8 Caves to Explore in Arizona

The Cave of the Bells is located in Sawmill Canyon at the end of a four-wheel drive road on the eastern slopes of the Santa Rita Mountains. The cave contains a lake which is 80 meters below the entrance level. The lake has been measured at 76 °F (24 °C) and is believed to be warmed by sources below. The nearby Onyx Cave is also of interest.

Coronado cave is one of the few open, undeveloped caves in southern Arizona. The cave is a large cavern 600 feet long and in most places about 70 feet wide.The cave is located ~ .25 mile west of the visitor center on the north side of the road is the parking area for the trail. It became part of Coronado National Memorial in 1978, when the park expanded its boundaries. The cave may have been used by humans as a shelter and hideout by middle archaic people.

The Cave Trail climbs 400 feet over half a mile to the entrance of a 600 foot-long limestone cavern, overlooking a minor ravine on the south side of Montezuma Peak, part of an area that was added to Coronado National Memorial after a boundary expansion in 1978. The cave interior extends 600 feet in length, with 20 foot high ceilings. Those planning to explore the limestone cave should bring at least two sources of light per person.

Emerald Cove is a beautiful, secluded cove on the Colorado River, a few kilometers downstream from the Hoover Dam. This area is known for its clear greenish-blue waters. Emerald Cove gets its name from the beautiful green water that is created by the sun reflecting off the white silt that lines the bottom of the cove.

The Grand Canyon Caverns is located along Route 66 in Northern Arizona. These are the largest dry caverns in the United States, located 200 to 300 feet below the surface. The Grand Canyon Caverns’ formed during the Mississippian Period of geologic time (345 million years ago ).

Kartchner Caverns introduces visitors to the mysterious world of caves, which boasts the world’s longest stalactite formation. It is a massive limestone cave that’s home to many outstanding features, including remarkable minerals and formations as well as some winged friends.

Massacre Cave Overlook is located off of the North Rim Drive in the Canyon de Chelly (pronounced d'Shay) National Monument. The cave is the site of a rock shelter where in 1805 a group of Navajo had fortified themselves in a battle against a Spanish military expedition led by Lt. Antonio Narbona. With over 80 rooms and three kivas, this is one of the largest dwelling structures in the park. It was named for two mummies that were discovered here by an archaeological expedition in 1882.

Peppersauce Cave is a limestone cave found in the Santa Catalina Mountains approximately ten miles south of Oracle, Arizona. Peppersauce is frequented by about 23,000 visitors every year and contains approximately one mile of mapped passages. The cave has been subject to vandalism and heavy littering for over fifty years.