Three Rivers, CA – Sequoia Parks Conservancy announces the closure of Crystal Cave for the 2023 season due to damage sustained to the road, trail, and visitor facilities at Crystal Cave during the 2021 KNP Complex wildfire and the extreme winter weather this year. Sequoia Parks Conservancy is working closely with the National Park Service to restore access to the public in 2024.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, in partnership with Tulare County and CalTrans, hosted a public meeting on Friday, March 24 to provide an overview of storm damage and impacts to community and public access. A recording of the public meeting is currently available on the parks’ YouTube channel. The version on YouTube is open captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing.

About Crystal Cave

Crystal Cave is the second-largest of 275 known caves in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and the fourth-largest in California. Over three miles of passageways have been surveyed in this remarkable marble cave. Sequoia Parks Conservancy has led educational tours of Crystal Cave since 1982.

Spider Web Gate: Entrance to Crystal Cave
Spider Web Gate: Entrance to Crystal Cave Photo by Sequoia Parks Conservancy

About Sequoia Parks Conservancy

Sequoia Parks Conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and Lake Kaweah, working hand-in-hand with the National Park Service to support projects including trail improvements, educational programs for the public, and the protection of wildlife and their natural habitat. To learn more, visit: http://www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org.

Crystal Cave
Crystal Cave Photo by Sequoia Parks Conservancy

About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

These two parks, which lie side-by-side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, serve as prime examples of nature’s size, beauty, and diversity. Nearly 2 million visitors from across the world visit these parks for the world’s largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/seki or 559-565-3341.