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I highly recommend paying a little extra for a guided colossal cave ladder tour. This will allow you to get more in depth and up close to the cave.
Colossal Cave is one of the largest dry caves in north America, and the third largest cave in the world. The cave was formed during the Mississippian Period, over 320 million years ago! Colossal Cave used to be underwater but eventually it dried to become what it is today. It is made up of limestone and has many stalactites (limestone hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmites (limestone coming up from the ground) throughout.
Colossal Cave is approximately 6 stories deep and has 3.5 miles of mapped passageways.
It is now considered a dry or dormant cave. This means that although the cave is still alive, it does not continue to grow. Because of this, it is one of the few caves where you can take pictures inside of it.
Colossal Cave was discovered in 1879 but became legendary when train robbers used it as a hideout after pulling a job.
Colossal Cave is located on a working ranch and also offers horseback riding, camping, hiking and bird watching.
Colossal Cave Mountain Park is about 15 minutes Southeast of Tucson in Vail, Arizona. If you are coming down IH 10, you will see a sign specifying which exit to take. It’s an easy route after that and there is a large entrance sign letting you know you’ve arrived.
If you are military and you are coming from Ft Huachuca, it is about an hour drive along IH 10. If you make it into Tucson, then you have gone too far.
Colossal Cave Mountain park is open seven days a week, from 8 am – 4 pm. They only close two times a year, for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Parking is free to all guest. There is a large parking lot available, although you will still need to walk a bit to get to the gift shop and the meeting place for the tours. It’s not long and it is very pretty, giving you great views of the park and the mountains!
The entry fee to do a Classic Cave Tour is $12 for kids ages 5-12 and $22 for children 13+ and adults. Active military with ID get a discounted ticket price of $20.
However, if you want to do the Colossal Cave Ladder Tour, which I highly recommend, that is going to cost you $50 per person. No special pricing for active military that I am aware of.
The Classic Cave Tour lasts about 45-55 minutes and is good for anyone 5 years or older.
In order to do the Colossal Cave Ladder Tour, you will need to buy your ticket online and set up a reservation. This tour is 1.5 hours long and is recommended for anyone 12 years and older. Children under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult, so make sure you budget for that additional ticket.
You also need to be physically fit as you will be going up and down ladders, squeezing into tight spaces, crawling on your knees, and at times, jumping over open areas.
If you are just doing the Classic Cave Tour, you can wear whatever you are comfortable in just make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes, preferably closed toes. No special equipment is necessary. They will provide you with a lantern.
As for the Colossal Cave Ladder Tour, you will need to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty and clothes that cover most of your body. Long pants and a t-shirt are recommended. If you get cold easily, I would recommend a long sleeve shirt.
Closed-toed shoes and gloves are also required for the Colossal Cave Ladder Tour. Gloves will not be provided so make sure you bring your own, or they have some available for sale at their gift shop. I like these gloves. For shoes, it’s safer if you bring sturdy shoes with good traction like these. I wore Keds, because that’s what I always wear, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I slipped or was scared of slipping while on the tour.
Before the Colossal Cave Ladder Tour begins, you will be briefed on some safety measures and given a helmet and headlamp. This would be a good time to mention any medical conditions you may have.
The temperature inside Colossal Cave is always a cool 70°F so make sure you take that into consideration when picking out what you are going to wear regardless of if you are doing the Classic Tour or the Ladder Tour.
Yes, there is a high likelihood that you will see bats during your visit to Colossal Cave since many live there.
There is also a chance you will encounter other wildlife as this is a large park. That’s why it’s so important to wear closed-toed shoes.
We encountered this little fella before we began our Colossal Cave Ladder tour. Luckily someone else spotted it and said something because I was completely oblivious. And while they are harmless when left alone, it’s best to just stay away completely.
Okay, now that you know everything you need to know about the Colossal Cave, let’s talk more in detail about the Colossal Cave Ladder Tour!
The tour begins by everyone meeting at the gift shop. Groups are small and I really like this because it gives you more time to stop and look around and to ask your tour guide questions.
From there, we went into a room to leave our belongings and get our helmets and headlamps. These are provided as part of your Colossal Cave Ladder Tour. Here our tour guide also explained to us what we were going to be doing, what we would be seeing, and explained safety measures.
You start the Ladder Tour similar to the Classic Tour, by walking down the pathway and seeing the popular. Then you get to a point where you get to go under the roped walkway and this is where you begin the official Colossal Cave Ladder Tour.
I don’t want to spoil this experience by telling you everything, so I want to keep this brief. I think part of the fun of these experiences is being surprised by what comes next.
But I will tell you that like its name, you will be using ladders to go up and down different areas of the cave. Some of these ladders are small and short, while others are longer. Only one person is allowed to be on the stairs at a time, for safety.
There is also a built in buddy system, where you communicate what you will be doing to the person behind you. Such as where to grab hold with your hands and where to place your foot when getting through tight areas.
Our tour guide was great, pointing out unique things in the cave and explaining us the history of how they were formed. I learned a lot more about limestone than I ever thought I would.
Along with being up close to the cave, the tour was also interactive. Our tour guide allowed us to touch the limestone, and even make music with pieces that had become hollow. She also encouraged us to take pictures and pointed out cool picture areas.
If you are wondering how low or high we go in the cave, I’ll let you know now that we do not go down to the sixth level. A lot of this has to do with safety. The employees of Colossal Cave Mountain Park, walk the path often and make sure that it is safe for anyone visiting. They also walk the Ladder Tour to make sure the routes are safe. I don’t believe there are any set paths open to the public to go all the way down.
Honestly, I thought the 90 minute tour went by really fast. Once you cross into the deeper parts of the cave that are not part of the Classic Tour, you start getting into it and focusing more on your surroundings. This helps the time pass by a lot quicker.
I honestly wasn’t ready to go home. I wanted to explore more of the cave! Getting down on my knees, crawling and squeezing through small spaces and going over cracks in the cave made me feel like a real explorer!
I never used to be the outdoorsy, wake up early on a Saturday morning to go climb into a cave type of girl. But since living in Arizona, and realizing all the beautiful nature that is out there, I don’t mind it.
The Colossal Cave Ladder Tour is a great beginner tour for anyone wanting to explore without it being too extranius. Our group was made up of mainly older people and honestly I think some of them did better at climbing up and down the ladders than me!
I also did not come out as dirty as I thought I would, but I still wouldn’t wear my Sunday best for this tour.
All in all, for anyone looking for something fun and unique to do in Tucson, Arizona, I highly recommend making the short drive down to Vail and doing the Colossal Cave Ladder Tour. Or, if you don’t have time, at least do the Classic Cave Tour and see the third largest cave in the world for yourself!
After you are done with your Colossal Cave Ladder Tour, make sure you go get some food at Boca Tacos, you’ve earned it!
XO,
Mayra
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