Crystal Cave in Sequoia National Park is closed. Here’s why and when it will reopen
Crystal Cave in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will be closed in 2022 due to road damage caused by last year’s KNP Complex fire.
Sequoia Parks Conservancy, which normally offers Crystal Cave tours from the spring to the fall, announced the cave closure on Thursday.
“The road to Crystal Cave suffered damage from numerous fallen trees and rockslides, and the trail to the cave experienced multiple rockslides and damage to safety railings,” the conservancy wrote in a news release. “At this time, it is believed that there is no significant damage inside of Crystal Cave.”
The conservancy said the cave is expected to reopen in May 2023 after the National Park Service is able to reestablish safe access to 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. The marble cave with over three miles of surveyed passages is located near Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park. It’s been open to the public for tours since 1940.
Access to Giant Forest, including the General Sherman Tree, has been limited to Friday through Monday, along with access to Wolverton Snowplay Area. Other areas are open throughout the week. The Park Service said the section of road that connects Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks will remain closed until at least spring.
