This property has been well-known to cavers in the Gold Country since at least the 1960s, and has several well-known caves, including Santa Claus (aka Pearl), Mushroom, Lulu Bell, and Connie’s, all of which are visited regularly. There are a number of additional caves, most with vertical entrances, requiring vertical caving expertise.
In 2021, the WCC was able to purchase 150 acres of this property, covering most of the interesting karst landscape, thanks to extraordinarily generous support from members all over the West Coast along with many others from across the United States.
Trips to visit the property (and caves) are available on a permit basis, with a limited number of visitors per day. The caves are accessible throughout the year. We recommend that cavers wishing to lead trips here contact the Preserve Manager to arrange an orientation trip if they aren’t familiar with the area. On-site overnight camping is available on a limited basis; contact the preserve manager for details.
For more information about this preserve, including visitation information, please email volcano-preserve-manager@westerncaves.org.