listed in: Fog You, SF!
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Review from Patra B.
6/13/2009 5 photos
I came to Moaning Caverns ready for an adventure, and boy did I get one! I knew I would be repelling and crawling around in caves, but it was waaaaaaay more work than I expected.
Our reservation was at 9:30, so we made sure we got there early to check in. There were only seven people in our group, but they can take up to ten people per tour. They have coveralls for you so you don't get your clothes dirty, but our guide said it can get really humid underground, so we didn't have to wear them. Nobody in our group used them...we all decided to get nice and diiiiirrrty. They also have a bucket of knee pads....use them!
You watch an instructional video on how to rappel, and then they throw you down the hole and say good luck...see you at the bottom! Just kidding!!!....they make sure you have all your equipment on and explain things to you again....then you get thrown down the hole( http://static.px.yelp.... ). Rappelling was awesome! It was a bit tough at first, but once I got the hang of it, I was able to enjoy it. The rocks were pretty slippery, so I had to make sure I had one hand out so my face didn't smash into the wall. The scariest part was when I entered the main cave and looked down and saw a big black hole. Uhh...where am I going??? But then I looked behind me and saw the guide who pulled my rope to the landing. *phew*
Once everyone was safely down on solid ground, we began our spelunking adventure. We crawled and climbed our way through the caves, and it was awesome! At one point, our guide had us turn off all our lights, and it was pitch black. You actually start seeing things when you sit in the dark for a while. Some parts of the cave were really tiny....you definitely have to be a bit flexible to get through some of these spots. I have wide hips, so I would keep getting wedged in. Here's how the conversation would go with my friend.....
Me: I'm stuck....I can't move my hips...
Jen: Twist your hips sideways....
Me: ahhhh...I can move again...*wiggle wiggle wiggle*....
.....and repeat about 4 times.....
You definitely need to have some upper body strength for this because you need to push and pull your way through the caves. At the very end, you have to climb up a wall, and the only thing you have to help you is a rope. I was so tired by the end, I had to keep stopping mid-way up the wall to catch my breath.
It was an awesome but very tiring adventure. Next time I'll have to prep myself and do some push ups and pull ups first. And I'll have to wrap my knees/shins in bubble wrap. I ended up looking like I got beat up! -
Review from Greg D.
College Station, TX
8/26/2009
Moaning Cavern is the largest single cavern cave in California or the West Coast for that matter, limestone and over 400 feet deep, tour guides say large enough to fit the Statue of Liberty inside. Our family has been visiting it for about 30 years. Other humans obviously much longer as the oldest human remains, skeletons, in North America were found at the bottom.
It's hard to shake the horror story of the people whom "discovered" this cave about 13,000 years ago, one moment walking through a grass covered field (probably looking for food like we use Yelp for today), and then suddenly dropping into a black hole and falling for what must have seemed like an eternity to an untimely death 410 feet below, perhaps only to see a tiny dot of fleeting sunlight moving away for a final time.... Mercy. They say someone has fallen in the thing on average once every 130 years. Now -that- would suck! :)
As others have mentioned it's a hot spot to rappel down, and I was shocked that my mother and brother did it. I used the 280+ steps some odd creaky, really scary spiral staircase down to the bottom, as -always-. You can keep your ropes. :)
Most certainly one of the coolest things to see in the California former Gold Rush area just a few miles outside Angels Camp. Total 5 stars and a must see. Awesome fun and friendly staff that love the cave and showing it to you. You should set aside at least a few hours or make it a whole day.
Note: No food available so bring food and water with you. -
Review from Lauren F.
Oakland, CA
4/4/2007
If there was ever a moment I thought I might poop myself, this was it.
I used to host singles events, and my club brought up 25 adventurous singles from the ages of 35-65. One of the perks of this job was i got to do what they did, get paid for it, and not have to pay admission to wherever we were. I figured, I'm young(ish), if they can do it, so can I.
So I start up at the top of the cavern....harnessed in and ready to rappel. I wiggle my way into the little tunnels, rappelling and climbing down at the same time. Till i get to what they call "the kissing rock". They call it this because its your last piece of rock to rappel off of, and a lot of people do it wrong and end up bashing their face in to the rock, or as they call it...kissing. I think Ive kissed boys before that felt the same.
At this point, after the bad kiss, I am just dangling by the rope in the middle of this huge, expansive cavern....HOLY S@#T! Breathe Lauren, just breathe....I don't think i can do this!! How do i use the rig/levers/what are these called? Eeeek! Once I get over the fact that its just me, my rope and the weird moans that this space makes, I hung there for a bit taking it all in. It was beautiful and enormous and amazing that nature could create something like this.....and then we make it a tourist attraction. Then, I basically let the thing go loose, and plummeted down the cavern, praying for my life....and landed. Not very gracefully I might add.
