Sunny Jim Cave: the La Jolla sea cave you reach through a gift shop
Inside The Cave Store at 1325 Coast Blvd., a tunnel dug in 1902-03 drops 145 steps to a platform inside a sea cave. It's $13 for adults and $7 for ages 3-17, open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, first come, first served.
- Steps
- 145
- Adults
- $13
- Hours
- 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Dug
- 1902-03
Each way; no elevator
Ages 3-17: $7
Daily; no reservations
By hand, with picks and shovels
The short version
- German artist and mining engineer Gustav Schulz had the tunnel dug by hand, starting in 1902, from his home (now The Cave Store) down to the sea cave.
- There are 145 stairs each way and no elevator; the visit takes about 20 minutes.
- Admission is $13 for adults and $7 for ages 3 to 17, sold at the door only; tours have run since 1905.
- It's the only one of La Jolla's seven sea caves you can reach from land.
- Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum is credited with naming it after Sunny Jim, a cereal mascot the cave's mouth reminded him of.
La Jolla has seven sea caves, and you normally need a kayak to see them. One of them has a back door. Walk into a gift shop on Coast Boulevard, pay at the counter, and a hand-dug tunnel takes you down through the sandstone cliff to a wooden platform inside the cave, with the Pacific sloshing in through the mouth. Here's what to know, from the store's own site and a 2026 visitor guide.
A tunnel with a story
Gustav Schulz, a German artist and mining engineer, lived in the house that is now The Cave Store. Work began in November 1902, and two Chinese laborers dug the tunnel with picks and shovels over the following year. Tours have run since 1905. The name is credited to L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, who thought the cave's opening looked like Sunny Jim, a cartoon cereal mascot. The store also tells of Prohibition bootleggers allegedly smuggling liquor up through the tunnel.
Sunny Jim Cave
Nearby
Pins are approximate. Source: The Cave Store and OpenStreetMap, checked October 6, 2026.
See these on the full San Diego map- Tickets: $13 adults, $7 ages 3-17 (The Cave Store); La Jolla Mom lists $8 for seniors and active military. Door sales only, no reservations.
- Hours: tours run 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
- Group size: 15 to 20 people at a time, so there may be a short wait.
- The stairs: 145 down and 145 up, and they can be slippery. Wear closed-toe shoes.
- Not allowed: strollers and bulky bags stay outside. Pets and emotional-support animals aren't allowed; service dogs are.
- Kids: under-18s must be with an adult or have written parental consent.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
- PrimaryThe Cave Store
The Cave Store, La Jolla · Checked October 6, 2026
Prices, hours, stairs, rules, history
La Jolla Mom · Checked October 6, 2026
Tunnel history, Baum naming, senior and military price, visit length