twin zip lines at moaning cavern

When i was a boy scout way back when, I visited this exciting Caverns and then we walked in a group down into the caves and saw all the rock formations, Stalagtites & Stalagmites , a running river underground, bats, and many exciting other things. It was lighted most of the way down and once in a while an occasional bat would fly by us, checking us out. The wind would blow through a hole up higher in one of the conecting caverns and you could hear the moaning sound of the wind. I revisited this place once again in September of 2014 and now they have added a souvenier shop and a gold panning set up so you can actually pan for gold. At least you learn how to do it so you might try it somewhere else at a lake or river somewhere just for the fun of finding some small flakes of gold and who knows, you might even be lucky and find a nugget. They also sell some food items and they have tables outside for your group to set and eat and enjoy the interesting sites. Go there, you will enjoy, especially if you want to do the zip line.

In 1849 or 1850, Captain Joseph Taylor (first person to discover the cave) was target shooting on a rocky outcropping and noticed his targets were being moved by a breeze which seemed to emanate from the rocks. Upon closer examination, he discovered the entrance to a cave, which he named “Mammoth Cave.”In the mid 1800’s, dynamite was used to expand a natural crack in the ground wide enough for stairs to be built down. Initially a narrow wooden staircase was constructed and extended 65 feet underground. In 1850, Taylor opened the cave for public tours, making it the first show cave in the state of California. In 1851, Moaning Cavern was “rediscovered by gold miners when they explored the cavern, hoping to make a big strike, but finding insufficient gold for mining purposes, abandoned it.In 1919, “the cave was once again rediscovered” and according to legend, tourists were lowered into the cavern in ore buckets with only candles or whale oil lamps to light their way. In 1920, tours of the cavern started in the summer.In 1922, a 100-foot steel spiral staircase was constructed and was the first all “arc-welded project” ever in California. The steel used came from the hull of a World War I battleship. Visitors climbed down and then up 235 stairs, 144 of which are on the spiral staircase.Moaning Cavern was named by early explorers who noticed a distant moaning sound created by drops of water that fall into holes in a flowstone formation with a bottle-like shape. The cave lost its moan when the spiral staircase was built due to debris being left in the flowstone formation's "moaning holes." In 1977, “the moan” was restored by Stephen and John Fairchild after they looked back through early records and traced the origin of the moaning sound. After clearing debris out of the holes and restoring the original flow of water in the cave, which had been diverted by the staircase construction, the brothers were able to bring this natural sound back.Moaning Cavern is the largest single chamber public cave in California and the main room is large enough to fit the Statue of Liberty inside it with some of the cavern formations reaching 25 feet in height. Moaning Cavern's total depth is approximately 410 feet.Some scientists believe Moaning Cavern may have at one time been a geyser like "Old Faithful."In 1980, the cave was renamed “California Cavern.”Moaning Cavern also became an archaeological site, where some of the oldest human remains known in America were discovered. Approximately 100 prehistoric humans were found at the bottom of Moaning Cavern. One skull was determined by uranium-thorium dating to be 13,000 years old and it’s believed that these people fell into the cave accidentally over many hundreds of years. The cave has long been the resting spot for the bodies of prehistoric people who fell into its opening.• “Clumsy people, after the first few, you would think they would’ve learned that it wasn’t safe to go into dark places!” “Signs weren’t invented yet!”In July 2007, twin zip lines were opened at Moaning Cavern Park. The launch tower is accessed by a 25-foot long sky bridge and is approximately 100 feet above ground. The cable is 1500-feet long and cable of reaching speeds in excess of 40 mph. Zippers brake gently at the landing tower and are unclipped from the cable. Moaning Cavern is located at the south end of Calaveras County, close to Tuolumne County, between Angels Camp and Murphy’s. Our visit:On our first visit here to the Cavern, we took the 45 minute “Cavern Walk Tour.” In that tour, our guide took us through marble passages and down 234 stairs. At the bottom we were told that we were 165 feet below the ground. Our guide explained that excavations were conducted in which they discovered the bones of prehistoric people who fell into the cavern thousands of years ago. He went onto explain the history and geology of the cavern and said that further explorations have traced the cavern to its current depth of 410 feet. On our second visit here, we skipped the Caverns and went right for the zip-line that they installed in 2007. From a distance, the ride down the zip-line appeared like it would be long but in reality; it was over in seconds, at least that's how I felt. The ride down was also pretty loud because of the cables. While lying down, you can see the ground moving pretty fast past you and the wind blowing by your face. It was a great experience, but like in all good rides, it was too short! They said they were going to add another longer zip-line sometime in the near future and we will be there when that occurs!The only drawback was the cost, which I thought was pricey considering the one-way ride! If it wasn't so much, we would've done it two or three more times! I can just imagine what the longer line will cost once they set that up but I'm sure my son and I will be back for more!

This is a must do if you never zip lined before this good one to start out. You must go do the cave tour. Then if you handled all of that do the repel tour in the cave.

We had tried zip lining previously. This was no comparison! The gentlemen working the zip line were informative, fun and reassuring, yet professional. The zip line is smooth, and the view is amazing. My daughter and I tried the twin zip lines. What a blast! You want to get off the zip line and go back to try it again. Moaning Caverns is an absolute must try if you are visiting the area.

Brilliant, amazing ,fantastic experience. I was initially fairly nervous but the staff were very assuring and put you at ease even when one or two cracked jokes about it being their second day on the job, but after getting kitted up in the harness we crossed the rope bridge to the central platform to get hooked up on the 1500 foot twin zip lines.The scenery is outstanding and this is definitely the place to do it. I asked to be pushed off when it was my turn as I was not sure if I could launch myself from such a height and it's awesome!!!I would definitely recommend this activity and if I can do it anyone can. They have a zero injury record and it such a thrill!! I may even try super man next time!!

We did our second zip at the Moaning Caverns over the July 4th weekend. Since I was no longer nervous I had a better experience BUT you pay a lot for 40 seconds of thrill. I don't recommend a holiday weekend. It was very busy. The staff is very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. You can zip on your birthday day for free! They don't take American Express.

Last weekend my husband & I went to Moaning Caverns and zip line for his 50th birthday. It was 106 degrees at least. But this place was well worth braving the elements. Customer service was awesome from the time I pulled in the parking lot. Even though I am sure they were hot and tired by 2pm when we arrived they all acted as if they were happy to be there and even happier that we chose to be there. The twin zip lines were very cool and the cavern was fascinating (and about 30 degrees cooler). We decided that we are going to visit each one of the other 3 Cave and Mine Adventures owned by this company. We are so lucky to have all this in our back yard!