Kartchner Caverns State Park

I went back in May for the Rotunda/​Throne room tour. It was a blast. This was just after it was voted best cave in the USA. Its not far from Tucson, it makes for a good day trip. I do recommend bringing your own food that way you don’t have to buy their over priced cafeteria food.
The cave is amazing. There are different tours for different seasons (they close off one of the rooms for bat mating season, so people don’t disturb them). So I will be back in the fall to see the other room. They even offer a tour completely in the dark, so I will probably be back for that as well.

Billed as the best cavern in the US, Kartchner’s is just 2.5 hours from town, and features a massive cavern with multiple rooms full of fascinating features. If you like caverns, you’ll love this one!
They don’t allow photos to be taken inside and every effort is made to preserve this beautiful natural wonder, but there are tons of photos on the website. There’s a short film about the terrific story of its discovery at the visitor’s center, along with a cool exhibit on everything that’s been found inside (including fossils of an huge ancient sloth!).
There’s a beautiful visitor’s center, great camping facilities, and some spectacular views, especially at sunset. We’ll be back!

The Kartchner Caverns would get 5 stars if you were allowed to take pictures. It is a magnificent cave in southern Arizona that I consider a must-​see!!! We went on a tour over Memorial weekend. Did not get to see the Throne Room because the bats take it over this time of year, but the Rotunda Room was breathtaking! The tour guide was very informative about the different types of formations throughout the cave. I do recommend watching the 15 minute video before the tour. It gives you a little bit more history that the tour guide didn’t cover, but she was totally willing to answer any questions anyone had on the tour. The biggest downside, again, was not being able to take pictures of the things you get to see throughout the cave. They do sell some pictures and postcards in the gift shop, but that takes the personalization out of it. I also wish we were allowed to bring water on the tour, but that was not allowed either, and it is warm throughout a majority of the tour.

I thought this was pretty awesome! I had never seen a cave before and my boyfriend had suggested that we see it as it is something that was on my bucket list. The fact that it is the only living cave makes it even better. He has seen «dead» caves and said that they pale in comparison to this. As I have never seen one before, I can’t compare but what I did see was spectacular. The Kubla Khan was indescribable… beautiful doesn’t even describe it. I enjoyed it immensely although the humidity was really starting to get to me by the end. It is definitely worth the 23.00 per person. Although you cannot take pictures, there is a pack of post cards available in the gift shop that shows most of the cave and discovery. I can’t say I would go again, but I am glad that I got to see it this time.
I would say that this cave is more suitable for kids 7 and over rather than the young ones.

This was suppose to be the most popular cave in the nation. I toured the Rotunda and the Throne rooms. I prefered the four caves in the gold country in California. They were distinctly different from each other.
The Karchner cave is the biggest I have seen. It was well lit and better preserved but they don’t allow photography or a flashlight. This controlled environment tend to take out the fun. Being in the middle of no where, it was a long trek out there. There was also less variety of cave types. One of the caves in the gold country was very tall, one was very long and narrow and one had pools at the bottom. Short end of it I can’t show you any photos of the interior of the cave, no photography was allowed.

If you’re near Tucson, make sure you check out this cave! In Tucson gem show you see all these minerals and gems, including some calcite and aragonite crystals, well guess what, you’ll see tons of these in situ inside the cave, because of all the limestone in the area!
Enough geology talk, as you will get a lot of it during your tour. The park is pretty easy to find, just head south on 90 and make a right when you see the sign.
***Reservation for the tour is strongly advised.***
We showed the staff at the entrance our confirmation letter for the tour, and no entrance fee was charged because it’s included. We arrived an hour prior to the tour departure time, as it was suggested. You cannot carry anything, including water bottles, camera or phone, to the cave, but there are lockers for $ 1 you can use at the visitor center, and no water bottles beyond the entrance of the visitor center as well. There were plenty of stuff to do to kill time during your one hour wait: bathroom, gift shop, museum and a movie theater.
There is one bathroom outside the visitor center, and another one at the tour departure area in case you need it again before the long tour. Most of the stuff at the gift shop are overpriced, but I did buy a sticker and a pen for a reasonable price. The museum is pretty great for a preview of the cave’s geology and history, so is the movie showing in the theater! I did enjoy the almost complete darkness and the dripping water sound effect mimicking how it’s like to be in a cave before the film started.
TOURS:
There are two. You’re probably thinking which one to choose, the Big Room or the Throne Room?
We chose the Big Room because it’s only seasonal. It’s seasonal because the guanos (those tiny small bats that reside in the cave) are out elsewhere during this time so humans can enter it without directly disturbing them. When the guanos return, no visitor, not even the staff, is allowed in. The Big Room offers a lot of different formations of calcite deposits — stalactites, stalagmites, draperies (bacon), straws, etc. The cave is humongous and you cannot see the end. The tour duration was 1 hour and 45 minutes and honestly I think it’s a bit too long. I was bored and couldn’t wait to get out at the end. We all had a great time overall though!
However, I heard the Throne Room tour has more cool and big calcite deposits, including the one that is mentioned in the film. So if you want to see that, make sure you book the Throne Room tour, which I will do next time when I’m in Tucson again!
Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. She answered all our questions, including some stupid questions asked by one of us in the tour…
Overall, it’s worth checking out if you’re in the area!

