Lake Shasta Caverns tour
1 / 5
Lake Shasta Caverns - by Oleg Alexandrov (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Description
The Lake Shasta Caverns are a network of caves formed by flowing water about 200m years ago and made of limestone. They feature flowstone, columns, stalactites, soda straws and stalagmites. The caves accessible via a 10-minute boat ride across the McCloud arm of the Shasta Lake followed by a 10-minute bus ride up to the cavern's entrance. The guided tours last 45-60mins and include about 600 stairs.
Access & Transport
The check-in is on Shasta Caverns Rd, 2.5km from the Cascade Wonderland Hwy and 30km north of Redding on the I-5 (exit 695).
Instructions & Recommendations
Please arrive at least 30mins prior to your designated departure time and check in at the main ticket counter to obtain a boarding pass as seats are assigned on a first come, first serve basis! Due to high traffic on Holiday Weekends online tickets will not be available after 10h00 and online tickets are not sold for the same day Daily tours schedule (info from our 2023 review, could not find updated info in 2024): every 30mins from Memorial Day to Labour Day, every hour from 09h00 to 15h00 in April, May, Sept and 3 times a day at 10h, 12h, 14h from October to March.
Environmental & Social
No significant environmental footprint and no community impact
Conclusion
Both getting there and the tour are time consuming so if you have already seen limestone caves before, this attraction may not warrant a major detour. If, however, you happen to be already discovering (or planning to) Northern California, this makes for a nice albeit pricey add-on.
Key positive
Family friendly activity
Visually impressive and educational
Key negative
Expensive and time consuming
Lots of stairs and can be a little slippery
Suitability
Not accessible for visitors with reduced mobility due to the stairs
About this Rating
TYPE
Desktop
RESEARCHED IN
August 2024
PROVIDER
Koreval
av. transport time:1h 30m
est. visit time:2h 30m
Start of Season 1:Apr, 01
MONDAY08:00 - 16:30
TUESDAY08:00 - 16:30
WEDNESDAY08:00 - 16:30
THURSDAY08:00 - 16:30
FRIDAY08:00 - 16:30
SATURDAY08:00 - 16:30
SUNDAY08:00 - 16:30
Start of Season 2:Oct, 01
MONDAY09:00 - 16:00
TUESDAY09:00 - 16:00
WEDNESDAY09:00 - 16:00
THURSDAY09:00 - 16:00
FRIDAY09:00 - 16:00
SATURDAY09:00 - 16:00
SUNDAY09:00 - 16:00