![]() ![]() The 2,400-acre Colossal Cave Mountain Park is now about more than just the caves. Cocktails and campsitesīecause it takes about 1,000 years for a stalactite to add an inch to its length, the Colossal Cave Mountain Park isn’t waiting for geology to take the lead in adding features to the attraction.Ĭolossal has recently expanded its visitor options to include ladder tours to more inaccessible spots intermediate and advanced “wild cave” adventure tours, complete with headlamps and helmets toddler tours, where kids are welcome to squall like fruit bats ghost-hunting night tours and candle tours for the brave and Friday and Saturday happy hour tours with beer, wine and bright pink prickly pear margaritas. Their pickaxes and other tools are preserved along with Native American artifacts in display cases along the tour route. This public service project during the Great Depression sent dozens of young men to live in tents in the desert and construct the cave pathways and visitor center that are still in use. More recent (and more verifiable) human interest stories about the caves include a look at the Civilian Conservation Corps’ role in developing the caves as a tourist attraction in the 1930s. At night are the howling sounds just the wind escaping through small passages, or are they the mournful cry of a railroad bandit on an eternal search for lost loot? Visitors are left to wonder whether there are Wells Fargo mail bags filled with gold coins hidden in one of the side caverns. In ensuing gun battles, some were killed, others caught, but the riches were never recovered. The bandits made off with the loot and were tracked to these caves. One wild but true cave story is how in the 1880s a gang in the area stopped and robbed several cash-rich mail trains. Wild West tales abound about these caves and perhaps provide more entertainment value than historical accuracy. Other campgrounds in the area include Molino Basin, Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Area and Spencer Canyon.Colossal Cave tours highlight not only the natural history of the destination but also the human one. The area also has some pretty cool hiking trails. In addition to the cave tours, you can tour the old ranch house and grounds, as well as go on (horse) trail rides and visit a real life petty zoo. There is also a gift shop and small cafe located at the entrance of the cave. Colossal Cave Tours range from about 1 to 3 hours depending on what you’d like to see and do deep inside the earth. The main attraction at Colossal Cave Mountain Park is the colossal cave! It was discovered in the 1940s by the landowner and soon after he developed the site as a tourist attraction. Colossal Cave Mountain Park Area Recreation ![]() The campground is first-come, first-served. Campsites also have a table, fire ring and grate. Two wheel drive vehicles can make it, but the clearance may be tight in a few spots.Ĭampground amenities include drinking water and vault toilets. The campground road is also a bit rough (rocks and holes). The campground was originally built in the 1930s by the CCC and offers smaller campsites best suited for tents and small trailers/RVs. All campsites are first-come, first-serve. Colossal Cave Mountain Park campground has 38 campsites among the mesquites in a secluded valley about 40 miles from Tucson.
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