![]() ![]() Spend 50 minutes in the Black Chasm Caverns’ public area and you will think it would be pretty hard to top what you see. There are other “wild” caverns besides the ones the public can access including one that the tour guide says the owner shows to be able to secure enough funds one day to open it up as it puts what is on public view to shame. Little wonder why they’ve hosted three weddings down below over the years. The others were bigger but they were not anywhere near as stunning or beautiful. Louis and the other was Shasta Lake Cavern in Northern California. It was the only the third cave I’d ever been in. The tour itself was well worth the drive and cost.Ĭredit that to tour guides that are pleasant, informative, and patient. Visitors to the cave are enchanted by the beauty of a wide variety of formations including. You can also stop in the quaint communities of Pioneer and Volcano and browse or do what we did and hit the Jackson Historical District for lunch and “shopping” that included hitting Wierschem’s Train Town Candies & Ice Cream parlor. Black Chasm Cavern was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1976 after being recommended by local members of the National Speleological Society, and as such is considered a nationally significant natural area. There are grounds you can explore plus a gift shop. You can combine it with a trip to Jackson Rancheria - you pass the entrance on the way - or make it a solo excursion. If you’ve never been in a cave with formations it is worth the trip. With groups maxed out at 20, it allows for plenty of room to gaze at the formations.Īs for dress, just keep in mind it’s a constant 57 degrees 24/7. The 50-minute tour isn’t strenuous even though there are 165 steps. It is formed in what is considered to be part of the Calaveras Complex. The cave is vertically oriented with 3 platforms and 5 flights of stairs. A beautiful blue lake is located in the second chamber about 80 feet below the viewing platform. This eroded the limestone bedrock to form small to very large chambers. Guests will view three chambers in the upper levels of this vertical cave where the most spectacular formations grow. They are also one of the few cave formations that scientists have a good understanding of how they are created. Black Chasm Cavern is a dissolution cave, formed by carbonic acid eroding the subterranean bedrock. They are considered the most delicate of cave formations. Not only do they appear to defy gravity but it is one of about four known locations in the United States that you can find them and it’s considered the best examples. They branch out in a unique formation, often growing in several different directions. ![]() It got that distinction because you will find rare - and stunning - displays of helictite crystals. The cavern - a kissing cousin to the more advertised California Cavern featuring the state’s largest public cave chamber between Murphys and Columbia off Highway 49 - is a national natural landmark. And one of the best places to explore it is the Black Chasm Cavern near Volcano where it is always 57 degrees. ![]()
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