If you aren't down with the rappelling, you can take this stairway down.....but to be quite honest, its pretty rickety and probably just as scary. Also, keep in mind that this is not for the faint of heart or the claustrophobic. There are MANY tight spots during the rappel.
Things I learned about myself.
1) rappelling wont cause me to poop myself.
2) adrenaline makes me know I'm alive
3) i am a little scared of heights
4) hanging with middle aged single people will increase my confidence to do crazy shit.
4) i think i wanna go skydiving. (stay tuned....this might happen sooner than later.) -
Review from sophia s.
San Francisco, CA
7/23/2009
Rappelling, the seven deadly sins of my life.
Greed- Gold mines turn out to be marble stone mines...
Lust- Crazy thoughts were in my head when he specifically told me to straddle the ropes... Think else where...
Gluttony- I was starving and wanted to consume food at the very instant before I was roping my petite body down the hole. Talk about excessive desire for food....
Wrath- I was beyond upset, I was upset because I was stuck for a bit.
Sloth- I wasn't lazy, I was beyond tired
Envy- I can't believe my partner finished before me
Pride- My pride overcame everything at the end
I think after the rappelling the zip lines can't compare to the experience you had while roping yourself down the 160 ft cave( 4000 ft if you fall).
Talk about silent, but can be deadly. -
Review from Jessica L.
San Mateo, CA
6/9/2009
This place kicks so much ass.
We did it all.
Rappel, zipline, rock wall and 'panning for gold'
First off - what all the others say are true. The adventure tour is the way to do it. I DID NOT do the adventure tour - we didn't have the 3 hours needed to crawl throughout the cave. However, we did the highlight of the adventure tour - the rappel.
The rappel is indescribable. I was SO scared and nervous but made it all the way down - as slow as molasses and focusing on my breathing the whole time. I was too close to peeing my pants to enjoy the 165 foot cave I was hanging down from. The start of the rappel is so deceiving - its all enclosed and you use your feet - but when you get to the first ledge and just DROP... dangling on a string not NEAR a rock wall. It is SCARY.
Once at the bottom - rest and listen in on the tour that is down there. Then walk up the 284 totally freaky rusted spiral stairs all the way to the top (this seemed more tiring and scary than the rappel - but after the fact).
This was once in a lifetime and I am so proud of myself for doing it. CHECK IT OUT. The rappel and zip line "Action Pack" is $93.
Next was the zip line - it is ONE long (1/4 of a mile) and fast zip. It's fun and great to experience - they let you do tandem zips and 'superman' style once you have gone a few times. You must pay for each zip trip. This is NOTHING like the ziplinging I did in Kauai. I'd give this a B- on the zip lining scale.
If you have any energy left and want to feel like a complete loser. The rock wall is $5 and you get 3 climbs. It's hard as hell. But fun to race your friends on.
For the kiddies there is a panning for rocks thing. You can buy bags of 'dirt' - the largest being $7 - and then poor it into screens over a water trough and the kids can pick/pan out the cool colorful rocks. My nephew took this VERY seriously. He left very happy with his 12 or so colorful rocks.
Additional NOTES:
There are a bunch of free wineries nearby this place!
It is 2.5 hours from San Francisco
2 hours from Sacramento!
NO food - bring a picnic! There are lots of tables
They have 2 huge birds in outdoor cages that talk.
There is a gray cat that lives in the main visitor center - he is very nice and very soft.
I do not think I can describe the rappel good enough. 2 minutes into this video shows it clearly: http://www.youtube.com... -
Review from Greg G.
12/26/2009 1 photo
I will start this off with 3 very important statements:
I am moderately afraid of heights.
I don't like being confined in small places ... (hyperventilating and nap time occur usually when I am in these places).
I am not a small person.
With that said, I heard about this place with it's amazingly large and high chamber and then it's little narrow tunnels right in CA. So I figured this will get me over a few fears or at least help me deal with them. So my friends made the long drive and faced this adventure.
First off definitely do the repelling (Even if you are afraid of heights). At the top of the repel you might be like "What? this looks like 10 feet into nothing?" And then you go around the first turn and WOW. It's a beautiful chamber that you repel into that the view from the stairs and ground do not do it justice. It's amazingly breathtaking as you dangle from the ceiling of this 20 story chamber. The sparkling limestone and just the sense of awesomeness you get is really something. The rickety looking iron spiral staircase that was made to return is pretty amazing too from this vantage point. Don't look down while on the staircase though, something about the spiral design will give you vertigo :)
Next came the part I was dreading ... the tunnels. I went with 2 very slender women (one kid sized and one adult sized) and some other guys of which a few were of similar build to myself. The 2 women made it look like an amusement part of slides and jungle gyms. However, I soon learned that doing a somersault and a crab walk through the "Meat Grinder" would not be possible for someone my size. It's basically a group of very close together turns, so you end up contorting your body into many shapes (Downward facing dead dog). But the grinder was cake compared to the other places. And there was a little slide at the end too .. Wheee!
