Black Chasm Cavern was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1976. The 50 minute walking tour ($12.95 per adult, $6.50 child, ages 3-12) provides you access to some of the most beautiful cave formations including stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, and the helictite crystals which is what Black Chasm is known for. I mentioned in my accompanying blog that the cave offers spectacular views through environmentally platforms, bridges, and stairs as not to disrupt the natural environment. The end of the tour brings you to the Landmark Room, which is the location of the greatest collection of the sparkling helictite crystals. I cannot even put into words how beautiful it was and pictures just cannot do it justice either. There is a huge visitor's center and multiple activities for families. Gemstone mining was definitely popular the day we visited. They also have the geode cracking which is a great time as well. I always get sucked in and got a few cool ones this trip as well! And for the Matrix Trilogy fans out there - they have a display of props - huge manufactured stalagmites from the Zion set. Something to remember - the cave is always a nice 57F year round so no matter how hot it is outside, always best to bring a sweater or lightweight jacket!

Still being new in town, I wanted to check out some of the lesser known areas near Sacramento and one of my co-workers suggested visiting some of the caves/caverns in the area that offer tours!  WHAT?!?!  I had no idea such a thing existed near here!! I thought this would be an awesome way to spend the day so I went online and did some research on which ones interested me the most and decided on the Black Chasm Cavern in Volcano and the Sutter Gold Mine Tour which would be on the way back home. 

We got an early start and after a few wrong turns, we were finally in Volcano in about 2 hours! Although we were a bit behind schedule, the views as we passed through parts of Amador County were worth it.  We basically followed the Sutter River down and some of the homes that are on the banks are beautiful.  Once you reach Volcano, the road becomes a quite windy one lane maze that did wonders for occasional car sickness! LOL. 

Black Chasm Cavern

We arrived just in time for the next tour that was leaving. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but the website said we'd see stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, and  a variety of helictite, which is what this cavern is famous for! Helictites are basically small stalactites that eventually grow in different directions, almost defying gravity.  They actually remind me of some of Chihuly's glass pieces! LOL

As you might expect with a cave, it was rather chilly once we got down into the main pathway.  You descend a pretty steep set of steps and one of the women was a bit nervous and wanted to hang back but her husband finally talked her into getting down the stairs.  I was actually worried she was going to have a panic attack because she became rather vocal at one point! LOL.  It was a bit daunting at first because you are outside in the sun one minute and seconds later it's dark, cold, and you cannot really see where you are going until you get down the stairs.  Once in, the cave is easy to navigate and they have environmentally friendly platforms, steps, and bridges which help showcase the highlights of the cave without compromising the natural elements. 

The guide we had was great at explaining all the different formations and this was incredible to see them in person.  The tour takes about 50 minutes to complete and it definitely worth it!  I wish it had been longer though - there are parts of the cave that are not part of the tour where photographers and researchers get to visit.  Gotta work on that somehow! LOL