647-7275, 16721 E. Old Spanish Trail, off I-10 at exit 279, east Tucson. Park Use fee: $5/car. $8.50/adults, $5/children 6–12, under 5 free. Summer 8 a.m.–5 p.m., winter 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Allow 1.5 hours.The first formal tours of this cave were conducted in 1923 and involved ropes and lanterns. Today’s tours offer a much safer and more comfortable peek at this area’s underground geology. Colossal Cave is called “dry” or “dormant,” meaning that, due to a lack of water, it no longer is “growing” crystal formations. Yet the preserved stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone are beautiful to behold. And the temperature inside the cave is always a pleasant 70° Fahrenheit.
520-586-4100, 520-586-2283 (reservations), off AZ Hwy. 90. Reservations strongly recommended. Park entrance fee $5/vehicle; free with tour reservation. Rotunda/Throne Room tour: $18.95/adults, $9.95/children 7–13, children under 6 free, but need a ticket. Big Room tour: $22.95/adults, $12.95/children 7–13, children under 6 prohibited. Park open 7 days/week, 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Tours run 8:20 a.m.–4:20 p.m. Reservations taken from 8 a.m.–5 p.m., each day. Allow at least 3 hours for entire park experience; cave tours last about one hour each. Photos and video equipment prohibited. One of the great natural wonders of the western United States. It’s believed that no human had ever seen this huge living cave prior to its discovery in the 1970s by two Tucson cave enthusiasts. Care has been taken to preserve the pristine conditions within. Remarkable because it is a “wet” or “living” cave, meaning the calcite formations are still growing. See a stunning variety of multicolored cave formations.
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