Camping at most Arizona State Parks is on a first-come first-served basis, including Kartchner Caverns in the southern part of the state. If you’re not the type of person that likes to plan a trip without knowing you have a campsite reserved, don’t rule out a visit to Kartchner Caverns. Instead, stay at Roper State Park and take a day trip to Kartchner (Roper State Park is a little over an hour’s drive from Kartchner Caverns and is one of the two state parks in Arizona that accepts advanced reservations. Call 928.428.6760 for reservation inquires at Roper).

Kartcher Caverns State Park is located 9 miles from Benson, Arizona and 160 miles from Phoenix.

The crown jewel of Kartchner Caverns State Park is the Caverns. They were discovered in 1974 by two cavers who didn’t tell the property owners of their discovery until 4 years later during which time they secretly explored the cave discovering its amazing variety of colors and formations. During those four years the cavers realized what they discovered needed to be preserved so they approached the property owners to tell them of their amazing discovery.

The majority of the world found out about the existence of the caverns in 1988 when the purchase of the property was approved as a state park. It officially opened as a state park in November of 1999.

It is estimated that the formation of the caverns began 330 million years ago when a shallow inland sea covered the area. It’s rich in history with more being discovered as continued exploration takes place. Palentologists have discovered the skeletons of an 86,000 year old Shasta ground sloth in the caverns, a 34,000 year old horse, and an 11,000 year old bear.

The average year round temperature inside the caverns is 68 degrees Fahrenheit with 98% humidity so take a light sweater or sweatshirt along when you take a tour. Advanced reservations for touring the caverns are highly recommended. People from around the world travel to see the caverns (it has the distinction of being one of the top 10 caverns in the world) and only 100 walk up passes are available each morning. Everything else is by reservations which can be made by calling 520.586.2283 from 8 am to 5 pm daily MST except during state holidays (including Christmas Day) or by using the online reservation system

There are two different tours available:
-Rotunda/Throne Room Tour which is 1/2 mile in length; is about 1 1/2 hours long with tours available year round. Cost of the tour is $18.95 for ages 14 and up, $9.95 for ages 7-13, and free for children 6 and younger.

-Big Room Tour which is 1/2 mile and about 1 1/2 hours long. Tours of the Big Room are only done from October 15 to April 15 (it’s closed the rest of the year to allow the cave to rest and rejuvenate and so the cave myotis bats can roost) and it is more challenging than the Rotunda/Throne Room Tour; therefore, children 6 and under are not allowed to take it. The cost is $22.95 for ages 14 and up; and $12.95 for ages 7-13.

The park itself is open 7 days a week from 7:30 am to 6 pm MST and is closed Christmas Day. Campers need to arrive by 5:30 pm. Park gates close at 6 pm and reopen in the morning at 7 am.

The 62 first come first served campsites at the park have electric hookups with water, a dump station, restrooms, showers, and flush toilets available.

In addition to guided cave tours, the park features a Discovery Center, interactive displays, a theater with a video program, a gift shop, telephones, vending machines, and an amphitheater.

There are hiking and walking trails inside the park. The Guindani Trail is 4.2 miles long, is easy for the first mile, then moderate for the next 2/3rds of the trail, then strenuous for the last section. There is also the Foothills Loop Trail which is 2.5 miles long with a moderate to difficult rating. For a more leisurely walk, there is the Hummingbird Garden Walk on the southwest side of the Discovery Center. The walkway is lined with a variety of local vegetation.

Entrance to the park is $5 per car or free with a tour reservation. Camping is $22 per night.

The elevation at the park is 4,600 feet.

For more information about Kartchner Caverns visit the park’s website by clicking here.

My first trip to Kartchner Caverns

Camping Across the Country

By Jerry

Not long ago, my son and I went on a father and son campout on the other side of the state. Even though he was active in the Boy Scouts and we camped often with his troop, from time to time we took one of these “boys only” family camp outs just to try out our camping skills and hang out together for a couple of days.

