Kartchner Caves

Please note that these times, prices etc. are subject to change so contact the Caves for exact info

It seems that 25 years ago two spelunkers stumbled on the find of the century. A huge underground cave system that was over One Million years old and undiscovered until they happened upon it. Its location is about one hour from Tucson in the Whetstone Mountains west of Benson, Arizona.

Can you imagine how hard it must have been to keep this a secret, but they did, for four years. I wound's have lasted four minutes! They were afraid to say anything because the knew the value of this pristine cave site and didn't know quite what to do about it.

Finally, after four years they told the landowners about it. The owners had the foresight to bring in the government who set about to protect and create a cave experience that will rival all others. The care they have taken to protect this natural wonder is amazing. Most of the other cave systems have long died and dried up as environmental changes and years of human bodies, devastated the once living caves.

For 25 years they have built walkways, installed misting systems to keep the interior moist and alive. They have installed giant steel air-locks to keep out the pollution that will be increasing as more and more people flock to the site.

They have build camping facilities, hiking tails, a bird sanctuary, and a visitor's center--a $28 Million project all without so much as a hint to the outside world, who was oblivious to the whole thing. The kind of covert projects only our government could pull off. But in this case, it was well worth it.

There will be a per vehicle fee of $10.00 up to four people in a vehicle.

The tour costs $14.00 for adults, $6.00 for children 7-13

It is by reservation only so you must call: (520) 586-4200 for reservations

Xmas and new Years are all booked up

Hope to see you there sometime!

You can read more about it from the MSNBC news site who aired a full feature story on the caves

www.msnbc.com/news/wld/travel/yellowbox/Kartchnercaves.htm