if you are any where near benson arizona and do not visit kartchner cavers, you will W-I-L-L be making a huge mistake. when i fist saw the price, for the tour, i was a little surprised. kinda high i thought. however, the second we stepped foot into the cavern i realized we may have not paid enough! the amount of thought, work and preservation the original discovers/property owners/state have put into the preservation of this site is unbelievable (be sure to watch the short film in the discovery center prior to the tour). the cavern itself . . . well words can not describe . . . you'll have to experience it for yourself! we stayed in the campground in a 36' with a toad. great layout, beautiful scenery and some shade. very clean. the knowledgeable/courteous staff and the snack bar open for breakfast and lunch were added bonuses. be sure to take the full 2.5mile hike up and around the cavern entrance. the views are stunning! read more

Pros: Park rangers make great tour guides - 1.5 hours of pure humor and educational enlightment. Big Room Tour allows visitors to get up close & personal with the formations and the bat colony's roosting spots. Most protected cave in the USA so prepare to leave your cameras, water bottles, mobile phones, etc. in the car. 50% military discount. Cons: Emergency response system isn't up to par, but you'll get a nice light show if an emergency does happen during your tour. read more

It was a cool place (although 72 humid). If you have never been to a cave, great start. It's no Carlsbad...much more restrictive, no cameras or cell phone, flashlight... read more

This was a very cool thing to do that I had never imagined of doing. It was very well worth it. The tour was awesome and the tour guide was very enthusiastic and answered any question easily. read more

Over priced, far from Tucson, No cameras allowed, no water bottles, we decided to go to the Colossal Cave instead. Was kinda disappointed, never been to a hole in the ground that you are not allowed to take pictures of. read more

Although we went in the middle of August, we had a great experience. We rented a cabin at the park which was clean & comfortable (a/c) however, it's surprisingly cooler in that area. Since it was mid August & mid week, very few campers around. Facilities were clean as well. Wonderful for sky viewing if cloud free, we had full moon & some clouds. We had the first tour of the cavern the next morning. It was comfortable, interesting, educational and a fun experience. Will need to return during winter months as part of caverns are closed during summer months for the bats. What we saw was well worth our time and overnight stay. Congratulations to the Kartchner Caverns & Park workers and volunteers. They have kept this park up well. As AZ residents, we are proud of your hard work. Glad to give this park a 5 star recommendation. It's a treasurer to be seen. read more

We went to Kartchner's Cavern yesterday and it was so beautiful! Kyle and James were both VERY awesome rangers. They are very patient with kids, and very informative. My baby wanted to nurse when we first got in and James took us down to the bench so we could be comfortable. read more

1.12.10 - so far so good. tour reservation agent was kind and quickly made my reservation. i am slightly peeved i have to pay in advance - credit card only - and changes/cancellations are not accepted. this is a state park, not a concert for goodness sake! 1.16.10 - we arrive at 9 am, an hour and 20 minutes early for our 10:20 am tour. the ranger is happy to move our tour of the rotunda/throne room up. i'm relieved. the tour itself is kind of annoying. there's a basic history lesson, a basic science lesson and basic geology lesson. it seemed somewhat "dumbed down" - perfect for school groups, but there were 14 adults and one 8 year old on this tour. i would have enjoyed more of an unrehearsed setting. our guide told us that photography is not allowed because people were dropping cameras over the railings onto/near the formations. really people?! the rotunda and throne room were breathtaking. the formations are absolutely beautiful and seeing it was a good use of an hour and 15 minutes. if the place wasn't so beautiful, i would have been extremely angry that i had to tolerate the tour. the "grand finale" was a bit hokey for us. i really would have preferred to do a self guided walk through the cave, but i understand that this place is so fragile that really isn't an option. overall, i'm glad i went, but the experience could have been improved. read more

Great place to take a day trip, amazing caves and lots of fun and interesting information. Educational and adventurous, it's well worth the drive to visit. I've been twice and taken both tours and they are both well worth your time. If you're lucky, like I was this past weekend there will be a meet up of some sort and the lot will be filled with lots of expensive cars to ogle at. Happened upon and Audi meet-up and saw several models (S8/R8) well over 100k! All the staff are friendly and knowledgable and there is a nice gift shop to top off your visit. Just keep in mind that you won't be allowed to take any cameras, cell phones, or flashlights into the caves so lock them up before you head in. Check the website for specifics but a great place to visit anytime you can make it. read more

This place is very awesome. The above ground scenery is amazing and the below ground scenery is even more amazing. The cave is very handy cap accessible which I thought was impressive and the tour guides we had were VERY knowledgeable about everything. One of them helped make the cave paths and the other is a cave explorer in his free time. read more

