3/1 Kartchner Caverns State Park, AZ

Kartchner Caverns is a unique place because it is a "live" cave and was kept a secret by its two discoverers until it was made a state park.  This means it was protected from exploitation and kept pristine.  Thus, it is a cave which is still growing and provides a protected home for its native bats.  (Big Room tours are closed to tours from May to September each year so the bats can use the space for nesting and rearing their young.  Throne Room/ Rotunda tours are available all year.)

It was discovered in 1974 by an amateur caver who had found a small crack in a sinkhole in a cattle rancher's field.  The opening was barely large enough for a slim person to enter, and thus pretty much hidden from others. After a few years, he let a friend in on the secret.  In 1978, the two cavers, Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen, realized the cave was on private property, not public land as they had originally thought, so they notified the land owner, who responded that he had thought there was a cave under his mountain because when he rode his horse on it, it sometimes sounded hollow!  

Other than the property owner, the secret was kept for another 14 years, which is amazing, while the two continued to explore the cave and map it, being careful to limit their paths so as not to cause damage.  They were concerned about the cave being found out, so with the cooperation of the land owner, they approached the Arizona State Parks Board about its taking on ownership and protection of the cave.  It became public in 1988, and the state began a careful development of the area as a state park and invested $28 million in technology to protect the caves with airlock doors and humidity misters to keep the cave pristine.  It also built a series of cement walkways in the cave being careful to damage as little as possible of the floor of the cave.  

Current protections to the cave include asking people to not wear shoes that have been in any other caves on their tours and not allowing any purses, wallets, cell phones, cameras, strollers, backpacks, or other small items on tours.  They also ask you to be careful not to brush against or touch anything in the cave, and if you accidentally do touch something, let the tour guide know so the place can be marked so that the spot can be flushed with distilled water in the evening.  Walkways are also washed down each day to prevent bacteria and other materials from damaging the cave.    

So, obviously, I could not take any photos of the inside of the cave, but I suggest if you want further information, that you do an internet search for photos.  There are also photo tours offered once a month.  And more scientific information on the caves can be found here: https://azstateparks.com/kartchner/explore/science 

I do, however, have some photos of the very nice campground and the visitor's center that I will post here. 

 

 

I had a few minutes to wait for my tour, so I was able to take a couple of photos in the display area.  Right after this, however, I had to put everything in a locker because you are not allowed to carry anything into the cave. 

 

 

These are the boots the two cave discoverers wore out while crawling around in small places and walking over rocks in the cave. 

 

 

Kartchner Caverns is located about 15 miles south of Benson, AZ, directly off Interstate 10.   There are no hotels at the caverns, but there are a couple in Benson, or you can do the cave as a day trip from Tucson.  Here are a couple of photos of the campground.  The campground does have a handful of cabins, however.  Not sure if you need to bring your own linens or not, so better to check.

  One BIG warning about visiting this state park----GET YOUR CAVE TICKETS ONLINE SEVERAL DAYS, IF NOT SEVERAL WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME!!!   Seriously!  They fill up several days in advance, but if you are looking for a same day ticket, at least call before you drive all the way here.