Rates & Hours
Map & Directions
Park Happenings
Ladder Tours
Please join us in a Tribute to
Joe Maierhauser,
Park Operator
1956-2007.
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| About
Us |
This
site was last updated
July 21, 2010 |
 Welcome
to Colossal Cave Mountain Park Online!
As you browse our website we hope
to show you some of the beauty of our Mountain Park, including
the Cave.
Explore
the different sections of this site to experience the area's
history, meet
some of our abundant wildlife, learn about our
educational resources
and
facilities
, check out our
Special Events
and don't forget the
FAQs
section to
answer some of the most commonly asked questions. If you're
feeling a little batty, take a look at our
Bats and More Bats
page. And, don't forget to tell us
what you think of our website and Park by signing our Guestbook.
Of course,
any time you are in Sunny Southern Arizona, feel free to drop by in person.
The temperature in the Cave is always a cool 70°F.
Check This Out!
Library Outreaches
Employment Opportunities
Sign our Guestbook
Discovery Tour
Facebook
Upcoming Events
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 R.Gruss
900-1450
AD:
The
Hohokam
Indians left
this mortar in the Cave.
Mortars were sometimes used to powder colored clays for pigments
to paint their pottery or to grind herbs and hard-coated seeds.
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The
cave is called "dry" or "dormant" which means
that, due to a lack of water, the formations are not growing
right now.
Colossal
Cave, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, had
been used for centuries by prehistoric peoples when it was "discovered"
in 1879. Since then it has been the object of interest and attention
by people ranging from train robbers to a President of the University
of Arizona. The first tours were taken through the unimproved
Cave in 1923, tours which involved ropes and lanterns.
Thanks
to the Civilian
Conservation Corps,
who constructed the buildings, walkways, and wiring in the mid-1930's,
today's tours are very comfortable. The hand-set flagstone walkways
and handrails are exactly as installed by the CCC. These days,
however, Colossal Cave is wearing new lights and is more breathtakingly
beautiful than ever before. (We're proud to say that the lights
are energy-saving compact fluorescents.)
Learn
more about the history of Colossal Cave Mountain Park with our
Timeline.
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