On the second night of the camp out, all was going well and we were preparing our camp fire to cook some foil packs for dinner. As often happened, another camper hiked by and we exchanged greetings in a friendly way. He asked to stop and enjoy the fire for a moment and we agreed to the visit. But the story he told us of his adventures was one that peaked our imaginations for years to come. It seems he lived in the Seattle area and had recently landed a great job in Florida. So he had decided that instead of flying to the new job site, he would camp from coast to coast and use that method of discovering America and along the way experience some of the country’s great camp sites.

To be sure to attempt a coast to coast camping odyssey would take a very well prepared and experienced camper. Our family has camped for as long as a week so we know that to accomplish a feat of this magnitude would take some good preparation and ability to camp in all kinds of different situations and environments. But thinking of what our friend experienced as he camped across the country makes such a venture alluring to be sure. Because in his trek from Washington to Florida he would be able to…

• Camp on the beach of the Pacific ocean and experience its majesty and power.
• Camp in the mountains of the Grand Tetons and the phenomenal mountain expanses that fill the middle of the country from Colorado to Idaho.
• Camp at the Great Salt Lake, a truly amazing natural wonder.
• Camp near the phenomenal Mount Rushmore memorial and spend some time admiring that work of art before moving on.
• Camp on the banks of the Colorado river and perhaps enjoy some white water rafting as a diversion during his journey.
• Camp in the flat lands of Kansas or western New Mexico and see lands that seem to stretch on forever.
• Camp on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico adding yet another ocean to his list of wonders he had visited.
• Camp near the swamps of Louisiana and become a Cajun for a few days.
• Camp in the mountains of the great southwest and compare them to those he had experienced in the middle of the country.
• Camp on the shores of the Atlantic ocean, becoming a citizen of all shores.
• Camp on the tip of Florida and look out on the warm waters that would take his imagination to further camping adventures in South America or beyond.

You can see how easy it would be to get carried away imagining the sheer adventure and fun such an extended camping odyssey would afford an intrepid camper. We as Americans always have had a bit of the wanderlust in us and that love of travel and getting up close and personal with nature in many different environments never ceases to call to all of us.

Its hard to imagine the preparation and lifestyle issues you would face when setting out on such an ambitious camping adventure. Perhaps our friend had taken shorter but still ambitious camping ventures across certain segments of the country so he could be ready to take on such a challenge. For our family, just camping in a few camp sites across the state in one trip is a broadening experience. While we are always glad for the many experiences we have had on such journeys, our goals are clearly modest compared to the concept of packing every night on a continuous journey across America.

You can tell that to this day, my son and I have dreamed of being able to pull off a camping adventure of this magnitude. I suspect if you are a camper and have a love of the outdoor life as thousands in our society do, such a large scale camping exploration has a real appeal to you as well.

Who knows, my son and I may continue to dream of such an outing and never get to the point that we are ready to tackle such a feat. But if we do, and we are out there enjoying every mile of our journey to discover America, maybe we will find you setting camp and enjoying a nice camp fire. If we do, can we sit and warm by your fire and share our adventures for a while?

Florida is one those states in the United States that is a very popular winter travel destination and is an especially popular place for “snowbirders” from the colder northern states to “roost” for the winter months. That makes it a good time to order the Free Official Florida Vacation Guide.

In addition to information on popular hotspots like the Walt Disney World Resort, SeaWorld Adventure Park, Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, the Everglades, and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the visitor’s guide has:

- a great article on the best beaches in Florida (St. Pete Beach in Shell Key is considered the best beach in Florida for birding; the beaches of South Walton has the finest, whitest sand; and Fort DeSoto Park has the best beach for dogs)

- a guide to the state’s water parks the whole family can have fun at (Florida has more water parks than any other state)

- a guide to the Great Florida Birding Trail

- a golfing guide (golfing itself is lots of fun but doing it with spectacular views of the waterfront is even better)

-information about Florida’s island (you can camp at Cayo Costa State Park on one of the state’s barrier islands)