Beautiful caverns, we saw the Rotunda Room and that was very unique to see. The Big Room was closed for the season, but I look forward to seeing it in the spring. Nice and humid down there, you don't need a jacket or sweater. Formations are beautiful and so glad they are there for all of us to enjoy. read more

We make this 3 hour drive from Scottsdale and back and it was worth every minute. An experience unlike any other we have had. We saw both rooms and either one would be worth the trip but if you only had to choose one we would choose the rotunda/throne room tour. I applaud them for being so anal about touching things, taking pictures, and what you can wear because it is protecting this incredible treasure. Everyone, especially Arizonans should do this at least once in their lives. read more

Nice area. Amazing view. Cute little gift shop with lots of neat things. Very educational went with my in laws and i am very excited to use there rv sites. read more

What a cool place. I really had no idea what to expect. My mom found it while researching things to do on our vacation. It was quiet a drive, but I am honesty glad we did it. My only complain is that I would have loved to take pics. You are not allowed to bring cameras in. I guess at times a rude tourist would shine their flash in the guides eyes and blind them, at least that is what they told us. My suggestion is to have a photography tour like some areas. It is a paid tour, but your have to have a dslr camera and tri pod. It was painful to see such an amazing place and not be able take pictures .. However, that being said, it was incredible and I highly recommend going. read more

I went there with my Mom who is 72 and she was able to make the slightly more than an hour trek with no problem. I had been to the Throne Room side but not the Big Room side before. The tour guides were very knowledgeable about the formations and cave life and easily answered all our questions. It is an awesome adventure and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun way to spend the day. read more

A very family friendly tour of the Caverns. We drove down from Phoenix for the day, ate dinner in Tombstone after. Well worth the trip. A perfect day trip. read more

Kartchner Caverns State Park - Watch out for snakes - Parks Near Me - Benson, Arizona

The Cave was OK (if this is not your first cave). I would probably have much better experience and memories if I could enjoy it in silence instead EVERYTHING was ruined by the tour guide Rachel... Possibly useful or interesting info was overpowered by the bla bla "unique miracle" talk, shallow jokes, threats "if you will... SO I WILL...", self-important and arrogant attitude. What a waste and disappointment in the place where you can not even take photos !? You can take pictures in Louvre! (not mentioning over caverns all over the world) :-D Never again... read more

Excellent a must see. It's so cool how they took the time to preserve the beauty of nature and not make it all about money. It was mother nature at her best read more

Would be 5 stars if the tour guide chuck wasn't so boring....worth the price, and remember that you can not bring Anything! In the caverns! No cameras, food, cell phones, and purses! Oh and no touching. Which sucks because the formations are awesome. Enjoy read more

This was amazing!! It's a little over two hours from Chandler. The Rotunda room was amazing. The volunteer tour guide was very knowledgable and fun. The only bummer was there is no photography allowed. The Big Room is only open a few months of the year due to the bats taking up residence but plan to come back to tour that! read more

It's 23 dollars for about 45 minutes underground. Not worth that type of money! It was interesting and the 15 minute movie before the tour was cool. Our tour guide talked so much we didn't even really get to observe and really look in the cavern. Gift shop was pretty overpriced and so was the cafe. Also- this place is not kid friendly- there were 2 little boys on the tour with us and as kids do they were wanting to touch everything. The tour guide was not having that- eventually their mom made them out their hands in their pockets which isn't fun when you are a kid. Go at your own risk. read more

Totally worth the money. Beautiful cave and different from others we've been to. Beautiful formations and very comfortable. Loved it!

Went on the throne room tour and it was amazing. Such beautiful things to see. Guide was great with a wealth of information. They go to extraordinary measures to make sure everything is kept as pristine as possible for future generations. I really appreciate this, but wish I could have taken some pictures. It was well worth the visit! read more

It was a beautiful place to go on a hike, loved walking in the morning but would not go back because of the rude workers. Yelled at the hikers for being on the bridge when there was no signs and the trails led to the bridge. The tour guide did not have to be rude he could of simply asked us off considering it was our first time going. read more

Kartchner Caverns is one of the better tourist caves, but I have seen more decorated tourist caves, such as Caverns of Sonora. I was expecting much more and was a little dissappointed at what was actually there. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely pretty and had lots of draperies, cave coral, stalactites, stalagmites, helectites and even some sheilds which are pretty rare, but it didn't live up to it's billing and it seems they went a little overboard in their protective measures. It was a nice trip and worth the time it takes to get to it. It is a little pricey for a cave tour. The cave guides are great, full of knowledge about how the caves formed and the geological and chemical processes that create the cave formations, they even have some funny stories and jokes to keep you entertained. We took the Discovery Tour of the Big Room and will be back to check out the Rotunda Room tour. Maybe it's more heavily decorated in that part of the cave? Don't expect to be able to take pictures, cameras are off limits as well as your own personal flashlights. The guide cited safety concerns, but I don't buy it, seems more likely they want to sell postcards. There is a small snack bar there with hot and cold sandwiches, sodas, coffee and water, so you can plan to take one tour in the morning and another in the afternoon with a lunch break in between if you want. Have fun, enjoy the tour, but don't expect Caverns of Sonora... read more

