Kartchner Caverns State Park
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Address:
Highway 90
(9 miles south of Interstate 10)
Benson, AZ 85602
Phone:
520 586 2283 (Reservations) / 520 586 4100 (Information)
Description:
In 1974, a pair of young cavers discovered a narrow crack in a hillside of the Whetstone Mountains with warm, moist air flowing out of it. The cavers spent several hours crawling into a pristine cavern. They kept their discovering secret for another four years until they told the couple that owned the land. The existence of the caverns remained a secret for another decade until the state bought the land and designated it a state park. Almost immediately, Kartchner became one of the top ten limestone caves in the world. Still pristine, Kartchner is a wet or "live" cave, which means its calcite features are still growing. Two 1.5 hour-long tours are offered daily. Doing at least one is a must-do.
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