A cave is not something you would associate with a big forest full of giant trees. But believe it or not, tucked deep in the heart of Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Park is a wonderful marble cave called the Boyden Cavern. Although this cave is much smaller than the Carlsbad Cavern or its neighbor, Crystal Cave, Boyden Cavern has its unique charm. Because it is smaller, the cave features are much closer to you, giving off a more intimate feel than the other bigger caves don’t have. The trip down into this awe-inspiring cavern is a worthwhile adventure, something you’ll need to do when visiting Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park. We loved every minute of our tour!
As for what NOT to bring, you cannot bring tripods, monopods, walking sticks, a bag of any kind, size, or type, food, drink, gum, candy, strollers, or other wheeled items. If you have any questions regarding what you can or cannot bring, you can always reach out to the Boyden Cavern.
Boyden Cavern is located at mile 19 on Highway 180, inside Kings Canyon National Park. So, it’s pretty much at the bottom of Kings Canyon. And the drive here is beautiful! It is quite a way to get here from the Kings Canyon National Park entrance. Therefore, we recommend making a full day out of it and checking out Roaring River Falls, hiking the Zumwalt Meadow, or, if you’re a fast hiker, the beautiful Mist Falls Trail. Once you reach mile 19, there are signs for Boyden Cavern on the right. There is a decent-sized parking lot in front of the gift shop and entrance. Even if you get your tickets online, make sure to arrive at least 15 minutes earlier to check in at the little store.
Our adventure started bright and early. We got to Boyden Cavern in Kings Canyon before the cave opened at 10 am because we needed to get our tickets in person. There are multiple picnic tables where we could sit and admire the beautiful view of the canyon and the river in front. From here, we got glimpses of the steep walkway leading up to the cave.
After getting our tickets, we lined up in front of the entrance for a quick meeting with our guide. We did the regular walking tour, so we had about 15-20 people in our group. Once everyone was ready, we proceeded to walk up the paved pathway. This walk up to the cave is the most challenging part. It was quite steep, about 125 ft above the river, but short. It took us about 5 minutes, but some older people took a bit longer.
Once we reached the top of the hill, we came to the gated cave entrance for Boyden Cavern. After everyone made it up here, our guide went over all the rules, important things to know, as well as interesting history and facts about the cave. And then, it’s time!
As soon as we passed through the entrance, the Boyden Cavern got a lot darker. Even with lights along the way and some pointing at important cave features, it was still quite dark. Can you imagine walking through here with just your flashlight or lantern, like back then? If you want to know how that feels, the Boyden Cavern in Kings Canyon National Park offers a flashlight tour. We are quite lucky in this modern day. Not only do we have great light sources to see where we are going, but these lights also enable us to fully appreciate the intricate rock features. Also, we have luxuries like paved paths, bridges, and handrails that have been added along the way.
Our tour guide was packed full of geological knowledge, facts about the cave, and dad jokes, and he gave us a dash of all 3 as we made our way through the dark corridors. Even though this is a small cave compared to massive cave systems like Carlsbad Caverns, it still has all the epic cave features that you would find in larger caves. This includes stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, pendants, and shields, and it has plenty of each!
As we descended further into the cave, we needed to be careful. There were times when we had to duck under low ceilings or squeeze our way through and around fragile formations. Please be conscious not to touch any cave features. The oil on your skin is bad for the growth of the cave features.
At one of the first stops in a large room of the Boyden Cavern tour, you will see a formation called the “upside-down city”. The “upside-down city” is tiny, but it is a neat formation that deserves its name. Our guide stopped next to this formation and began to tell more facts and stories about Mr. Boyden, who discovered the cave in the late 1800s. Mr. Boyden REALLY loved this cave. So much so that he lived in it for 10 years before sadly passing away from hypothermia. We almost feel bad for Mr. Boyden because he missed the chance to see the cave in all of its modern-day beauty.
Once we left the large room, we headed into much smaller tunnels of the Boyden Cavern in Kings Canyon. The cave got more and more beautiful the deeper we went. We couldn’t seem to get enough of all the beautiful formations and cave features. They really resembled the marble statues of the Greeks.
After ducking and dodging more formations, we climbed some stairs and were once again in a bigger room. Here we found a towering formation called the wedding cake. This wedding cake looked like it had been in the works for hundreds of years. The coolest thing is that it rests peacefully on a shelf, and you’ll walk right under it. This larger room also has several large stalactites.
Most of our favorite rooms were towards the back of the cave. The first one that we came to was the drapery room. This is another tall roof that looks like it has a bunch of curtains hanging from the ceiling. Between the incredible formations and the dramatic lighting, this room is breathtaking.
From there, you are one more small corridor from our favorite formation, the Christmas Tree! This is one of the biggest formations in the entire cave system… or at least the sections we get to see! It’s amazing! It really looks like a marble Christmas tree. This is one of our favorite formations in Boyden Cavern.
The Christmas Tree room is the last room of the Boyden Cavern tour. After everyone finished looking around, we made our way back to the first large room we saw. Here, we got to choose whether we wanted to go back the same way we came in or take the “Fun” route. The fun route is more challenging. It requires you to walk on uneven surfaces and squeeze through tight passages. It also got dark in certain sections, and there might be water depending on the time of the year. That being said, it wasn’t that bad. It was nowhere as bad as the Chasm of Doom in Joshua Tree. Of course, we opted for the Fun route! If your group can not unanimously decide on which route to take, you can always split your group. Both routes meet outside the cave, where the cave entrance is located.
This is a really fun experience, and we would definitely recommend it if you are going to be visiting Kings Canyon National Park.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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