Fire maps tell one story....

According the fire maps and satellite photo's of the Rough fire, there were many hot spots and patches of raging fire which surrounded the Boyden office and staff camp. We were not optimistic that the camp would survive. Also with the canyon winds carrying fire embers blowing past our little gift shop there was a good chance the shop would not have survived. However the good news came in late Monday night (August 24, 2015) that the camp and gift-shop currently are not affected by the fire. Now there is plenty of fire left in Kings Canyon which could still affect us, but with the number of fire crews, tankers and equipment dispersed throughout the park and forest we can be cautiously optimistic that Boyden will be spared. How can we possibly thank everyone for their tremendous efforts and determination to protect our homes and business.  One sad story to report, Kings Canyon Lodge located  about 7 miles north of Boyden Cavern did fall victim to the fire, the lodge has been a favorite of many visitors over the years and a personal favorite of mine. I have known the Evans family for years and hope that they are able to recover from this and come back stronger than ever. If anyone would like to help the Evans family rebuild let them know by clicking on the Help Rebuild Kings Canyon Lodge Link

For more information on the Rough Fire I have three links available now
Hume Lake

Inciweb_Rough Fire Kings Canyon

http://wildfiretoday.com/2015/08/18/rough-fire-east-of-fresno-ca-forces-evacuation-of-hume-lake/

We still have no word as to when the lower part of the forest and respective park including Cedar Grove will be open. I will keep updating our blog as I get information from my sources.

Finally I will try to speak with a geologist about how the fire will affect the lands, the highway into the canyon (tremendous rocks slides reported already), and with the possibility of a El Nino this winter how large rain and snow fall will affect the burned areas.

Rough Fire Update

We have no anticipated opening of Lower Kings Canyon and Boyden Cavern

Kings Canyon is one of the deepest river carved canyons in the nation. With the canyon measuring at about 8000' deep with shear walls of rock, one would think that fire danger would be fairly minimal. The problem is along the south western edge of the canyon, brush and fuel for the fire is thick and dry.... Now the fire is moving toward Hume Lake at an amazing speed, just to the south of Hume Lake is an area called camp 7, an old logging area that was logged back when Boyden was in the area around 1906. What the loggers found were trees of enormous size in both height and girth. Giant Sequoias grow in this area and are approximately four thousand years old. Today the Rough fire is threatening these groves of Sequoias with the intensity of fire that these trees may have never had to endure. Although Giant Sequoias have an amazing fire resistant bark and historically have stood the test of time, the Rough fire may prove more than even these mighty trees can withstand.

Keep an eye on the below link and see all the smoke around Hume Lake, as we learn more we will update this page.   http://wildfiretoday.com/2015/08/18/rough-fire-east-of-fresno-ca-forces-evacuation-of-hume-lake/

Fire in the Kings Canyon

Effective Immediately 

Boyden Closed Due to Forest Fire

 

As of August 15th the United States Forest Service has closed Highway 180 at the Hume Lake turn off, approximately 14 miles above Boyden Cavern. All of the lower portion of Kings Canyon including Cedar Grove has been evacuated, that way fire crews can move along Highway 180 unhindered by general public and vehicle traffic. 

 Currently there is NO estimated reopening date, we have a high pressure area over the park and temperatures are high with conditions critically dry, our guess is there may be several days of Park closure or longer, please keep an eye on our blog for the most up to date information.

For those of you who would like the most current status on the "Rough" fire click on the below link.  

 Lower Kings/Boyden Rough Fire Status

 

4th of July Holiday through August

www.boydencavern.com

Boyden Cavern is located with in the Sequoia National Monument, 19 miles East of Grant Grove. Typically GPS does not recognize the location address so we suggest you navigate to Grant Grove CA located in Kings Canyon National Park, then continue East on Highway 180 for 19 more miles descending into the deepest river carved canyon in the country, just as the highway crosses the Kings River, Boyden Cavern will be on the right.

Here is a Google map to our location Boyden in Kings Canyon - Giant Sequoia National Monument

Boyden is open 7 days a week through end of August and 5 days a week through September.

Purchase your tickets at the small visitor center/gift-shop which is located right at the trail head to the cavern. Ticket prices are as follows.

1. Adults 13 years and older $14.50
2. Children 12 and under $8.75
3. Children 3 and under free
4. We accept Master Card, Visa and Discover Cards

Tours are conducted on the hour, first tour departs at 10:00 AM and continues through the last tour at 5:00 PM. Tours are about 1 hour long including a 5 - 7 minute hike up to the cavern entrance and back down. Please be advised that the walk up to the cavern entrance although short is considered strenuous, steep in two sections and for the average person will take your breath away.

