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Kartchner Caverns State Park

4.5 (322 reviews)
Closed 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

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Visitors center entrance
James C.

This is an absolute visit. There are three tours you can take. The big room is closed Aprilish-Octoberish so make sure it's open if you go. I recommend taking the throne room tour first then the big room. You will not be disappointed. Just know no cameras or phone and/or photography allowed in the caverns. That's why I just have the outside. We gave 90minutes between tours so we could rest a bit and enjoy the visitors center. Definitely good time.

Robert B.

Drive down from Prescott to visit. Im a big cave guy, so I was looking forward to this. This place has an amazing story of how it came to be & the process to become a state park. I was disappointed I couldnt take any pictures... nope, no electronics of any kind allowed inside, but the tour is wonderful. I did the Rotunda room as I read that was the best for first timers. The formations were very interesting & though Ive visited probably 20+ caves & caverns, no two are anything alike. Always a great experience...

Play and climbing area for kids.
Sovanny H.

Pretty cool experience, but you can't take your phone down there. The guide was amazing and my kids loved it. Well preserved . Great stop if you are in the area.

Michael G.

Revisit. We love this place. Amazing natural beauty, excellent docents and staff. This time we took our 6yo grandson. He loved it. He was getting a little antsy at the end, but he got over it. He's a good listener. He would not be allowed in the Big Room since they have an older age limit. Make sure you make online reservations. Restaurant was closed so we went into Benson and dined at the Horseshoe Inn.

Grace S.

We're so lucky to have this amazing place so close to Tucson! Kartchner Caverns is where we take any and all friends and family from out of town. The cave tour is incredible and the rangers are all fantastic. You can take the tour with different rangers and learn something new each and every time. Set aside 1.5 hrs for the tour and make sure not to wear anything you've worn in a previous mine or cave unless it's been thoroughly decontaminated! You can't bring anything with you in the cave, but there are handy & easy to use lockers you can store your stuff in. We also got to go on a bat walk with Ranger Susan and a few others. Susan is a wealth of information about all things bats and it's evident that she loves her job. We also got a chance to meet some volunteers and learn from them. They were brilliant as well. If you have mobility issues, you'll be fine on the walk. It's a short distance but it is a lot of standing so byo seating! Finally, as if a cave tour and bat walk weren't enough, we also got to join the Star Party happening in the parking lot. The dark skies at were magnificent and we were able to see the Milky Way clearly. We just had the best day and we're super grateful for everyone who works and volunteers at Kartchner Caverns.

Belle V.

It was an amazing tour in the cavern. I highly recommend it to everyone! Very educational and interesting. No cameras or phones allowed inside the cavern but they do offer a photography tour once in a while and availability is limited. I suggest you make reservations prior to your visit. They have a small cafe at the Discovery Center called Bat Cave Cafe, and lots of souvenirs to purchase. From the tour, you will learn the history and discovery of the caves. Lots of interesting formations or growth inside the caves. Amazing tour, did not regret it at all! The whole place is very clean, even the campground and hiking trail is well kept.

Krystal H.

I have been wanting to go here and Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico for over 20 years. I finally got to go here and it didn't disappoint. They wouldn't let us take cameras or phones inside so no pictures. You will definitely have to go to see for yourself.

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8 months ago

Boring as hell nothing you can't see driving by. Overpriced for the nothingness. If you like bat poop, that's it.

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Ask the Community - Kartchner Caverns State Park

Is this a hiking tour? I have an elderly dad that I'm wondering if he could make the tour or not.

This cavern does require some walking inside. There is one spot in the beginning that goes down pretty far BUT there's a bench to either rest on or simple sit out and you don't miss the tour.

Does anyone know if they sell ice at the park?

No they do not sell ice at there site.

Are the showers open? We will be there thanksgiving

Yes, they are open holidays, but I would call Kartchner Caverns directly to verify.

Are dogs allowed?

No they are not allowed in the cave/caverns.

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Review Highlights - Kartchner Caverns State Park

I love that this park expresses an understanding that they share this living cave with the bats.

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Cochise Stronghold - Sleepy orange sulphur butterfly

Cochise Stronghold

(5 reviews)

I hike the Cochise Trail ever few years. There's a lot to see here: rock formations, vistas,…read morebirds, insects and rattlesnakes, and is a challenging hike of ten miles. I usually start this from the west side, driving through Tombstone and taking Middlemarch road north of town for nine miles before turning north on a forest road. This road is a dirt road that gets very rutted the last two miles as it follows a dry wash. This wash fills into a creek during active monsoon season, so a high-clearance vehicle is necessary. Unlike the east side, parking and dry camping on the west side is free. The trail climbs immediately for 1.75 miles before hitting the western Stronghold and from here it's a gradual descent to the eastern trailhead and campground. The only source of water is at Halfmoon tank, a cattle pond about halfway up or down the trail, depending on which direction you start this hike. Lots of butterflies were in the area in September. During active monsoon season, the creek will run and the waterfall on the western side is a sight to behold. My hiking party rests here near the restrooms before returning the way we came. There was no water in the campground last month when I last did this hike. Dogs are allowed The only negative thing about this hike is its remoteness and accessibility. From Sierra Vista it's a two-hour drive each way. Add another five miles for the hike and it's a day-long adventure.

