Exploring Earth's Under Belly - Caves Caverns and Mines

I certainly didn't have the desire to allow summer to pass without covering nearly every square inch of Amador Gold Rush country. But, there was yet another adventure which begged to be explored.

In addition to the 1850 style towns and communities I have chronicled in recent weeks, Amador County is also rich in cave, cavern and mine tour adventures.

California Caverns (pictured above) is among my favorite of spelunking experiences. Native Americans knew of its existence long before the arrival of westerners. Bret Harte, Mark Twain and John Muir were early visitors in the Gold Rush era. It was opened for public tours in 1850.

In addition to California Caverns, Amador boasts Black Chasm Cavern, Moaning Cavern, and the Sutter Gold Mine. All of these, plus Mercer Caverns in nearby Calaveras County, have wonderful cave or mine exploration capabilities available.

Moaning Cavern contains the largest vertical chamber in a public cavern that you can see in California. It is so large, the Statue of Liberty could be completely help within it! There are also California Zip Line experiences available at Moaning Caverns.

Black Chasm Cavern is another local spelunking treasure. In 1976 it was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. Black Chasm enchants visitors with a variety of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and crystals. Outside the visitor center, kids will love the gemstone mining at the mining flumes.

Sutter Gold Mine located on historic Highway 49 just north of Sutter Creek, south of Amador City is a modern hard rock mine at the site of several historic mines. Nearby Lincoln Mine from which Leland Stanford made his fortune facilitated his ability to found Stanford University and to partner in financing the Central Pacific Railroad.

For ALL California Cave and Mine Tours available in Amador County, you can visit the Cave and Mine Adventures website: http://www.caverntours.com

For more information on Mercer Caverns in nearby Calaveras County, you can visit: http://www.mercercaverns.com