| Kartchner Caverns State Park | |
|---|---|
 The Big Room of Kartchner Caverns | |
  Location of Kartchner Caverns State Park in Arizona | |
| Location | Arizona, United States |
| Coordinates | 31°50′15″N 110°20′50″W / 31.83750°N 110.34722°W |
| Elevation | 4,734 ft (1,443 m)[1] |
| Established | 1988 |
| Visitors | 136,270 (in 2022)[2] |
| Governing body | Arizona State Parks |
Kartchner Caverns State Park is a state park of Arizona, United States, featuring a show cave with 2.4 miles (3.9 km) of passages.[1] The park is located 9 miles (14 km) south of the town of Benson and west of the north-flowing San Pedro River. Long hidden from view, the caverns were discovered in 1974 by local cavers, assisted by state biologist Erick Campbell who helped in its preservation.
The park encompasses most of a down-dropped block of Palaeozoic rocks on the east flank of the Whetstone Mountains.
The caverns are carved out of limestone and filled with spectacular speleothems which have been growing for 50,000 years or longer, and are still growing. Careful and technical cave state park development and maintenance, initially established by founder Dr. Bruce Randall "Randy" Tufts, geologist, were designed to protect and preserve the cave system throughout the park's development, and for perpetuity.[3]
- ^ a b "Kartchner Caverns State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. February 27, 2001. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
- ^ "Monthly State Parks Visitation Report" (PDF). Arizona Office of Tourism. December 2022.
- ^ Arizona State Parks. "Kartchner Caverns State Park: Science". Retrieved July 12, 2024.