Next we were told to turn our headlamps off and experience complete darkness ... trippy. Then our guide pointed us at the hole in the ground that apparently leads to a cavern where only maybe 4 people can stand straight up and side step against a rock and another rock. ... I said no and let 4 others go :) (The 2 girls, the guide and the slender male in our group ... go figure)
Next came the "Pancake Maker" ... which was probably one of the most uncomfortable situations I have ever imagined. Imagine laying down on the floor and someone took a parallel board and placed it over you, so close that your head could only fit sideways. I will admit I got really really scared here because I couldn't stand or even lean up. But I conquered it in the end with some help from friends and a nice hold that I blindly found in a flailing moment. I then met my new nemesis ... the "Birth Canal"
Again with the 2 slender women ahead of me whom were just like, "Look a rope climb, Whee this is fun!" I was told to place your arms up through a rock tube and do not bend your elbows (or you will get stuck and have to go back down a bit and try again) and then pull yourself up a rope with pretty much a tiny bit of elbow, your wrist and basically just your hands. ... WTF? Oh yeah and my shoulders didn't fit through the tube so I was giving myself a mini bear hug the whole time. ... Thankfully some other friends of mine, in a similar situation as me were directly behind me and helped push. I later helped pull but I was quite pleased to get out of there. There is also the "Chimney" which I would have liked to go in, but I needed some fresh air.
I would definitely do this again too. The names of the caverns are a little scary themselves but they at least prepare you for what is to come. Some of the caverns themselves scared me to death but it was a great experience overall (no passing out, no hyperventilating .. win!). I sort of can accept my fear of heights now and compare my claustrophobia now to this experience. If it isn't worse or as closed in ... I am fine now :) The sense of accomplishment was great, especially after the guide told me and my friend that we were probably the largest guys he has ever seen go through the caverns.
There is also a zip line which we couldn't go to because there was a lightening storm coming in. Oh well. Definitely a great find. Wear some old cloths (don't get the coveralls as they just make it harder to move) and remember to be hydrated. It's well ventilated but it can be a little overwhelming at times.Listed in: Local Hikes and Adventures
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Review from Tony L.
6/29/2008
For my first time cave crawling, Moaning Cavern was an OK experience. A couple friends and I did both the rappel and the adventure tour. For $130 total, I was expecting more. Nevertheless, I'm still glad I went.
After you check in at the gift store, they give you a quick briefing. They say elbow pads and knee pads are optional, but if you're doing the rappel and the adventure tour, get both. Also, they don't seem to really care whether or not you bring a camera, although if you take the adventure tour, you probably wouldn't want to take anything fancy lest you smash it. After they show you a quick instructional video, they take you to the back room where there's a big gaping hole in floor.
That's when they drop you in, butt first, as you descend 165 feet down the cavern. For the first 45 feet or so, it's a little awkward, it's easy to lose your balance and do a spin or two, or to get your feet a little tangled in the ropes. But once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy. You feed your line into a J-hook, a kind of pulley that works using friction, and that's what drops you down the hole.
At one point, the cavern opens up, you don't have anything to kick your feet against, and you're hanging from your rope in the middle of a vertical tunnel. It's actually a lot less scary that it sounds. Since you're leaning back on the way down, it's actually hard to get a good look at the distance between you and the pit. You also realize that it's easier to drop down without having rocks to kick against. The rappelling doesn't take long, maybe 15 minutes or so.
The main chamber is pretty amazing. The formations almost have an organic appearance, some like columns of jelly fish, other like coral. There's also a small pool of bluish liquid with rocks floating in it, and another pit that drops down into a dark abyss.
This is where the adventure tour begins. It starts out easy enough, walking through a tight cavern, shining your helmet lights on the rear quarters of the person in front of you. But as you go further in, areas like "the pancake squeeze," "the chimney," and "the meat grinder" are aptly named. It's damp, solid rock with lots of uncomfortable, slippery nooks and crannies. There isn't much to see, it's mostly bruise-inducing shimmying and climbing. But for those that enjoy a good physical challenge, this may be right up your alley. Coming out, I did feel a sense of accomplishment.