Cameras are recommended and we suggest using a flash.

No advance reservation necessary for the holiday, just come by the visitor center and ask one of the guides for details. Tickets are purchased first come fist served on the day of arrival. Except for  Holidays or when we have school groups tours, wait times for tours are rarely more than 1/2 hour long.

Tours during holidays in the morning or late afternoons are the best time to visit and miss the crowds. Tours from 11:00 am through 3:30 pm tours can fill up and be sold out up to 2 hours, tickets can be purchased in advance. During the busiest time of the holiday management will begin adding tours on the 1/2 hour, so 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30 throughout the day until at least 4:30.

Now if you are a group of 15 or more and would like to make a reservation there is a couple of things you need to know. Reservations can ONLY be made for weekdays and No Holidays, typically. Sorry for any inconvenience that may cause your group. Prices are based on time of year and which day is selected. Special request often are considered and if we can accommodate we would enjoy serving your group. Some of the special request we have had in the past:

•  Early morning tour (sometimes on a holiday), ask at the visitor/gift-shop
• Very late afternoon 6:00 PM or later, ask at the gift-shop
• Flash Light only -  Oh and very fun!! and only in the evening, ask at the visitor/gift-shop
• Entire tour time booked just for group (no General Public), contact boydencavern@gmail.com
• Entire picnic area and cavern booked for very large groups, contact boydencavern@gmail.com

To book a Group reservation please contact us at boydencavern@gmail.com with your group details and preferred date, please include an alternative date in case the first date is not available.

Cavern access and difficulty:
The cavern is accessible by a Wilderness trail which is located near the visitor center at the Boyden parking lot. The hike up the trail consists of 5 to 9 minutes of hiking which includes two sections of very steep trail. Even the guides are out of breath after the short hike up to the cavern entrance. If you have concerns about the hike let the guides know, they will suggest that you start up trail 5 to 10 minutes early so that you may take as many brakes as necessary and not fill hurried to stay up with the group.

Inside the cavern expect, cement trial with hand-railing throughout parts of the cavern. There are some steps of only 3 to 5 at any one time. Some steps however require a person the bend over to miss the ceiling while climbing the steps. Expect occasional low ceilings and once in awhile narrow passages. Claustrophobia is normally not an issue inside Boyden Cavern. The last three rooms to Boyden DO NOT have cement trail, you will be following the stream bed, no water at this time, but many slippery spots, small rocks, uneven surface and low ceilings. The cavern is one way in and one way back out, however there is an optional lower trail out of the cavern (lot's of fun and adds an entire different feel to the trip), this lower trial is strictly optional because it follows the stream bed out of the cavern and is also very slippery, has very uneven surfaces, is narrow and primitive, make sure you have very good shoes.

Canyoning Update
Currently we are still unable to offer any canyoning trips at this point. We are working with the USFS on routes with in the Wilderness, each route needs to be scouted by our guides then approved by the Forest Service. So to all our canyon folks guests, I would like to make a personal suggestion, located in the California Gold Country about 5 hours north of Boyden and about 2 hours South East of Sacramento is a beautiful little cavern called Black Chasm Caverns. They offer the neatest mini canyon trip (not in the cavern)with all sorts of interesting physical elements, amazing geology and a host of other amazing clever and fun surprises . Although this adventure is not for high end risk takers, I have to suggest the trip to just about everyone else. Children as young as 8 have been able to do the Mini version of this trip. They call the tour the Labyrinth Tour and below I have included a link direct to their site. For everyone else who wants our waterfall rappels and canyoning experience in Kings Canyon, stand by, we are working as fast as we can.

Amazing Mini canyon Trip

Thank you to all our valued guests

Get Out, Breath Hard and See the Wilderness

Here is your most up to date information for Boyden Cavern

Boyden Cavern is located with in the Sequoia National Monument, 19 miles East of Grant Grove. Typically GPS does not recognize the location address so we suggest you navigate to Grant Grove CA located in Kings Canyon National Park, then continue East on Highway 180 for 19 more miles descending into the deepest river carved canyon the country, just as the highway crosses the Kings River Boyden Cavern will be on the right.

Purchase your tickets at the small visitor center/gift-shop which is located right at the trail head to the cavern. Ticket prices are as follows.

1. Adults 13 years and older $14.50
2. Children 12 and under $8.75
3. Children 3 and under free
4. Discounts need to be ask for before purchasing ticket. We offer Military, Senior and AAA

Tours are conducted on the hour, first tour departs at 11:00 AM and continues through the last tour at 4:00 PM. Tours are about 1 hour long including the 5 minutes up to the cavern and the walk back down.

Cameras are recommended and we suggest using a flash.

