Sequoia National Park’s Crystal Cave To Reopen After 4 Years Of Closure Due To Wildfire, Winter Storms

For the first time in four years, the Crystal Cave at California’s Sequoia National Park will open for guided tours, after a series of “consecutive natural disasters” forced its closure.

The National Park Service said Crystal Cave, which is operated by Sequoia Parks Conservancy, the official park partner of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, will reopen for guided tours on May 23.

The “spectacular” marble cave is near the Giant Forest area, and has been one of the park’s most popular destinations since it opened to for public tours in 1940, seeing an average of 51,000 visitors each summer. Sequoia Parks Conservancy has operated the tours since 1982.

“The opening of Crystal Cave is a big step forward in disaster recovery for Sequoia and Kings Canyon,” said Clay Jordan, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks superintendent. “Were excited to be able to reopen this incredible attraction to visitors and encourage people to enjoy all of the beauty and wonder these parks have to offer.”

The KNP Complex wildfire in 2021 “greatly impacted” the road and infrastructure leading to Crystal Cave, and severe winter storms in 2022–2023 added to unsafe conditions. Since then, projects including power line replacement and road stabilization have been undertaken, and last year crews began clearing hazardous trees from Crystal Cave Road. To date, 4,887 trees have been felled and 2,750 trees have been removed from the area.

Though Crystal Cave is reopening, crews are still working to clear felled hazard trees along the roadway, which may cause traffic delays through the 2025 season, officials said. After the cave’s seasonal closure later this year, road construction is set to continue alongside other projects.

Tours will run from May 23 to Sept. 7, and visitors are encouraged to get tickets early, as they sell out quickly. Tickets are not available for purchase on site, and should be purchased in advance at sequoiaparksconservancy.org/crystal-cave.

Visitors should also arrive early and allow extra time to reach Crystal Cave. Even without traffic delays, it takes about an hour to reach the cave parking lot from the park entrance station.

“We’re thrilled to reopen Crystal Cave, thanks to our partnership with the National Park Service,” said Savannah Boiano, executive director of the Sequoia Parks Conservancy. “When visitors join us in exploring, learning, and engaging with nature, they become partners in our mission to protect this incredible wonder for future generations.”