Benson, AZ – The founding of this state park begins with something remarkable: two people with the knowledge that the natural world is fragile and precious and the foresight to keep it that way. Upon discovering the magnificent formations and rooms in this cave in 1974, two amateur cavers, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts, kept this cave secret for 10 years. Their goal was to find a way to protect the cave for all generations to come after them. After exploring privately owned options, they decided to work with the Arizona State Park system to develop a public park with all the protections afforded by state funding. After 4 years of negotiations involving driving Arizona State Park officials blind folded to the cave, Kartchner Caverns State Park became official in 1988.
However, another 10 years of planning, design, and meticulous construction of cave pathways were required before opening to the public in November 1999. The result is a pristine cave, free from human caused damage that plagues so many caves. The original cavers always used a single route into and out of the cave, and required everyone else to do the same. Their efforts mean the vast majority of this cave have never felt the impact of a human being. The whole process from initial discovery to ribbon cutting ceremony is quite interesting and well told in the book: Kartchner Caverns: How Two Cavers Discovered and Saved One of the Wonders of the Natural World.
Kartchner Caverns are located underneath these two hills
Kartchner Caverns is a reasonable 1 hour drive east from Tucson, providing for a nice day trip including a cave tour, perhaps a hike around the property and even a picnic. Two cave tours are offered, and reservations are a must. You can reserve online at Kartchner Caverns Tour Reservations.
We chose the Rotunda/Throne Tour, which is 90 minutes in length and covers about 0.5 miles. We were both impressed at the levelness of the concrete lined paths throughout the entire tour. This was the easiest cave tour we’ve experienced. The culmination of the tour is “Kubla Khan”, the largest column in Arizona at 60 feet high. I could do without the hokey music and light show that we had to sit through, but the formation itself is worth the silliness.
We did question the reasons behind a prohibition on both photography and bringing a cellphone into the cave. Hence there no cave pictures in this article. Here is the full list of prohibited items:
- Pets (Except certified service animals meeting ADA standards). Please do not leave pets in vehicles.
- Purses, handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, baby backpacks or other bags/items.
- Binoculars or flashlights.
- Photography or video equipment (to include phones, other electronic recording devices, and tripods).
- Food, gum, tobacco products and drinks (including bottled water).
- Strollers, walkers, crutches.
- Touching or damaging formations (punishable by law).
- Littering or tossing coins.
We also hiked the 2.5 mile Foothills Loop Trail, which is a self-guided interpretive trail with 12 “stops” and a number of benches strategically placed for maximum viewing pleasure. The trail surface is dirt and the elevation profile is up-and-down, yielding a moderate rating. In typical Southern Arizona hot and sunny conditions, sunscreen and water are musts.
We enjoyed the unusual venomous snake warning sign
The beginning of Kartchner’s Foothills Trail
The state park borders National Forest lands with trails continuing into the Whetstone Mountains as viewed from the Foothills Trail
We spotted this lizard on our hike
A view of the Foothills Trail
The Foothills Trail provided views of the San Pedro Valley
There is plentiful parking, including a large RV area sufficient for big rigs to park without unhooking toads, a welcome find. A large number of covered picnic tables are on-site, as is a campground with full hookups and some spaces large enough to accommodate a 40′ motorhome. We combined visiting Kartchner with a trip to historical town of Tombstone. We stayed in the Tuscon KOA.
