Kartchner Caverns State Park

 March 3-6

Home for the next few nights is Kartchner Caverns State Park. 

We planned several nights at this stop, a chance to really settle and relax, we hoped. Unfortunately Steve developed a dental problem and had to seek out a dentist, on a Friday! It seems none of the dentists work on Friday, however, the Chiricahua Community Health Center came to the rescue. A quick trip to town and he came back to camp with the problem solved. 

While he was in town the pups and I did a bit of exploring on the trail nearest our site. The trails here are really nicely laid out, with the edges defined with stone (to discourage wandering off the trail) and in most places dressed with decomposed granite which makes for smooth walking. I don't know who appreciated that more, me or the dogs. 

Some of the trails have a few informational signs and benches placed at strategic locations, and we found one of those where the trail crossed a small creek. The creek made very picturesque site, but the campground host said the creek is usually dry and only running now due to the recent rain. 

The park visitor center (Discovery Center) features displays and videos with information about the discovery of the cavern, how it was formed, and aftifacts related to the history of the area. It's also where you meet the tram which will take you up to the entrance for your cave tour. There are several tours you can sign up for on the park website. Reservations during peak seasons are recommended as the numbers of visitors that can be handled is limited. Photography in the cavern is not permitted unless you are on one of the tours organized especially for photography. 

A glance at the surrounding hills shows the interesting profile of the many limestone layers, sculpted by erosion. It is spaces within these layers that forms caverns of this type. The Science of the Caverns explains the details of this process. The site also includes information on the bat population, and ongoing research on the cavern rooms. The bats are an important part of this park, and great care is taken not to disturbe the population that calls the caverns home.

There are several loops with RV spaces and a few cabins for rent. Overall the camp sites are quite spacious. There are also several shaded picnic areas around the park for use by campers as well as day-use visitors. 

As our visit is in early spring the trees haven't leafed out yet, and the grass is still dormant, but the variety of plants on display in the Hummingbird Garden Walk around the Discovery Center demonstrate the potential and I know spring and summer are absolutely beautiful here. 

And the sunsets aren't too bad either!

There's a nice overview of the park in this video which is available on the park website.