Kartchner Caverns State Park - Parks Near Me - Benson, Arizona

Amazing tour!! I went twice about 10 years ago and had to take my nature-loving boyfriend here. We live in Tucson and went for a day-trip out to Karchner & Bisbee, and we decided to go back for a the other tour only a few weeks later! We still debate to this day which tour we liked more -- they were both unique, both worth going on, but ideally on different days. I bet it would be overwhelming to do both in one day... read more

So beautiful! Hard to describe the formations and the depth of the caverns. If you have a day off, it's worth the trip. It's also best to get tickets ahead of time. read more

This place is just awesome...wish we could take pictures but I understand that there are rules. The place is just so beautiful it is not describable without just stopping by and checking it out yourself. I feel very lucky to have seen the large rooms/caves and to learn so much about it. It was so weird to see that it was desert on the surface and super wet and humid down below. read more

Amazing! They are beautiful and well worth the trip. Our tour guide was interesting, full of good information, and worth the price of admission. It is clear that they are really trying to preserve the park for future generations, which is not always the case with other parks. read more

Absolutely amazing facility and tour. A must see in Arizona.

This is well worth the trip out to Benson AZ to see. Definitely should be on anybody's itinerary.

If you are in Tucson, you have to go here. We went on a really lovely guided tour. Our guide was really knowledgeable. It's an amazing space. We didn't have time to watch the video beforehand, but I think it was better that way-this way the space was a surprise. read more

Fantastic, well-worth the price. Pristine and well cared for. Very beautiful and it's a wet-cavern-- much more interested than a dry one. The museum and gift shop were well developed and reasonably-priced. read more

Amazing park with amazing tour guide. Nature at its finest. Make sure to come early because it does get a little hot and humid in the park. We did the big room and oh boy there was so much to see. Make sure you don't touch anything. read more

Fun site to go to the the Tucson area. The care the state takes to keep this site in pristine condition is amazing. The ranger who gave us a tour was very informative and nice. read more

Cool cavern with lots to see..Just a warning do not touch anything in there.

The caverns didn't disappoint. The problem today was the tour guide. Today was my 7th time seeing the caverns and based on any of my previous 6 visits, I would give the experience a 5 star. However, today the tour guide (Ben) seemed to be in a hurry to get the tour over with. Several times he mentioned he was on a tight schedule. My son attempted to ask several questions, but he was told "Hang on just a minute" only to never be given the chance to ask his question. There were others in the group who also seemed to want to either comment or ask a question, but during the cave tour they were not permitted to do so. (Spoiler alert) During the big finally light show, he was observed pacing around on the guided path, seemingly anxious to get out of there. As soon as the finally was completed, we were quickly asked to stand and follow him to exit the cave. On the positive side I will say he was knowledgeable. He did say our tour was his last of the day and he would be happy to entertain questions back at the main building. For me, questions on such a tour are inspired in the moment when viewing the grandeur of the cave. Either the powers that be are trying to get more people through or Ben was on a mission to complete Kartchner Cavern's quickest tour on record. Either way, the experience was not a pleasant one. read more

Well worth the time what a masterpiece the tour guide was also excellent if you go during spring break I suggest you call ahead

Well worth the trip from phoenix. We spent the morning at the caverns and it was amazing. The tour guides were very helpful and patient with everyone. We then went to Bisbee and Tombstone for a a fun filled day. read more

We had two terrific tours- one during the day and the second a headlamp only tour. Both were terrific and the caves themselves are awesome. I found the rangers personable and knowledgeable. The caves themselves are amazing, and if anything I felt it was a little too safe. It was certainly worth the drive from Tucson. Be aware that this is not Disneyland or a hands on exploratorium. I would not have liked to take my children when they were young (less than 8). All in all a great day. Only down note is the Bat Cave Cafe. Staff was friendly and the food was blah. Taco Bell at the intersection of 10 and 90 would have been a better choice. Hiked in the park on the Foothill Trail loop. Lots of great views, many switchbacks no much wildlife. Took us about 1 hour 10 minutes for the total trial about 3 miles. It would be tough hike in the summer. read more