On the way out, you climb the rusty spiral staircase. To be honest, I was probably more scared going up the rattling, rusty staircase than coming down the rappel. Unlike the rappel, you can see the entire drop down the cavern.
Then you finally get out, clothes a bit muddy, tired, and in need of a shower. There's no showers there, and they do advise that you bring an extra change of clothes and a plastic bag to throw your dirty threads in. Solid advice.
Looking back, I had a good time, but I don't think I'd do the same cave again. I was expecting more caverns like the one you rappel down, the area that you actually get to crawl through on the adventure trail is actually really small, like crawling up and down a two story chimney. We were also told that the California Cavern even has a boat ride at the end. That sounds pretty awesome. But as my first experience in a cave, Moaning Cavern was a good one. -
Review from Pippi L.
Sacramento, CA
3/12/2007
I've been here twice.
The first time we took my grandma and she couldn't go down because she was in a wheelchair.
There is a rickety old spiral staircase that you climb down on the basic tour. The "Fun Sounding Tour" includes rappelling down the main hole (it's now enclosed so no moaning) and into the cavern, followed by some dirty crawling action into the deeper parts of the cavern. I think this one's been fully explored and is pretty safe for novices.
That said, it's a cheap funky way to cap off a visit to the motherlode country.
The legend is that animals would run into the cavern hole thinking it was a safe hidey hole, but there is almost immediately a drop to doom for both prey and their close predators; so when the cave was first being "explored", they found an ancient-to-fresh pile of bones. There was a hunter down there and also a mother who had curled around her infant. Saddies. Not all of the tour guides know about all the bones.
The moaning was from the wind blowing over the the opening. Also, the water dropping in the puddles added to the creepiness, and the natives in the area had legends that the cave was crying.
In the summer time, I highly recommend going down the road a bit (like 2 miles total) to Twin Bridges and picking berries on the descent to the creek bed, followed by some amature spelunking into the creek cave. Neato-ness. -
Review from Daniel H.
San Francisco, CA
8/20/2009
This was my first time visiting Moaning Cavern and we did the Rappelling with the adventure tour. Let me first say that if you go, try to get Jack as your guide. He's hilarious and great fun along the way.
First I should say that if you are afraid of heights at all, do not do the Rappel! Unless you're like me and thrive on overcoming your personal fears. When you first go down the hole into the cave, you can't really see how far down it is because you first rappel down to a ledge and then go over. Once you go over the edge, you have about 10 feet where you actually have a wall that you can rappel off of, but after that it's a straight drop for the remainder of the rappel. It's seriously high up, totally scary, and completely exhilarating!
The rappel is followed by an adventure tour lead by your guide with a group of people. The group we had were awesome, super friendly and everyone helps each other. If you are claustrophobic, this is not for you. You will be squeezing through extremely small holes. Your guide will...well...guide you, so I never felt lost or overwhelmed. But it is very physically exerting, dirty, and sometimes the air is a little stale.
Spend the night too! There are so many things to see and do in the area - Angel Camp's downtown area is one of the most charming places I've been.
If you are interested in a great adventure that you'll long remember - check it out! We had a blast! -
Review from Kaya Z.
Boston, MA
7/5/2011
Came out to Vallecito with some of the guys. We did the adventure tour with the repelling, and the experience was tremendous. I would strongly recommend this activity to anyone in the area and who's even slightly adventurous.
That said, there are some notable cons (but I feel that they don't detract enough from the experience to give a 4-star rating). First, it's a bit out of the way and it may seem pricey. For us, the trip was worth it. Second, the adventure tour is a bit more strenuous than one might perceive from just the website. A lot of crawling around, squeezing through narrow passages, and pulling yourself to where you need to go next. Be prepared to use your muscles and bend your body in ways you might not normally bend. Finally, there isn't too much instruction for what you'll go through. While nobody needed more instruction than was given, all of us walked away with a sense of...huh, their prep was surprisingly short for what we just went through.
So if you're ever out there, I say - go for it. Have a great time (and never let go of the rope)! -
Review from Sonnia K.
4/24/2010 1 photo
Another Reckless event I organized with my group and it was oh so good! This is where you mix all your weird feelings in a blender and grind it all together... excitement, fear of the unknown, fear of heights, claustrophobia, confused, ignorance, fun, success, victory or whatever-the-heck-else you may wanna add... The result will be one huge drop of endorphin that makes you proud and boastful. You just wanna be a banshee and scream, "I DID IT!"
I wanna go back and do the zipline part. Yeah, I got too excited with rappeling that I didn't do the zipline. Well, honestly, it was not budgeted on my part. I didn't realize I can do a combo. Oh well... that's a great reason to come back and do it all again with a plus!Listed in: Sporty Stuff
