Kartchner Caverns State Park

About Kartchner Caverns State Park

Experience a breathtaking limestone cave in southeastern Arizona that boasts first-class features. The limestone formation continues to grow, including icicles - dripping stalactites and giant stalagmites protruding from the ground. Water seeps through the surface and drips down the sides of the limestone formations and into the cave.

Your guide will reveal the fascinating underground landscape during this unforgettable 1-hour tour.

The Discovery Center offers 360-degree views of the cave and surrounding landscape, as well as information about the caves and their history. There is also a museum, a children's playground and an outdoor amphitheater with a variety of activities for children.

Rainwater, which becomes slightly acidic through the absorption of carbon dioxide from air and soil, penetrates the cracks in the soil and slowly dissolves the limestone blocks. The drop in the water table later left a huge air-filled space, some of which fell into the caves. The various decorations of the Cardinal Caves are called the "Cardinal Cave" or "Cave of St. John the Baptist," a reference to Cardinal, the patron saint of Catholics.

Water seeping from the surface dissolves the minerals as it travels through the limestone, and carbon dioxide is trapped. The cave reaches a depth of about 300 meters below the water table and one drop after another begins to form over the next 200,000 years.

Each drop deposits dissolved calcite, a tiny mineral without charge, until it can no longer hold its mineral charge. Over time, the minerals produce a variety of colors that can be found throughout the cave, such as red, green, blue, yellow, orange and yellow. The Cartagena Caverns are one of the largest living caves in the USA and the second largest in North America.

In summer, the colonies eat tons of insects, including flies, flies and ants, as well as birds, reptiles and amphibians. At the end of April, a pregnant female returns to the Kartchner Höhle, where she gives birth to a single cub at the end of June. The baby remains in a dorm while his mother searches the area for insects. In the summer months, some of the largest rooms in the cave are used as breeding grounds for the young of the Cartagena cave colony, such as the dormitories.

Mothers and their offspring start their hibernation and spend the rest of the year in the Kartchner Hohle, in order to spend a long winter in hibernation. Bats are the only link between the cave ecosystem and the surface and are the main food source for many bird species, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

It was not until February 1978 that Tenen Tufts told the owners of the estate, James and Lois Kartchner, of his amazing discovery. After four years of secret exploration, the researchers realized that the extraordinary variety of colors and formations in the cave must be preserved. The existence of this cave only became known in 1988 when the purchase was approved for Arizona State Park.

Exceptional precautions have been taken to preserve the almost unspoilt state of these caves.

The Discovery Center is located at the northeast end of the main parking lot and visitors should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to receiving the ticket to experience all of its activities.

Only 100 tickets are available daily and Tufts Theater plays a 15-minute video presentation every hour. At the reception, guests can buy race tickets, pick up reservations and forget all information about the park. The complex consists of a parking lot, a reception, the Discovery Center and the parking garage. Reservations are recommended and are only possible for a limited number of hours per day, but only for race day.

The souvenir shop offers souvenirs, gifts and practical items to the caves in the southwest that meet the needs of travelers. The amphitheatre can host a variety of events such as concerts, lectures, concerts and other events. The programs highlight aspects of the cave discovery, and the museum contains a large collection of artifacts from the history of the cave as well as artifacts and artifacts from other caves.

The two-lane campsite is located on the main road near the Discovery Center at the southwest end of the park. Campers must arrive by 6 pm before the park closes, campers from 7 pm to 9 pm.

There is a 14-day stay and the fee must be paid daily in advance, but the camping fee is no more than $5 per day or $10 per week for a total of 14 days.

Tickets are valid at the Contact Station at 7 a.m. and permits are issued for each camper, but paying campers can purchase access cards that allow access even after hours. Access tickets can also be requested when purchasing a camp permit and camping permit tickets.

The campsite is designed and designated for simple dry camping and has electricity connection to the site. Non-electric campers are welcome to use this site and owners are entitled to a fee for using the site, but the full fee will be charged for using the site, not for use by the owner.

The place has a table, dinghy and mast, the power supply works like a service with 50 amps and both sides have 20 amps and 110 amps sockets.

There are three wheelchair accessible places, one of which is a transit station and the other two are paved and have designated disabled sites. There are a number of pages that are of different sizes and are from short to short in length from 35 '.

The group car park is located in the northwest corner of the main car park and the toilets have water machines and sinks on the east side. Garbage cans, showers and toilets are located at the upper western end of each campsite.

Each area has a covered Ramada area and group use areas can be reserved for a fee, payable in advance or at the time of reservation, and valid for every day. Covered gas grills with built-in counter and picnic table are optionally available at an additional cost.

Personal cheques are accepted for payment and can only be paid in cash, cash or with a credit or debit card at the entrance to the car park.

There are no reservation fees for use of the car park and the group day area, which is separate and leaves the state. There is no reservation fee for parking or parking in the parking lot for groups of up to 10 people.

The two wheelchair accessible pitches are located in the middle of the square on the west side of the property. Each pitch has a covered picnic table located at the top of each pitch, with a picnic area and two picnic tables on both sides. Seven individual table places are also located on both sides of the two pitches, in front of and behind the barbecue places and in a separate group room. After grilling, clean the grill and throw your waste in the trash can or clean the grill after yourself.

Three uncovered table tops are located in the southeast area of the main parking lot, but only one is accessible from the paved sidewalk. The perimeter of these tables is delimited by a walkable, built-up sidewalk. Three covered dining areas, one in front of each pitch and two on each side, are also located on the west side of both pitches in a separate group room. This dining room overlooks a hummingbird garden with views of the Whetstone Mountains.

In the building, a barrier-free bar area will be set up, where the announcement of the tour dates can be heard.

Hikers should pay particular attention to weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, especially in the summer months. Hats, sunscreen and regular water consumption help prevent exhaustion and heat - that is, injuries.

The Guindani Trail (398), located on the east side of Kartner Caves State Park in the northwest corner of the park, is 4.2 miles long. The first mile is an easy walk, the next 2-3 trails are medium and the last stage is exhausting. To prevent vegetation erosion and personal injury, hikers should use well-maintained paths, as used by the Highway Code and not motorised, as well as well-signposted paths.

The summit on the crest of the Whetstone Mountains is 7000 m high and the vegetation is covered with Chihuahaun (semi-desert grassland), which is infested with Mesquite. The entrance to the Guindani Trail is located on the east side of Kartner Caves State Park in the northwest corner of the park and is marked by a kiosk.

The Foothills Loop Trail is about 2.5 miles long and is classified as medium - difficult. There are no hiking trails where bicycles or motorized vehicles are allowed, but there is an entrance to Kartner Caves State Park and a parking lot on the west side of the park.

Signs along the foothills loop trail inform about the history of the Kartner Caves and the Indians who inhabited the area. The path climbs north of the caves up a limestone hill and leads into a depression, followed by a series of steep, rocky cliffs and then a steep climb back to the entrance. At the lookout point Berg you will reach a lookout point with a view of a large group of caves, a waterfall and a small waterfall on the east side of the Kartner.

This can be seen from the foothills circuit and has a good view of the Kartner Höhlen and the other caves in the park as well as the waterfall.

The Hummingbird Garden Walk is located on the southwest side of the Discovery Center and is lined with a variety of local vegetation.