Colossal Cave Mountain Park - An Enjoyable Tucson Tourist Attraction

Colossal Cave Mountain Park is just the place to go if you want to enjoy some of Southern Arizona’s natural beauty or if you want to spend quality time with your family! Abundant in wildlife, Colossal Cave Mountain Park is a natural sanctuary to hundreds of species of birds, reptiles, mammals and infinite butterflies, beetles, moths and numerous other invertebrates! Some of the mammals that can be spotted in the park include Pack Rats, Spotted Skunks, Ringtails, Foxes, Bobcats, Raccoons, and Mountain Lions and of course, bats…hundreds of bats!

One of the reasons Colossal Cave Mountain Park is so popular with everyone is because of its remarkable diversity in such a small area. The reason for such variety in flora-fauna and wildlife can be attributed to the Park’s location. Situated in the Sonoran-Chihuahuan transition zone[/tag], the park has a large number of desert species that can’t be found anywhere else in the entire Tucson valley.

Fortunately for us, the Park is riding high along a path that has been witness to transitions of time from ancient to contemporary with respect to plants and wildlife. Over the centuries, flora and fauna population have migrated in response to the multi-layered changes in the climate, further enriching the flora of the Park.

According to the official website of the Colossal Cave Mountain Park, today the park’s plant list accounts for almost one thousand species of wildflowers, trees, shrubs, cacti and the famous desert spring blooms!

Exploring the Colossal Cave Mountain Park

The Cave Tour - The Park authorities organize a tour of Colossal Cave for all visitors. The details regarding the time and the entry fee are mentioned at the end of this entry. This tour is about half a mile long and takes almost an hour to complete. A guide relates the history, geology, and legends of the Cave as visitors walk through this six and a half storied high cave. The beautiful natural formations of stalagmites, stalactites, helictities, flowstone, and boxwork are visually stunning and photograph great. The temperature inside the Cave is always around 70 degrees and the air is dry. (Note: Visitors are allowed to take pictures inside the cave)

The Discovery Tour - Due to the enormous scope of the Park it’s virtually impossible to see it within a single visit. Keeping this in mind, the Park authorities have designed a Discovery Tour “game”for the visitors. While on this game-tour, visitors to this Park will be able to not only see almost the entire Park, but upon completion of this game, end up winning a Treasure! All that needs to be done is take the Discovery Tour Park map and find the many stations in the park. There are a total of 18 stations that need to be found and punched; after having done this the visitors can take the map to the Gift Shops or the Toll Booth to claim their treasure. Certainly a simple, easy, yet adventurous way to win some exciting prizes. The maps can be collected from the Toll Booth, the Bat Pot Gift Shop, the Trail Rides office and the Doubletree Gift Shop at the Ranch.

Trail Rides - These rides allow visitors to explore the park at a more leisurely pace. These ride start from la Posta Quemada Ranch (the oldest ranch) in the Park and follow the National Mail Stagecoach route taking one along spectacular and the almost surreally perfect Sonoran desert. You can also catch the Official State Bird of Arizona - Cactus Wren - while taking this ride.

Park Timing

Summer (March 16 - September 15)

• Mondays through Saturdays: 8am-6pm
• Sundays and Holidays: 8am-7pm

Winter (September 16 - March 15)

• Mondays through Saturdays: 9am-5pm
• Sundays and Holidays: 9am-6pm

Guided Cave Tour Rates (No reservations required)

Adults: $8.50

Children (6 to 12 years): $5.00

Children (5 & under): Free

Credit to saguarostrength for the great photos!

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