Mitchell Caverns

Mitchell Caverns are three limestone caves high on the east side of the Providence Mountains in California’s Mojave Desert, formed in ancient marine Permian limestone by groundwater and later adorned with stalactites, stalagmites, cave coral, and other mineral formations. Only Tecopa and El Pakiva are open to the public through guided ranger tours, connected by a man-made tunnel, and they are the only limestone caves in the California state park system. The caverns were significant to the Chemehuevi, have yielded prehistoric remains including a Shasta ground sloth, and later became a roadside attraction run by Jack and Ida Mitchell before passing into state park management.

California · United States