Boyden is open 7 days a week through end of August and 5 days a week through September.

No advance reservation necessary or currently available, just come by the visitor center and ask one of the guides for details. Tickets are purchased for that day and rarely is there ever a wait, with the exception of Holidays or when we have school groups.

Now if you are a group of 15 or more and would like to make a reservation there is a couple of things you need to know. Reservations can ONLY be made for weekdays and no holidays, typically. Sorry for any inconvenience that may cause your group. Prices are based on time of year and which day is selected. Special request often are considered and if we can accommodate we would enjoy serving your group. Some of the special request we have had in the past:

•  Early morning tour (sometimes on a holiday)
• Very late afternoon 6:00 PM or later
• Flash Light only -  Oh and very fun!! and only in the evening
• Entire tour time booked just for group (no General Public)
• Entire picnic area and cavern booked for very large groups

To book a Group reservation please contact us at boydencavern@gmail.com with your group details and preferred date, please include an alternative date in case the first date is not available.

Cavern access and difficulty:
The cavern is accessible by a Wilderness trail which is located near the visitor center at the Boyden parking lot. The hike up the trail consists of 5 to 9 minutes of hiking which includes two sections of very steep trail. Even the guides are out of breath after the short hike up to the cavern entrance. If you have concerns about the hike let the guides know, they will suggest that you start up trail 5 to 10 minutes early so that you may take as many brakes as necessary and not fill hurried to stay up with the group.

Inside the cavern expect, cement trial with hand-railing throughout parts of the cavern. There are some steps of only 3 to 5 at any one time. Some steps however require a person the bend over to miss the ceiling while climbing the steps. Expect occasional low ceilings and once in awhile narrow passages. Claustrophobia is normally not an issue inside Boyden Cavern. The last three rooms to Boyden DO NOT have cement trail, you will be following the stream bed, no water at this time, but many slippery spots, small rocks, uneven surface and low ceilings. The cavern is one way in and one way back out, however there is an optional lower trail out of the cavern (lot's of fun and adds an entire different feel to the trip), this lower trial is strictly optional because it follows the stream bed out of the cavern and is also very slippery, has very uneven surfaces, is narrow and primitive, make sure you have very good shoes.

Canyoning Update
Currently we are still unable to offer any canyoning trips at this point. We are working with the USFS on routes with in the Wilderness, each route needs to be scouted by our guides then approved by the Forest Service. So to all our canyon folks guests, I would like to make a personal suggestion, located in the California Gold Country about 5 hours north of Boyden and about 2 hours South East of Sacramento is a beautiful little cavern called Black Chasm Caverns. They offer the neatest mini canyon trip (not in the cavern)with all sorts of interesting physical elements, amazing geology and a host of other amazing clever and fun surprises . Although this adventure is not for high end risk takers, I have to suggest the trip to just about everyone else. Children as young as 8 have been able to do the Mini version of this trip. They call the tour the Labyrinth Tour and below I have included a link direct to their site. For everyone else who wants our waterfall rappels and canyoning experience in Kings Canyon, stand by, we are working as fast as we can.

Amazing Mini canyon Trip

Thank you to all our valued guests

Get Out, Breath Hard and See the Wilderness

See below for pricing and tour times for Boyden Cavern.

As a Public Service Announcement the Unites States Forest Service has initiated new fire restrictions, these restriction are critical to fire safety during these critically dry times. Please click on the link to read full details, Important Fire Restrictions

Boyden Cavern Updated Schedule

 

Boyden schedule from May 2nd through May 10th 2015 is as follows.

May 2nd and 3rd 

First tour departs at 11:00 am

Tours depart every hour on the hour. Last tour is at 4:00 PM

May 4th

Only (3) tours that day 11:00, 1:00 and 3:00

May 5th through May 10th

Tours depart every hour on the hour

First tour leaves at 11:00 am

Last tour of the day departs at 4:00 PM

Check back regularly for updates regarding our schedule after May 10th.  Ticket purchases are made right at the Boyden trail head inside our small visitor greeting center. Tickets are $14.50 for folks 13 years and older. $8.75 for folks 12 years and younger. Children 3 and younger are free.

Discounts available for AAA, Military and Senior, make sure to request your discounts before purchasing your ticket.

Groups are 15 or more people, reservation can be made at www.boydencavern@gmail.com Prices are vary with group size, time of day as well as time of season. May and September weekdays are the best deals for groups.

Finally for the folks interested in our amazing canyoning trips - Currently we are going through a restructure phase and can not offer these trips for the 2015 season. However we strongly urge you to keep an eye on our Blog for any last minute changes and updates.

