240 steps – each way, up and down – was quite a strenuous trip to reach the top! When Sinagua people inhabited the cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon 800 years ago, they must have been part mountain goat – and they didn’t have paved steps and paths! Although I consider myself fairly physically fit, the altitude, 7,000 feet, coupled with the demanding climb of 185 feet, I reached the visitor center panting with my heart pounding.

So, was the climb worth it? Absolutely! The information about Walnut Canyon said that we would see 25 cliff dwellings. Although I didn’t count, it amazed me to see the cliff homes. How the Sinagua (Spanish – “without water”) made homes out of the overhangs formed by the elements showed their ingenuity. They added side and outer walls, creating a place where they stored the water and food they needed. Fires created dark, ashy residue on the upper walls.

Cliff dwellings from a distance

Cliff dwellings - ancient condos?

We could walk right up to the dwellings and see where whole families lived. As we walked the almost one mile loop (at the base of the 240 steps), we saw displays explaining plant life and details of how the Sinagua lived. We joked about how since one side of the loop was sunny and the other shady, maybe the ancients headed to the sunny side as a migration for better climate. Not too different from the modern Arizona snowbirds, we thought.

Cliff dwelling up close - note the fire residue

At the visitor center, there is a stairway leading down to the Loop Trail. The Park’s Ranger gives a non-intrusive glance as people head outside. One hour before the park closes, people are not allowed to begin the loop trail.

Note: They say it takes one hour to complete the Loop Trail. We arrived back at the visitor center at 56 minutes (we took lots of photos and paused to read the displays, too), panting and wobbly. Blame it on the altitude!

In addition to the Loop Trail, there is a Rim Trail. It is, according to the National Park’s Web site, “fairly level” and “easy.” At only .7 miles, paved and accessible in the first section, the Rim Trail had a lot of visitors. It provides views of two canyons, a pit house and pueblo. Thirty minutes before closing the trail is closed to new visitors.

The one sad commentary about the cliff dwellings was one display that explained how visitors used to loot the abandoned cliff dwellings (vacated 800 years ago, archaeologists think, due to drought). One account contained a list of items that had been taken – quite a catalog of how the ancients had lived -
“cornstalks, corn cobs, beans, gourds, nuts, reeds, arrows, bowstrings, coarse cloth, a child’s sandal, measuring stick with notches, bone needles, fish line, soapwood needles, broken pottery” and more.

The Sinagua cultivated crops, hunted, sewed, fished and created pottery. More modern inhabitants of the area had no sensitivity to the value of the archaeological finds. When President Teddy Roosevelt came to the rescue and put Walnut Canyon under the protection of the national government in 1915, people could no longer loot and vandalize with impunity. Bravo, Teddy!

Visitor Center Hours

Park entrance road, trails, and Visitor Center are open all year, except December 25.

Hours:
November – April 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST
May – October 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM MST
Entry to park trails closes 1 hour before the monument closes.

Take Interstate 40 for 10 miles east from Flagstaff and take exit 240. Then travel 3 miles to the park entrance. Admission is $5 per person.

http://www.nps.gov/waca

A sense of wonder is truly important when exploring the natural world. When you visit Kartchner Caverns, you will be amazed at how nature performs.  A drive south of Tucson, Arizona leads you to an eye-opening display where colors and formations dazzle you underground.

Kartchner Caverns entrance

Over millions of years, the stalactites and stalagmites built up by the steady dripping of water with calcite deposits (remains from prehistoric times) develops into the intricate and gorgeous formations.  The colors and variations are due to water, wind, terrain, humidity and the earth’s shifting.

Taking a tour of Kartchner Caverns (tours are required and there is a fee), provides the opportunity to see these formations with a knowledgeable guide from the Arizona Parks Department or a well-trained volunteer.

Kartchner Caverns - Flowstone and Stalactites -© Arizona State Parks

Taking a tour

During the spring and summer, only the Rotunda Room tour is available because other inhabitants (bats!) are living in the Throne Room.  However, the Rotunda Tour is still very satisfying, a 1 ½ hour trip below ground that is very organized and regimented, but extremely informative. 

Before the tour, prepare to place any possessions in a locker or leave them in your vehicle. That includes cameras, cell phones, water bottles, handbags and other equipment.  Lockers are provided that require four quarters.  Be prepared.  They are very strict about this.  Technically, cell phones are not allowed, either. (You won’t get a signal, so just as well to leave it in the locker).

