Black Chasm Cavern (Amador County, California)

My wife and I had decided to take a weekend camping in Central California, specifically in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. There were a couple of sites to see along the way and the underground chambers of Black Chasm Cavern were the first. The drive to Volcano, CA, which is very near the National Natural Landmark, was beautiful, but uneventful. We arrived just in time for the tour. We hurriedly paid our admission fees and headed down to the cavern entrance with the tour guide.

This cave boasts some of the most plentiful and magnificent helictite formations in the world. These crystal formations are thought to form when mineral rich water under immense pressure is forced through microscopic cracks in the surrounding water. The result are amazing crystalline shapes that seem to defy gravity.

The cave tour itself is fairly short and consists of only three chambers, but each has its own character of mysterious beauty. The final chamber, the Landmark Room, contains a wall with thousands of helictite formations and is the major reason for the site’s designation as a natural landmark.