11/16/2023 0 Comments Colossal cave horseback ridingGetting into the cave requires a shimmy through a narrow entrance. These caves don’t have any official tours, and no parking lot, but there is a sign near the road to point you toward the entrance. Address: 171B Forest Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86001įormed by limestone (like most of Arizona’s caves), this cave system is located about 10 miles from Oracle, Arizona northeast of Tucson.Visiting Lava River Cave is a fantastic addition to any Flagstaff trip. If there’s enough snow, you can even ski in to the Lava River Cave. Located only 30 miles from Flagstaff, the roads can be closed in the winter, so always check conditions beforehand. Turn off your lights at the very end to experience some of the deepest darkness you’ve ever experienced. It is also recommended to bring three sources of light, as it gets pitch black at the end of the cave. The cave is cold year-round, ranging between 35-45 degrees even in summer, so bring a jacket! The rocks tend to be sharp and slippery, so always wear appropriate footwear. The tube was created when the outside and bottom of the flow hardened first, then the lava continued to flow in the middle and eventually emptied. Entrance Fees: None, but cave tours range from $20-$125įormed by a flowing river of lava from one of Flagstaff’s volcanoes about 700,000 years ago, this cave is a mile long and is an easy walk for most skill levels.Address: 16721 E Old Spanish Trail, Vail, AZ 85641.In fact, half of Arizona’s bat species use Colossal Cave as a home or waypoint during migration. Bring a picnic too and enjoy the desert landscape.Īt sunset, thousands of bats take flight out of the caves during certain times of the year. There’s also guided horseback riding on the trails. If caves aren’t your thing but you’re traveling with others who wish to explore the caves, don’t worry! Above ground, there are miles of trails for hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. This tour is definitely not for the weak or claustrophobic! Get ready to get dirty, because this tour will take you through some tight squeezes, pitch-black tunnels, and narrow passageways. The most intense and in-depth (pun intended) tour is the 3.5 hours long wild cave tour. The ladder tour requires a little more physical activity, as you scale ladders down, down, down into the heart of the cave system. The most popular is the classic cave tour, which is family-friendly and doesn’t require any special equipment. There are guided tours available every day for a varying fee, depending on which tour you pick. Used by ancient peoples as shelter and rediscovered by settlers in the late 1800s, the area around the caves was preserved as a park in the 1930s. Southeast of Tuscon is a cave system so vast, it definitely lives up to its name. Entrance Fees: $7 per vehicle, extra for cave tours.There are also hiking trails, camping, wildlife viewing, and cabins to rent at the Kartchner Caverns State Park. One touch from a wayward hand could cause permanent damage to the cave system, so be cautious and respectful as you make your tour! These travertine rock formations are formed over tens of thousands of years and are very fragile. At this visitors center, you can learn about the history of the caves and learn about the processes by which caverns like Kartchner Caverns are formed. The Discovery Center is a great place to visit for those who are claustrophobic and don’t wish to head underground into the caves. Viewing the various travertine rock formations up close gives you an appreciation for geology and the eons of time that it took to form these spindles and towers. The tours take about three hours to complete, but since the caves are at a constant 70 degrees and 100% humidity, you can tour these caves even on the hottest summer day. Visiting the caverns themselves requires a guided tour, reserved in advance.
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