Well we came yesterday to get out of town and visit the dragoon hills…read more This campground is officially closed to all but hikers. They say mountain bikes are permitted but we are riders and I think the trails are too narrow. And slots where you can t pedal. I say hike. So no parking, bathrooms or camping or potable water. But you can park outside the gates. A few did, like us. Since we are new to the site, we only went to the water tank. Lots of shade along the way. Caves. Huge Rock formations. Hawks circling above hunting. Butterflies, BlueJays. Lots to see. I m going to go back while the weather is still cool. It is normally Officially Closed July to September due to extreme temps. Great to use your imagination about where the Apache's would have hidden in wait to protect the Stronghold.

Butterfield RV Resort & Observatory

Butterfield RV Resort & Observatory

(55 reviews)

Butterfield was our winter home for 5 years. We loved it there and met and made many friends. When…read morewe got there this year and we met Jeff and Tammy the new managers. They were great for a while, then they cut karaoke, as it was done on a volunteer basis, because of head clashes with activities Director Vickie, then yoga, over excuses. Then if you asked about these activities they wouldn't speak to you. On the website it says you must be fully self contained, but they have been letting people in with converted vans, they were not self contained, dumping pitchers of urine down the drain, throwing the number 2 in the trash, not saying anything for trash being outside for 2 days in a pile, but yet we are the problem They will say that we broke rules, accused of my wife using the pool, though she hasn't been back since we left. They say we keep coming back to harass workcamping staff. None of that is true. The ones who left have been coming for years and have many friends in the park. Friends that have became family. We have lots of friends, some who no longer can get help from me as I got banned. For lies of speeding and using pool. Not true, at our new park we have a pool, why would I speed where many Friends live, why would I jeopardize that. But that was in email. We were told all guest must be approved by management, but they had open invitation to karaoke, at dances they let public come, as well as bingo. They changed the park for the bad. If you disagree with them you are considered hostile. Her favorite line is end of discussion before you get to ask the question. We moved to another park because we couldn't wait until May 7th to see if we were going to be allowed back, all of my docs are in Tuscan, as a disabled combat veteran I need to know I have a place to stay for the winter. They did away with the right of first refusal going away severely hampers patrons quality of life. And creates a lack of guarantee for the park of 6 months worth of income. They have so many work campers right now that it's crazy, they are having people fix and paint picnic tables. For 172 sites that's about 2 weeks work, they have 2-3 people doing maintenance most days, They have trimmed the trees and they look good. I miss being at Butterfield but I can't stay in a park where the manager won't take a few minutes to answer questions, and only hear one side of the story. Like I said they were great when we first got there in October. She will say we are part of a group, we are not part of a group, I do things because I want to not because I am a following someone, I would probably be leading the way. But she won't even open the dialogue with me about the lies that were said about me It seems like once you leave the park they consider you no longer allowed on the property, even if to visit friends. The person they are visiting, gets in trouble as well for rule number 24. I am sure she will respond with things that I have previously stated. What went from a great park to a not so great park I will miss Butterfield and already do. Yes I left under my own accord I am not part of a group I hate great people getting treated badly.

This park is very clean, nicely landscaped, has good hookups and includes amenities including an…read moreobservatory, gym, pool and wood shop. The staff are friendly most of the time. They charge LP fill by the number of gallons put in which is nice. Some parks charge a fixed price. If you are a light sleeper know that the trains go through here 24/7 and blow the horns multiple times. It is no issue for us and the park has no control over this but it's reality. Overall 4 stars though there are some points that they could improve on. 1/2- The website shows only paved sites, most are gravel, and the listed price is incorrect. They should add many pictures of gravel sites and change the pricing. They said the rates went up 1 April and would update the web page though days later it is still showing $50 rather that $60. It takes fifteen minutes to change this. 3- Our spot using auto level has one tire an inch or so off the ground. We tried several orientations. We've seen other coaches with auto level here and some using blocks under the tires to mitigate this. 4- The picnic table needs new boards. It's wobbly due to decay. 5- When using the wireless login there's an explanation that there are two choices; free not suitable for streaming, and a $30 upgrade that is. I'm streaming with the lower speed which I clocked (engineer). They could point to their internet provider but it's their contract.

Kartchner Caverns State Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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