The Southern California Grotto has a distinguished history of cave exploration, cave science, and cave conservation throughout California, North America, and the world.
Chartered in 1949, we’re one of the oldest chapters of the National Speleological Society.
Meetings
Visitors and new cavers are always welcome. Please stop by!
The Southern California Grotto meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Beckman Institute Auditorium at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena.
Meetings are a great opportunity to meet other Grotto members, learn about caves, and get involved with caving activities. Each meeting features a cave-related presentation by community members.
Upcoming Presentations
| Date | 2025 Story: Cartography | Main Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7 | Visual Representations of Cave Morphology: Will Heltsley | Mapping Plunge Pool | Carl Haken |
| Nov 4 | Evolution of Cartography: Carol Vesely | The Unusual Caves of Brazil | Carol Vesely and Nancy Pistole |
| Dec 2 | Using TopoDroid: Carl Haken | Gating the Underworld | Alan Rice, James Rice, David Angel |
Conservation Projects
The Grotto prides itself on contributing to conservation projects in California and across the globe.
Cave Access
Southern California Grotto members train to be safer and build skills together. Many caves require vertical techniques to explore. The grotto holds single rope technique (SRT) and rescue practices, knot and anchor practice nights to make caving safer.
2025 Executive Committee
Our team of seasoned splunkers and renowned mud wallowers who guide the organization.
Carl Haken
Chair
Will Heltsley
Vice Chair
Vincent Robbins
Secretary
Rich Collier
Treasurer and Librarian
David Angel
Member at Large
Ken Kietzer
Member at Large
Scott Schmitz
Member at Large
Carol Vesely
Member at Large
Greg Allan
Member at Large
FAQs
How do I find local caves?
So like, here’s the thing… Caves on the internet get hurt. Bad. They become damaged by breakage, trash, graffiti, and eventually the land manager gates and closes them so nobody can visit. The animals living inside them tend to suffer or die. And sometimes folks get hurt visiting.
So this simple question is really hard to answer. It’s easier to answer after we get to know each other and you seem like the kind of standup person who wants to preserve caves for future cavers.
But also sometimes, hours of research, miles of hiking, poison oak bushwhacks. We do that stuff too.
Where the caves at, tho?
Frankly, we’re not flush with giant caves like the TAG region, but we do have some spectacular alpine karst as well as an interesting variety of caves to enjoy. California has several “karst” regions and caving in California is interesting because of their geologic variety: Limestone, Marble, Granite, Sandstone, Lava Tubes, Breccia, sea caves, not to mention a rich history of mining in the state. They all have totally different vibes underground.
Members of our grotto often end up driving to Sequoia, Mojave, or even San Diego, depending on the season. And Nevada and Arizona aren’t too far away for a long weekend.
That’s… pretty vague.
Our General Meetings are held at 7:30pm, on the first Tuesday of every month, you should come to a meeting! 🙂
Seriously though, we can’t wait to meet you!
I’m a climber, how is caving different?
Cavers frequently need to solve underground climbing projects to access new areas of a cave, so climbing skills are highly valued. Pitches can be pretty interesting since you get 0-4 walls worth of holds to problem solve. As for climbing gear, it looks similar but doesn’t always work great underground. Ascending on dynamic rope can make you a bit seasick (and wreck your rope). Climbing harnesses don’t attach in the right spot and ultra-light helmets can’t take much punishment.
Here’s a helpful diagram to get you started!
