If you didn’t get to join us Saturday, July 21st for the Black Chasm Caver Tour you can still share our experience…
Click to visit the picture gallery.
We met at the Sierra Summit Theater’s Parking Lot (park in the area closest to Mt Rose Hwy) @ 9:00am. We headed south on 395 then take a slight right unto 88 (at around Minden). We continued on 88 for about 80 miles and take a slight right onto Volcano Pioneer Road to the Black Chasm Cavern National Park. We had reservations for two tours (22 max in each) at 12:00 noon and 12:20 pm but needed to arrive by 11:45. After the tours we headed to Theresa’s Place, 1235 Jackson Gate Road (15 miles from Volcano). An Italian style Dinner (or “Linner” [Lunch+Dinner]). The menu was: Minestrone Soup and Salad, family style, Pesto pasta, Sirloin, bread and butter, coffee, iced tea, and ice cream.
(Click here for the mapped Route)
Black Chasm Cavern was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1976 after being recommended by local members of the National Speleological Society, and as such is considered a “nationally significant natural area.”
Visitors to the cave are enchanted by the beauty of a wide variety of formations including stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and the vast arrays of rare helictite crystals, for which Black Chasm Cavern is justly famous.
Our new 3,000 square foot Visitors Center provides information on Black Chasm Cavern’s connection to the Matrix trilogy, and displays props from the movies: huge manufactured stalagmites from the Zion set. In addition, information is displayed on the discovery and mapping of numerous fragile, highly decorated, small chambers in Black Chasm Cavern by a team headed by Dr Hazel Barton who starred in the iMax movie “Journey into Amazing Caves“.
Click here to check out Sacramento’s KCRA coverage