Horribly commercialized tourist trap. Don’t go if you are an avid caver. Waste of money. Zero stars.

Fantastic, well-​worth the price. Pristine and well cared for. Very beautiful and it’s a wet-​cavern– much more interested than a dry one. The museum and gift shop were well developed and reasonably-​priced.

Great tour of a living cave with temperature controlled – 72. Make a reservation before you go.

If you’ve never been to a cavern before, like us, it’s an awesome sight to see. Make sure you reserve. We called day of and they fit us in right away.
Near the entrance is a hummingbird garden with a variety of flora and fauna. While we didn’t see any birds that day, we saw some humongous beetles.
The tour guide will give you some history of the cave and then you hop on a little trolley that will take you to the entrance. There’s another guy who corrals everyone into a line and keeps track of the people at the back of the line. He was a little testy with our group, like he didn’t want to be there.
The entrance consists of some heavy duty doors and a type of hallway with misters. The cavern itself has a variety of formations. No photos allowed so pickup postcards from the gift shop.
I enjoyed it very much and its a great day trip from Tuscon.

Beautiful and a lot of fun! We went here in early October and saw the Rotunda Room and the Throne Room. The caverns were absolutely beautiful and it was so much fun learning about the history. The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and interactive. I’m definitely going to go back to visit the Big Room. Definitely worth the trip!

The tour was fabulous. I walkway is paved and easy to navigate especially for little ones or those that need assistance getting around. I will come back to see The Big Room when it is open. The only disappointment is no picture taking allowed on the tour. They clearly care about the preservation for future generations.

Make reservations.
Did I mention that you need a reservation?
Make reservations!
So many sad faces and cars turned away because no reservations were made. Ok, now that that is out of the way, THIS PLACE ROCKS! It is WAY worth the adult price of 23 bucks. The facilities are spotless, the staff is way kool /​helpful, and the caves themselves, lets just say I have checked off another item on my bucket list. Words offer no description unless you are a poet or Mark Twain. Cameras are not allowed, hence no photos on Unilocal of the actual interior. A free preview movie lasting about 15 minutes explains how the caverns were discovered by two college kids and they were actually able to keep it a secret for 14 years. No jacket or warm clothes are required, since the interior temperature is naturally maintained at 72 degrees at 99% humidity. There is a decent snack /​coffee shop with healthy and unhealthy fare.
Now go make your reservation and enjoy!

It’s 23 dollars for about 45 minutes underground. Not worth that type of money! It was interesting and the 15 minute movie before the tour was cool. Our tour guide talked so much we didn’t even really get to observe and really look in the cavern. Gift shop was pretty overpriced and so was the café. Also– this place is not kid friendly– there were 2 little boys on the tour with us and as kids do they were wanting to touch everything. The tour guide was not having that– eventually their mom made them out their hands in their pockets which isn’t fun when you are a kid. Go at your own risk.

Too expensive, $ 23.00 for each adult to see just one cave. The tour guide lady talked WAY too much all the time. She would make compare the rock formations with bacon and made other silly cpomparisons. That is not the way to learn and teach about nature and science. When asked about the scientific name of the formation she would say, «oh it’s just a rock formation». Really? And for that I payed $ 23.00? Not worth it!
However, the hiking trails in the area are something else. Beautiful but hardcore, bring a lot of water and food. There are some shades but you will get very tired. Do not take kids to the hiking trails.

Beautiful and a must see if you are in southern Arizona. Book online reservations because certain tours will fill up days in advance. Arrive an hour early for your tour. But it is very nice. You can spend that hour checking out the gardens and the discovery area. There are some nice hiking trails as well. Totally worth the money for our family.

I have been to the caverns one time before this trip and the tours are always amazing. Both trips have been on the Throne Room Tour, and each time there has been new information from our guides. Our guide this time was K. Thompson and he was amazing. Very engaging, informative and fun! He is a great guide for all ages and even got the kids of the tour engaged and asking questions.
P. s. And he knows Dave from Petaluma… Huge plus!