Remember the Forest and Parks belong to you, get out, breathe more, explore more and get away from the crowds by visiting Kings Canyon located within Giant Sequoia National Monument, the nations truly undiscovered Forest and Park.

Thank you to all our valued guests!!

                 Current Information for Boyden and the Giant Sequoia National Monument!

Boyden Cavern is located in Giant Sequoia National Monument which is under the control of Sequoia National Forest. 

For specific information about Boyden Cavern, tickets and hours of operation please scroll down through the Blog to find our 2015 opening details.                                                                          

Wild Flowers in the Monument

Boyden Cavern Drapery Room

     
Please be aware that Boyden Cavern is operated in partnership with the United States Forest Service under a special Use Permit. Official press releases generated by the US Government are sometimes disseminated by the Boyden Cavern management for the sole enjoyment and benefit to the public.

News Release

Contact: Denise Alonzo
559-539-2607
dalonzo@fs.fed.us
Date: April 3, 2015

Come Visit the Hume Lake Ranger District

Dunlap, California, April 3, 2015 –Memorial Day weekend usually begins the busy summer recreation season in the Hume Lake Ranger District, Giant Sequoia National Monument.  Recreational opportunities on the District will likely be available earlier than normal, due to the dry conditions, so now is the time to start planning your visit.

All campgrounds are expected to be open by the holiday weekend.  In order to ensure a camping spot, advanced reservations are recommended through the National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS) phone: 1-877-444-6777 or on the World Wide Web at www.recreation.gov.  The following family campgrounds have reservable sites: Princess, Hume Lake, Ten Mile, Stony Creek, Upper Stony Creek and Eshom.  The following group campgrounds are expected to be open and require reservations: Logger Flat, Aspen Hollow, Fir and Cove. 

Highway 180, leading into the Kings Canyon is expected to be open April 24.  Forest Roads leading to Delilah, Millwood, McKenzie, Dark Canyon, Big Meadow, and Eshom should be open by mid-May.  All Jennie Lakes and Monarch Wilderness Trailheads are expected to be open; however visitors should expect snow covered trails at the higher elevations in the backcountry.

A series of interpretive programs will be taking place at various campgrounds on the District each weekend from Memorial Day until Labor Day.  Please check at the campground kiosk for more information.

Forest officials are evaluating the need to charge a fee for camping at Big Meadow Campground and Horse Camp.  Historically, there has not been a fee charged for these campsites even though they offer the same amenities as those nearby that do charge fees.  “Due to heavy use and increased cost to maintain these sites, the District is considering having them managed by California Land Management,” stated District Ranger Teresa Benson. “This is the private concessionaire who currently manages the other fee campgrounds on the District.” 

With continued dry weather, campfire restrictions will be in effect early this summer.  Plan your trip accordingly by picking up a campfire permit, free of charge, at any Forest Service, CALFIRE, or Bureau of Land Management office or by visiting the Sequoia National Forest website and downloading a copy of the permit at www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia.  Off-highway vehicle use is restricted to roads within the Giant Sequoia National Monument.  Mountain-bike use is restricted to trails and roads. Trails where mountain-bike use is prohibited are signed.

The Hume Lake Ranger District office in Dunlap is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. This office will be closed on Monday May 25th.  For more information about the Hume Lake Ranger District, please call (559) 338-2251.

 

2015 Spring Boyden Details, Get out and Travel, See More and Create Memories

Hello and welcome to the 2015 Spring travel season. So here is the low down on up coming events. Highway 180 winter closure point at the Hume Lake turn off will be open on April 10, 2015 and will give travelers access to the lower portion of Kings Canyon up to the second winter closure point located 2 miles below Kings Canyon Lodge. Beautiful drive and well worth your time. However please be aware that the second winter closure gate will not be open until April 24th, 2015 so travelers coming before the 24th will be stopped 7 miles before Boyden Cavern.

Currently Boyden Cavern is planning on being open on a limited bases starting April 25, 2015. Boyden will be open Wednesday through Sunday with three tours daily and closed Monday and Tuesday. Tours depart at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm. We are attempting to install a self serve ticket kiosk to purchase tickets right at the Boyden Cavern gift-shop. If all goes well we may even have our online ticket purchase system set up by the time we open. Please check back here regularly for updates to hours and days of operations and maybe online ticket purchases. Also as we move closer toward the middle of May our days of operation will change to 7 days a week and our cavern tour times will increase to hourly starting over Memorial weekend.

Adults 13 years and Older $14.50
Children 12 and younger are $8.50
Tickets will be available at the small Boyden Welcome Center located right at the trail head.

Canyoning guest, we are currently not offering reservations for any of our trips. Our apologies but we are unable to give any time frame for being able to take reservations or offer any trips. Please check back often for updates on canyoning.