SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK — After a four-year closure prompted by wildfire damage and extreme weather, Crystal Cave has officially reopened to the public for guided tours. Operated through a partnership between the National Park Service and the Sequoia Parks Conservancy, the renowned marble cave will welcome visitors starting Friday, May 23, 2025.
On Thursday, May 22, park officials and conservancy leaders led a media tour, highlighting the restoration efforts and renewed safety measures. Clay Jordan, Superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, addressed local reporters prior to the tour, emphasizing the significance of the cave’s reopening in the wake of recent environmental challenges.
Savannah Boiano, Executive Director of the Sequoia Parks Conservancy, also spoke at the event, underscoring the collaborative efforts that made the reopening possible. Boiano and Jordan together opened the cave’s secured entrance gate for the first formal walkthrough since its closure.
The popular underground attraction had been inaccessible since 2021, following damage from the KNP Complex Fire and subsequent heavy storms that compromised access roads and cave infrastructure. Restoration included trail repairs and safety reinforcements necessary to accommodate public access once again.
Visitors entering the cave are required to sanitize their footwear as part of a biosecurity protocol to prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome, a fatal fungal disease that has devastated bat populations across North America.
Inside the cave, signage reminds guests to treat its delicate formations—shaped over eons—with care and respect. Among the features still forming is a suspended water droplet at the tip of a soda straw stalactite, symbolizing the slow, ongoing geological processes at work.
Tim Slover, Field Institute Manager at Sequoia Parks Conservancy, provided interpretive insights to the media group both outside and within the cave. Holly Streit, Public Affairs Specialist for the national parks, also participated in the tour.
Guided tours of Crystal Cave are now available to the public through Sequoia Parks Conservancy, marking a long-awaited return to one of Sequoia National Park’s most treasured natural wonders.