It’s always been my dream to use the words «stalactite» and «stalagmite» in a Unilocal review without referring to the condition of a restaurant’s meat dish, and with Kartchner Caverns, I can finally make my dream a reality.
About an one hour and fifteen minutes south of Tucson, this limestone cave is notable for its attempt to keep the conditions as pristine as the day they were found decades ago. The dryness of the Arizonan desert is kept out of the caves through a series of locked doors and strategically-​placed misters which spray moisture on visitors as they enter a series of hallways and doors. In fact, we move from dry desert to Floridian conditions in several minutes.
You have your choice of either touring the Throne Room or the Big Room (closed during bat birthing season). While the Throne Room contains one of the worlds longest soda straw stalactite, many of the visitors who had gone on both tours said that the Big Room is by far the more interesting of the two, as we can see the formations close up (ie. Large stalactites hanging several inches over your head like a large spear ready to pierce through the densest of skulls).
The paths — surrounded either side by railing — are clearly laid out for visitors, who are told not to touch anything. We are also not allowed to bring purses, cell phones, or yoga mats — in case those among us wish to commune with the limestone and re-​create the conditions of being back in our mothers’ wombs.
The staff here is meticulous about preserving the sanctity of the cave and return after hours to «clean up» any spots where a wayward child might have left behind. The Big Room tour is so well preserved that kids 7 and younger aren’t even allowed.
The entire Big Room tour is only 0.5 miles in length, but we spent a good 2 hours learning about the fascinating organisms and eco system that exists here. Our volunteer tour guide was a wealth of information, and had an obvious passion for the caves and for keeping up on the latest scientific findings. However, being that their volunteers, I can see how the quality of tours can vary significantly, depending on how knowledgeable the guides are.
The tours are wheelchair accessible (though no walkers allowed) with wide, smooth and paved paths; however, there’s lots of up and down, and the man pushing his wheelchair-​bound wife had to rest several times throughout the tour. There are benches for periodic short rests but no restrooms during the entire 2 hours.
While the caverns are fascinating, younger folks might find the tour to be boring after a while, as there is no opportunity to interact with the different formations found inside the cave. (And they’re not allowed to jump, yell, run around, and muck about the cave). While there is an exhibit displaying more information about the caverns in the waiting area, as well as a theater showing a movie continuously, much of the learning I received was from the tour guide.
The rest of this state park is rather ho-​hum with better vistas to be found in Tucson city proper. There are several moderate hikes throughout the park, and some picnic tables and plenty of parking. But it seemed most were there for the caverns.
Tips –
— Make your reservations for the tours online. Arrive PLENTY EARLY (they recommend one hour prior) as the tours fill up, and I think the staff gives your place away if you’re not there by a certain time.
— There are tours running every quarter hour or every ten minutes, and both tours — Big Room/​Throne Room are in the similar-​ish waiting area. Be careful you don’t end up in the wrong tour, which might have left ahead of you already
— Bathrooms are found outside next to the waiting area. It’s not necessary to use the ones at the entrance of the visitor center.
— Leave the cell phone, Dolly Parton wig, and two pounds of Xmas ham — in the car. There are lockers near the waiting area for you to put your stuff, but you have to pay.

If you happen to be in the Tucson area and have the time the Kartchner Cavern State Park is a great place to spend the afternoon. These caverns were only recently discovered in the 1970s, and are considered active, living caves, and thus highly protected. Entering the cave is a real education, and I must admit it felt a little like the old intro to the show get smart. First you go through a bit of a wind tunnel to remove any pieces of lint that could inadvertently come off your clothing and disrupt the delicate caves system. It is critical not to touch anything while in the cave, for even a tiny piece of lint can set off a chain reaction that could disrupt this cave.
The stalagmites and stalactites are still growing, and so this is a rare opportunity to gain insight into the incredible world of the living cave.
A great day for the family!

What a fun time! My cousin and I went there (bundled up, bringing sweatshirts and sweaters) but we came to find out because of the humidity, we would be fine in jeans and a t-​shirt. We both ate at the café, prior to the tour. The selection at the café is healthy and interesting. We both didn’t realize that our tour would start and the staff their said they would hold our leftovers and strawberry/​rhubarb pie order when we returned.
The caves were amazing and a wonder. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and patient with all of our questions. I don’t want to ruin the cave experience for you, but you have to be ok feeling inclosed and in a cave… they close the vault doors behind you. The tour was a perfect length of time to explore. Make sure you do not touch and I thought it was cute they had us get the «touching bug out of our system» when the tour started on a piece that we all could touch.