Good News Tucson - A Family Values Magazine

THIS MONTH: Family Fun Below the Surface of the Earth

A Jaunt to Kartchner Caverns State Park

Bats. Thousands of furry, flying varmints can be found at Kartchner Caverns in Southern Arizona. They use the caves as a nursery colony during the spring and summer months. But don’t worry. You’ll only see cave bats in the indoor museum at the park’s Discovery Center. The caves that provide shelter for bats are closed while the bats are roosting to insure that the bats remain undisturbed, since they are a vital part of the caves’ ecosystem.

Learning about bats is one of the many fun things you and your family can do while visiting Kartchner Caverns, Arizona’s newest state park. Opened in 1999, the caves lie below the hills on the east flank of the Whetstone Mountains in the Coronado National Forest.

The park offers camping, hiking trails, and a Discovery Center that is home to top-notch exhibits, a large gift shop, interactive displays, and a state-of-the art theater which shows a 15-minute movie about the history of the caverns. The highlight of the trip, of course, is touring the stunning limestone cavern system and world-class cave formations.

My 10-year old son could not believe the size of the caves. All he could say was “Whoa!” when we entered one of the caves that was a long as a football field (there are actually two caves this size at the caverns). Because he has been learning about cave formations in his fourth grade class, he appreciated viewing the stalactites, stalagmites, and columns (when stalactites and stalagmites meet, they can form a column).

The Throne Room at Kartchner Caverns contains one of the world's longest soda straw stalactites (21 feet, 2 inches) and a 58-foot high column called Kubla Khan, which is the tallest and most massive column in Arizona. The caverns contain several rooms that are open to the public through guided tours which allow for hours of enjoyment.

Shhh! Can you keep a Secret?

While scientist believe the caves were formed hundreds of thousands of years ago, the actual caverns were discovered in 1974 by two young cave explorers (called cavers), Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts. They found a sinkhole with a narrow crack leading into the hillside. They realized that a cave existed in the hills, since warm, moist air flowed out of the crack. After spending several hours of crawling, they entered an undiscovered, pristine cavern.

Tenen and Tufts waited four years to even tell the property owners, James and Lois Kartchner, about their remarkable find. The cavers, the Kartchner’s, and just a few others kept the discovery secret until the property was approved as an Arizona State Park in 1988. State park officials were even blindfolded before bringing them to the location of the caverns. Even after 1988, the location of the caves was not released to the public in an effort to protect the caves from vandalism and exploitation.

Care was taken to ensure that the cave would still produce formations such as stalactites for thousands of years to come. The state spent $28 million on a high-tech system of air-lock doors, misting machines and other technology to preserve the cave. All of this has been done so that generations to come can enjoy God’s creation and keep such a wonder preserved and protected.

Tickets

Rotunda/Throne Room tours are $18.95 for adults 14 and up, $9.95 for children 7-13 and free for children under 7. Big Room tours are $22.95 for adults 14 and up and $12.95 for children 7-13. Children under 7 are not allowed on the Big Room tour. Because of nursery roosting time for bats, April 15th is the last day for Big Room tours until October 15th.

If You’re Going

The park is 49 miles from the Tucson Airport. It is located nine miles south of I-10, off State Hwy 90, exit 302. A walk through the caves will feel like a visit to Florida. The humidity is 99%, and the average temperature is 68 degrees. When we visited the caverns at the end of March, the temperature was 80 degrees inside. You’ll also want to pack a lunch, since there are no food services at the park.

For more information, visit Kartchnercaverns.com or call (520) 586-4100.