Colossal Cave, Arizona
Wherever there are hills and mountains, there’s a good chance of caves being around as well. Southeastern Arizona has its share. The most recently discovered caverns to open to the public, and the one getting the lion’s share of publicity and attendance, is the very impressive Kartchner Caverns, the centerpiece of Kartchner Caverns State Park on Highway 90 east of Tucson in the Whetstone Mountains, nine miles south of I-10 at Benson. That cave site was discovered in 1974 and dedicated to public use in 1999.
Before Kartchner, or at least before the discovery of Kartchner, there was and is Colossal Cave to garner caver and road travelers’ attention. Colossal Cave is nearer to Tucson, off I-10 at Vail, Exit 279. Go north for about six miles to Colossal Cave Mountain Park; the signs will guide you. Colossal Cave was discovered in 1879 and first opened to the public in 1917 when road travel was much, much thinner than it is today in the burgeoning Tucson area. But it’s still is an interesting, educational stop for travelers along the Interstate.
The cave is an underground wonderland of spectacular views of chambers, stalagmites, stalactites, and all the other expected but unique cave formations. Access to the wondrous displays is safe and easy from a flagstone trail with stairs, guardrails and lighting. Facts, perhaps embellished with a bit of fiction, concerning historic usage of the cave, include prehistoric Indian shelter, bandit hideout, movie set, habitat for exotic wildlife, and tales of train robbery and lost gold, as related by the tour guide, make for an entertaining break for the traveler. The educational side of the visit is found in the La Posta Quemada Ranch Museum in the 2100-acre Rincon Mountain foothills location of the Park.
Oceanfront property in Arizona is not completely the outrageous claim as the George Strait song implies. Colossal Cave is a natural formation in an outcrop of limestone that was deposited in the Paleozoic Geologic Era some 320 Million years ago. About 80 million years before dinosaurs much of North America was swamp. The area that is now our Arizona was covered by the sea, verified by the ancient marine life fossils found in the limestone layers of the Cave.
Colossal Cave was formed by the slow action of water seeping into the rocks and dissolving away part of the limestone. Just when the Cave was formed is not known but some learned authorities declare that it was formed during the Pliocene Epoch one to two million years ago. As it exists today, it is thought to be about 600 feet in length and 380 feet at its widest. Cumulative length of all the various passages is about two miles.
The conveniences and amenities that make the Cave attractive and comfortable for today’s travelers were fashioned in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps project. In 1992 Colossal cave was listed in the national registry of Historic Places.
All caves are uniquely spectacular and in no way is the experience of one comparable to that of another. Both Colossal Cave and Kartchner Caverns in southeastern Arizona are easily assessable off I-10 but the casual passersby may find Colossal more inviting for impromptu stops; Kartchner accommodates limited numbers of in-cave visitors, and by advance reservation unless you happen to be lucky and stop by at a time when last minute tour openings might be available.
Tour reservations are not required at Colossal Cave. Tour prices are $11,00 for adults, under twelve years old $6.00 and under four, free. Use fee to Colossal Cave Mountain Park is five dollars per car. Seasonal hours are 8:00/9:00 to 5:00.
by Jim Woods
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