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January 2024 by Jennifer N.
Visited Mercer Caverns on a warm summer day. It's a trek in you're coming out from the East Bay but a good way to beat the heat. Tours weren't very crowded and we had a funny and engaging tour guide. I liked that there was a good amount of walking through narrow passages and it felt like a mini (very mini) guided hike.They had a nice covered waiting area outside and a pretty good gift shop. Made this a stop en route to a few other gold country adventures and had a blast. It's my second favorite out of the 4 caverns I toured this past summer.
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January 2024 by Mark Davila
The cave itself is really interesting. Good pacing in the tour even though it's quite a ways down a 160 feet, the the gift shop is friendly and easy to navigate. The outside area has lots of shaded areas when you're waiting for the tour to start or just finishing the tour Also some nice benches in the shade for eating picnic
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November 2023 by Joel C.
I've been visiting Mercer Caverns since I was a kid. A fascinating and fun place. The new owners have built it up and modernized the above ground parts, but the underground parts are the same cool caves. Definitely worth a detour. And Murphys has gone way upscale, but with a little persistence you can find reasonably priced restaurants.
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October 2023 by Ana Cordero
This is the worst experience ever, the cavern is nice but the tourist guy is the worst person ever.Since the beginning he was upset with my baby girl. She was good not crying at all, she was so excited to be there and this stupid guy told me that she have to be completely in silence or I have to go out. She was fully in silence when he talked she just was whispering to me tall or bajar because she is almost 3 so she don’t talk.I can admit if my baby was being annoying to others or something but she wasn’t at all and I was at the end with space of the line anybody was being annoying just this mean irrespecfull and …. Guy.She is a kid and she was good, I didn’t have to get out all by myself of the cavern with a baby in my arms alone….Never visiting this place ever again and if you have kids that can talk, smile, breathe, whisper or move is better to not consider to go to this place or at least with this guy as a guide because you will have to leave what you pay for already.If I can give 0 stars I willNot a family thing, go to other cavern, we did this adventure last week and it was amazing I’m other place, the guide lady was amazing and involved kids and it was great so this activity is good for kids the only problem is this guy!!!!!
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October 2023 by Daniel Stoll
The mines are super fascinating! Our tour guide, Patrick, was also super informative about the caverns. I feel like I learned a lot about the history of these beautiful caverns and it’s impact across the world. Thanks Patrick!
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October 2023 by Wulfstan C.
This is one of several limestone caves or caverns open to the public in this portion of the Sierra Nevada foothills and Gold Country, an an area otherwise mostly consisting of granite rather than limestone. It is an extensive series of caverns with trails and stairs up and down. One must visit through a tour, as is normal in such places. The tour takes close to an hour and we had a very nice time with an excellent tour guide, even though there was a fairly large group at the time. The history explained o the tour is interesting.This one is very different from the nearby Moaning Cavern (or Moaning Cave as I always remember it being called when I was a kid). That one is essentially one giant cave with spiral steps down. This is a series of caverns and caves with trails and stairs up and down in various parts, see even if you've seen one, the other is interesting. I can't compare to the others caves around since I haven't been to any of those since I was a kid an do not remember details yet. I hope to back get to them again eventually. There is a gift shop, of course, plus toilets, and there is also a gold panning thing for kids.
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September 2023 by Ivy Q.
Great tour, easy walking down into the caves, lots of stairs and shorter entry ways as you go back up half way through. Tour guide is funny and keeps you entertained. Staff is friendly and the place is clean.
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September 2023 by Stella T.
Our group of three adults had a great time on the cavern tour with our awesome guide, Jonathan. We went on the 3:30 pm tour on a Tuesday and ended up being the only group on the tour. Jonathan was extremely friendly, personable, and knowledgeable and did a great job of pointing out the interesting aspects of the cavern and where to be careful as we navigated through the space. We also appreciated the cheesy cavern jokes and humor!The 16 stories of the cavern tour feels pretty quick and there are many interesting variations to see. There is also a single stalagmite that they allow guests to touch, so you can get a sense of the texture. Jonathan reminded us to touch the back instead of the front where the texture is modified by many guests hands.For those with kids (and maybe fun loving adults), outside the cavern store, there's an interesting setup to pan for gems. You can buy a bag of soil and gems in the store. There is also a nice shaded seating area, which I assume fills up during the busy season as people wait for tours.Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area!
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September 2023 by bartellj
This is a must see if you are visiting Murphy’s! The caverns are so fun and it’s a great place to visit when it’s really hot out! The tour guides are very knowledgeable and more than willing to tell you fun facts along the way. There’s a lot of stairs so, you may wanna consider that if you are with small children or people who have difficulty walking. The lighting inside the cave was done very well. It showcases a lot of the stalactites in different minerals. I highly suggest stopping by.
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September 2023 by K Runn
Very knowledgeable staff. They definitely know their history and facts of the cave. They take their time to make sure you get the information about the caves and never make.you feel rushed. Definitely was a great experience!I have taken this tour 4 times now as I love bringing different friends and/or family to experience this natural wonder. I have had a different tour guide each time and I am amazed at how each tour guide not inky stays true to the origins of the cave but also share personal experiences along the way. It makes me see things a little differently each time I go...love that!!
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August 2023 by Bug Lover
Worth going. There were a lot of kids on our tour, the guide kept them in check from getting too loud as he is a former teacher. He made a lot of corny jokes about kids being turned into stone. Otherwise enjoyed the tour very much. If you’re claustrophobic you won’t make it as there were some tight spots where you need to duck your head. Awesome formations at every turn! Beautiful & worth it! Only 10 min from Murphys.
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August 2023 by Alex Whittlesey
A great experience for both adults and children! I had a blast for what was an exciting and informative 1 hour tour. We went 16 stories underground in a beautifully lit and preserved cavern with mind blowing mineral formations. Our tour guide Johnathan (?) really made the experience spectacular and brought the whole history of the Mercer Caverns to life. Tours were small and intimate! I don’t care who you are, this place is fun and worth a stop.
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July 2023 by Art Osby
Very interesting place to visit. The tour guide was very informative and the Caverns were quite the experience. The views are striking and the incredible air temperature difference immediately after entering will surprise you. Be prepared for lots of stairs. It's not really a hard climb in or out, there are plenty of stops. But the stairways are very steep in some places, very narrow in other places, and you need to be able to walk/climb in various bent or twisted positions to avoid rocks. It's worth the effort. Just sharing so one may be prepared.
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July 2023 by Tamie Anderson
Had a great time here learning about its history. We enjoyed our tour guide and the 55 degree weather. My kids also loved mining for rocks afterwards.
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July 2023 by Michelle C.
Interesting place in the town of Murphys. The place will have you on a descent almost 200 ft below earth's surface into caves full of various types of rocks/crystals formations. I will say that even though this experience is cool, it could be dangerous too. Lighting isn't good and stairs are very narrow and short (and wet in some areas). Make sure to have the proper kind of shoes on (closed toe/non-slippery). Elise was a great tour guide and since the caves stay 55° all year long, it was a great escape from the boiling heat outside.
