Kartchner Caverns State Park

Kartchner Caverns State Park, near Benson, Arizona, protects a limestone cave system discovered in 1974 by two local cavers, Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen, who kept its existence secret for 14 years while working with the Kartchner family and the state to develop it without damaging its formations. Because the cave remains nearly sealed and humid, its formations are still actively growing, making it a 'living' cave rather than a dry, dormant one. Its Big Room includes Kubla Khan, one of the largest formations of its type in the country, and that section of the cave closes seasonally to protect a colony of nesting bats. The cave opened to the public in 1999 after a decade of careful development.