Sequoia Natural History Association 
  Crystal Cave Wild Tours


Seminar Description
Fifty thousand people a year visit Crystal Cave, yet only a handful see anything beyond the paved trail. The Wild Cave Tour will introduce you to the "real" cave. You will stoop walk, belly crawl, climb, and traverse heights during this 4 to 6 hour-long introduction to caving. Your two guides will explain the geology and natural history of Crystal Cave and the basics of safe caving.

Itinerary
Driving time to Crystal Cave parking lot from: Lodgepole 45 minutes, Foothills Visitor Center 1 to 1.25 hours. Participants will meet at the Crystal Cave entrance at 4:30pm.
4:00 pm           Arrive at cave parking lot, check in at booth, last chance to use flush toilets, and hike trail ˝ mile
                       down to cave.
4:30 pm           Meet guides at cave entrance, introduction, safety talk, and gear distribution.
5:00 pm           Enter cave, snack, opportunity to leave cave partway through. Timing will vary.
8:30 -10:30pm  End of tour, hike ˝ mile up to parking lot. (Timing will vary based on group’s interests.)

Physical Fitness Requirements
You must be less than 30 lbs. overweight.  Participants must be less than 45 inches around in the chest, waist, and hips. (The trip involves crawling through small spaces.)  You must be able to support your body weight with your arms. (Have enough strength to crawl up and down surfaces and use arms to assist in climbing.)  You must be able to lift your body weight with your legs. (Deep knee bends, or be able to stand easily from a crouched position with no assistance from your arms.)  You must not be claustrophobic or afraid of heights. (The Wild Tour involves moderate height exposure and climbs, and maneuvering through constricted spaces.)  You must be physically fit and limber.  It will not be possible to urinate or defecate for up to 4 hours at a time. (There will be one opportunity to leave the cave and use a portable camping toilet.)  Minimum age is 16.

Equipment Considerations

Necessary equipment:
• Hiking boots, or other shoes with good traction and ankle protection
• Drinking water (will be left in entrance of cave for use during mid-tour break and afterwards for the ˝ mile walk up
   to the parking lot)
• Snacks (will be left with water in the entrance)
 • Clothing: jeans, long sleeve shirt and sweatshirt or fleece. Clothing should be old, as it will get muddy and may
  get torn. (Cave temperature is about 50 degrees. The rocks can feel very cool, yet you will get warm as you exert
  energy crawling and climbing. Therefore layers are essential. The recommended clothing works for most people. If
  you get cold easily, you may want an additional layer, perhaps long underwear. Bulky layers will make it more
  difficult to move through the cave.)

Recommended equipment:
• Extra clothing. Leave this change of clothes in your car. You may want to change after the wild tour so you don’t
  get your vehicle dirty.

• Disposable camera. (Do not bring a regular camera on the Wild Tour. It is likely to be damaged in the cave. The
  guides will be able to carry the disposable cameras for you. You may want a regular digital or film camera for
  "before and after" shots. There is a secure area to leave your camera near the cave entrance.)

Discouraged equipment:
• Backpacks, fanny packs, etc. (You will want a pack to carry food and water to the cave entrance, but will find
  packs extremely inconvenient when crawling and climbing through the cave. The guides can carry disposable
  cameras and snacks for you.

Equipment Provided:
• Helmet with primary light mounted to it
• Two backup sources of light
• Gloves (to protect the cave from human oils)
• Knee pads
• Elbow pads

Instructors:
You will have two guides. Only the best Crystal Cave guides receive additional training to lead Wild Cave Tours.

Weather:
The temperature in the cave is a nearly constant 48-50 degrees. However, it may be warm outside when hiking down to the cave and cold at night when hiking back up to the parking lot after the tour. Please bring layers. For current weather and road conditions, call (559) 565-3134.

Services
You should register for your campsite or hotel room before the Wild Tour to ensure you will have a place to stay when you finish in the evening. Reservations strongly recommended.

Lodgepole Campground (6700’) $20/night.  For reservations, call 1-800-365-2267.
Potwisha Campground (2100’) $18/night. For reservations, call 1-800-365-2267.
Wuksachi Lodge.  For reservations, call  1-888-252-5757.
There are various hotels/motels in Three Rivers. For more info, call 559-561-0410.

Gasoline
There are no gas stations in the parks. The closest gas stations are in Three Rivers (6 miles from the Sequoia National Park entrance on 198) and at Clingan’s Junction (10 miles west of Kings Canyon National Park entrance on Highway 180).

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(559) 565-4251       savannah_boiano@sequoiahistory.org