The cavern’s main chamber is so vast that the Statue of Liberty could reportedly fit inside it. Hidden beneath the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, Moaning Caverns is an enormous limestone cave with a history as unusual as its name. One of its most striking features is a 165-foot steel spiral staircase that winds dramatically down into the cavern.
Built in 1922 using steel salvaged from a World War I battleship, the staircase provides access to depths that early visitors could only reach by rope. The cave’s name comes from a mysterious moaning sound once heard inside, created by air moving through the cavern’s passages. Today, visitors can descend the staircase or, for a much more adventurous experience, rappel deep into the cave.
Moaning Caverns combines geology, history, and a distinctly eerie atmosphere that makes it one of California’s more unusual underground destinations. Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter. Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
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An underground spring in a labyrinthine cave system, decorated with stalagmites and stalactites. A lava tube cooled to form this long tunnel that stays chilly even at the height of summer. ## Become an Atlas Obscura Member * * * Join our community of curious explorers. Become a Member Atlas Obscura uses cookies on its websites to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic.View Cookie Policy When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies.
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