Cool Down Inside Pristine Kartchner Caverns in Benson, AZ
Story by Cassie Hepler, photos & video submitted by AZ State Park
Super hard to pronounce but worth the drive South, Kartchner Caverns was a very memorable highlight of exploring Cochise County in Southern Arizona. So much so that it has been on my mind through the sale of my condo, purchase of a house and finally getting settled again in North Phoenix, AZ! The attention to the ecological preservation was amazing to me coming from Pennsylvania where people just jump into caves with no real care for the ecosystem at all. I also recall a family vacation to Arkansas where my brother was allowed to climb all over the cave walls like a spider monkey! This place is locked up tight like a tomb. Visitors were not allowed to bring water, cell phones, cameras or anything that could drop or ruin the cave. Your shoes were inspected and washed off if found to be bringing any invasive dirt inside. It was intense! I wished I could have attended one of their photography tours but alas the timing didn’t work out.
So I stashed my belongings with the rest of the customers and was going with the flow, learning along the way that “in November 1974, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts were exploring the limestone hills at the eastern base of the Whetstone Mountains looking for a cave no one had ever found – until that moment. It was a secret until February 1978 when they told the property owners, James and Lois Kartchner, about their awesome discovery. Since unprotected caves can be seriously damaged by unregulated use, they knew the cave had to be protected. Tenen and Tufts spent several years looking into the possibility of developing the cave themselves. Some members of the Kartchner family lived in Tucson and were very impressed with the development and operation of Catalina State Park by Arizona State Parks. They decided to approach State Parks to see if the agency was interested in acquiring this outstanding resource.” Learn all about this amazing place in the video below.
Once we were properly vetted with information, we jumped on a little open air shuttle bus that delivered us to the first set of doors. These were temperature controlled to allow us in, seal us in and then to the next set of doors. I wasn’t joking about being a babied cavern! We were instructed not to touch the walls either as our natural oils would ruin the pristine cave structure. And it was glorious. Pitch black if the lights were out and just the right amount of uplighting to make this cave pop, it was disorienting if you looked up and by the end no one had a clue which direction we were heading.
This main room where the men discovered the cave stretched farther than the eyes can see. It must have been marvelous and terrifying marching into this muddy cave!
For the RV campers, “the loop at Kartchner offers great Whetstone Mountain views from all of the 60 campsites! Every campsite in the loop has a table, hose bib, and power post for your convenience within a clean, flat space. Campsites are located near trailheads, not far from the cave and discovery center, and within a short walk from clean restrooms and showers. For the cabins, enjoy breathtaking mountain views from one of four west-facing cabins! Each cabin sleeps up to six (one queen sized bed and two sets of bunk beds), has air-conditioning, a table with four chairs, and a mini-fridge. Cabin guests must supply their own linens. The “dry” cabins do not have plumbing, although clean restrooms and showers are located very close.”
Whatever way you decide to explore Kartchner Caverns, it’s a nice temperature drop from the valley and a chance to regain your alignment with nature!
