Ultimate Guide to Hall City Cave, California (Tours, Pricing, History, Map)
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Hall City Cave is a limestone cave near the town of Hayfork in the Trinity County of Northern California. There is a cavern within the cave that has a deep shaft of water. The cave was considered to be a sacred place for the Nor-el-muk and Wintu Native Americans. There is a strong belief that somewhere inside the cave, there is a treasure that consists of gold worth over two million bucks.
Hall City Cave, California
There is a story that a couple of miners were ambushed by the natives who ran away with the cache of gold. However, the posse soon caught them and, before they were hung, they told the posse that they had dropped the gold in the water shaft at the back of the cave.
But some other newspaper reports suggest that gold was buried in one of the river flats of the Upper Trinity River. In 2012, an open-source remote-operated vehicle was used to explore the shaft, but there was no success.
History of Hall City Cave
Sometime during the late 1800s, several renegade Indians attacked the miners of a small hydraulic operation near Hayfork in N. California. Although the mining operation was small, they were doing reasonably well. It is believed that the Indians stole about 100lb of nugget gold from the dead miners.
Since the Indians were carrying a heavy load on foot, the posse did not take long to catch up with them. In a last-ditch effort, the Indians stashed the gold somewhere so that they could move at a faster pace. When the posse finally caught the Indians, the latter were told that they would not be hung if they revealed where they hid the gold. But the posse had other plans.
As soon as the Indians revealed that they hid the gold in the Hall City Cave, they were hung on the spot. The Hall City Cave has a submerged cavern right at the back of the cave, and it goes pretty deep. It is believed that the cavern is bottomless as no one has been able to go to the bottom!
Neither the posse nor anyone else to date has ever found the gold. No one knows what exactly the Indians did with the stash of gold. Many attempts to locate the gold have resulted in quite a few deaths, but the treasure is still elusive.
How much is the treasure worth?
Back then, it was worth about $40,000. Now let’s look at it today. Wit 14 ounces to the pound, in troy pound it would be worth about $2.173,248.
If they calculated the forty pounds at 16 ounces per pound? It would be more like $2,483,712. That is why a miner by the name of Mize carried a pipe in there and tried to siphon the water from the pit. It didn’t work, but you have to give the guy an “A” for effort.
Geological Cave Formations in Hall City Cave
As per official records, explorations in the cave started as far back as 1903, and a Permian age ammonite fossil was discovered. Since it is a limestone cave, it is expected that certain geological formations would be there. Although there can be some formations, it is assumed that those are not large enough or worthy of a mention here.
Wildlife in The Cave
One would come across small animals and insects that you would commonly find in the caves. No one has reported seeing any unique or specific species that is usually not seen elsewhere…I think they were more focused on the gold treasure.
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Is Hall City Cave Haunted?
There is a cavern inside the cave, which has a deep shaft of water. There are rumors that the cave has treasures of gold worth $2,000,000. Many people had died who had come here to recover the hidden gold. There is a strong belief that powerful Indian spirits are there in the cave to guard the valuable treasure.
How Big is Hall City Cave?
The cave extends for about 200 yards, but then it slopes down and ends in a pool of water. The cave explorers have described this submerged part as bottomless as no diver has ever been able to reach the bottom of the pool. It is believed that the Indians threw the bags of gold into this water before they were caught and hung.
Hall City Cave Tours
No tours take place here for the visitors.
Hall City Cave Tour Prices and Discounts
No tours are held at the caves. Private explorers had come to the cave multiple times searching for the ‘lost treasure, but they have all returned disappointed, and some have even died in the caves.
Is Hall City Cave Cold?
It is expected that the cave would have an average temperature of 48 to 50 degrees F, like the other caves in the region.
What to Wear?
The inside temperature of the cave is a lot cooler than the outside temperature, which is perhaps true for all caves. Though the exact average temperature is unknown, we would advise you to carry a light sweater if you come here during winter.
Hall City Cave Hours
The Hall City Cave remains accessible at all hours, but it is advisable to visit the cave within regular business hours – 10 am to 5 pm.
What to Do at the Cave (Beside Tours)
There are no official tours of the cave available. Many explorers had come here in the past in search of that elusive gold but have returned unsuccessful. If you are looking to explore the cave or dive into the lake, you must know that the cave is not for novice spelunkers. It would require a lot of expert training and equipment to explore this cave at any level.
Best Time to Visit Hall City Cave
The cave remains accessible throughout the year, and there are no tours available. So, you can come here at any point in time, but you should exercise caution as there have been reports of unfortunate deaths in the cave in the recent past.
How to Get to Hall City Cave
The Hall City Cave is in a small town called Hayfork in the Trinity County of Northern California. No specific driving directions are available with us, but you can get there with relative ease if you have a GPS-fitted car. When you are coming by car, look out for a cave near Wildwood off Highway 36.
Hotels near Hall City Cave
There are several hotel options near Hall City Cave, such as The Village Lodge Mammoth, Hyatt Regency Orange County & Mammoth Mountain Inn.
Places To Stay Nearby
Visiting Hall City Cave
Do you need more information before visiting Hall City Caves? Unfortunately, no proper contact details are readily available.
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