At a gathering place outside of the very modern visitors’ center, twenty or so people start each tour with a tour guide to explain the rules –

1.    Don’t touch any of the formations! 

2.    Put your hand on the rail and step back a step!

3.    Don’t touch! (That was repeated – often.)

Then, a tram ride led everyone to the entrance area to the caves.  Mustered inside, we were alerted to the fact that we would be sprayed so we did not bring lint into the cave, which affects the formations.

The gigantic rooms of the cavern have winding pathways, constructed to prevent damage in the rest of the caves.  They follow the original explorers’ paths. (More on the cave discovery later.)

Kartchner Stalactites and other formations - © Arizona State Parks

A living cave

Kartchner is a “living” cave in that it is still growing.  Inexorably, drop-by-drop, formations still have water dripping to develop more and bigger formations.

The tour guide details how even one touch from a finger puts oils on the surface of the formation, causing a deviation in the track of the water.  Scrupulous efforts are made to remove any evidence of man’s visits so the water can do its wonders.

Formations

Flowstone, walls of living crystal, is gorgeous evidence of eons of water seepage.  The tour guide points out a formation where you can see the crystals, but, mostly, the surfaces look smooth.

“Soda straw” formations are very thin, hollow formations that start from the ceiling and drip down to the floor.  There is one that is 21 feet long!

Stalactites suspend from the ceiling (“C” – ceiling).

Stalagmites come up from the ground (“G” – ground).

Bacon – it really looks like bacon!

Drapery – there is a curve that makes the formation look like an elegant drapery.

We were challenged to come back when one soda straw met its ground connection.  Based on the miniscule growth per year, I figured that we’d need to return in 72,000 years! If we could also find the Fountain of Youth on the premises, I’d be glad to make that reunion!

Kartchner - "Soda straws" - © Arizona State Parks

Finding the Caverns

An intrepid caver, Randy Tufts and another caver first found evidence of the cave in 1967.  Tufts returned with Gary Tenen in 1974 and began exploration.  The caverns they found after negotiating a 200-foot tunnel stunned them. 

Bringing their discovery to the lands’ owners, they worked to keep the discovery secret so it wouldn’t be destroyed by inconsiderate visitors. The owners decided the best thing to do would be to sell the land to the State, so they could protect it.

That whole process was kept as secret as a massive purchase and law could be to prevent the vandalism they had found in the entrance to the caves.

Finally, after many years, the caves were readied as a state park and opened to the public in 1999.

Traveling to the Caverns

The roads lead easily from the Tucson, Arizona area.  Reservations ahead of time are strongly recommended.  Until early September there is a discount on tickets.

The tours leave every twenty minutes or so and are small groups.

A small theater offers an informational film that provides background on the cave and its discovery. 

If you are not afraid of being below ground – it is big and expansive, not a tight, small cave – this travel experience is highly recommended.  It is one of the top 10 caves in the world for its views and formations. (Some of the top 10 are not even open to the public.)

azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/

Colossal Cave entrance

Colossal Cave, a dormant cave whose stalactites and stalagmites have served as refuge and hideout for centuries, beckons you to share its winding paths through a below ground fantasy-land. A fifty-minute tour provides a chance to see where bandits and ancient Indians lived. Natural forces have provided visual layers. Paths were developed by the “cavemen” of the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps.

Stalactites in Colossal Cave

A tour guide helps you find the way and points out artifacts that can be traced to the 1400s and geological formations that were formed over eons. The only occasional residents who share the caves are bats, which are present during some portions of the year.

From the vantage point of the patio outside the cave, the vista is scenic and great for photography. Once you get underground, the photography can be problematic, since the tours keep moving and the lighting is dim.

Adjacent to the Colossal Cave Mountain Park is the La Posta Quemada Ranch, where picnic grounds, a petting zoo, horseback rides, a butterfly garden, a small museum and a gift shop offer a pleasant place to picnic and wander after a cave exploration.

How to get there: In Arizona south of Tucson, travel on I10 to exit 279 (Vail), and north for seven miles to Colossal Cave Mountain Park.

Fees: Park entrance fee is $5 per vehicle. The guided cave tour is $8.50 for adults and $5 for children. Free for the under-5 set. No reservations are necessary. You might wait a bit until the next tour leaves.

The Ranch charges for trail rides ($27-47) for 1-2 hours.

Notes: Wear sturdy shoes for the cave tour, since some of the steps in the paths can be narrow. The cave is not handicapped accessible. Allow several hours, especially if visiting the ranch and picnicking.

See http://www.colossalcave.com/visit.html for more information.