Kartchner Caverns State Park

Take a guided tour through a living limestone cave with a 21-foot soda straw stalactite and Arizona's tallest column.

Discovery Center, State Route 90 · Benson, AZ

About Kartchner Caverns State Park

Two cavers found Kartchner Caverns in the Whetstone Mountains in November 1974 and kept it secret until 1978; the state bought it as a park in 1988. Guided tours are the only way in. The Rotunda/Throne tour covers half a mile in 1.5 hours and passes Kubla Khan, a 58-foot column, and a soda straw stalactite 21 feet 3 inches long. The Big Room tour runs only from October 15 to April 15. Tours cost $30 for adults 14 and over, photos are not allowed inside, and you should arrive 30 minutes before your tour time.

#cave tour
#state park
#stalactites
#geology
#dark sky

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Kartchner Caverns State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

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A small Cochise County railroad town serving as the gateway to Kartchner Caverns, with a visitor center in a replica train depot.
Transit: reachable by public transit
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Sightseeing
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