The Caves and Mines of Southern Arizona
By C Jill Hofer
The rugged landscape of Southern Arizona is more than meets the eye. Below the surface of the sun-drenched, saguaro-studded mountainside slopes lies a hidden world of caves and mines that helped shape the history of our state. While many are off-limits for visitors, some await exploration by those brave enough to enter.
Kartchner Caverns State Park
DIGGING DEEP TO FIND WHAT LIES BENEATH THE SURFACE
Mines: Hidden Resources Beneath the Surface
Good Enough Silver Mine
The mine that “made” Tombstone is now ranked in the top 10% of attractions in the world by TripAdvisor. It was the first mine to open in the southwest, operating from 1878 to 1898 and closing before the invention of hardhats and carbide lanterns. Since then, it has been meticulously preserved for tours, providing an extraordinary trip back in time.
Toughnut Mine
Alongside the Good Enough Mine is the ToughNut Mine, with tours traversing a nearly one-mile tunnel past beautiful green and purple phosphite formations to an underground room spanning 35 feet wide, 30 feet tall and longer than a football field. A bit further lies the world’s only dinner theater in a mine. Enjoy an educational narration over a lantern-lit “miner’s dinner,” lowered in an ore bucket from the surface 100 feet above.
Pay Dirt:
This term originated in the California Gold Rush in the 1850s. When miners found an area rich with gold ore, they would exclaim, “I’ve hit pay dirt!”
The Gould Mine
Classified as a historic archaeological site by the National Register with origins dating back to 1906, the Gould Mine’s remaining camp tailings can be seen from Kinney Road and accessed from the Sendero Esperanza Trail and the King Canyon Trail. The area features a wooden frame and a grate that covers a shaft more than 300 feet deep, a large tailings pile, a few foundations of long-gone buildings, and remnants of a stone powder storage building. Plan for a stop along the trail to visit a Hohokam petroglyph site dating back to 900–1450 A.D.
Petroglyphs at The Gould Mine
Mile Wide Mine
Located about a mile and a half from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the trailhead for the hike to the Mile Wide Mine is on Kinney Road. Follow the King Canyon Trailhead to the north along the old mining road to see mine tailings with some colorful minerals, a trash pile with hundreds of condensed milk cans, a cement platform, and a very large abandoned mineshaft that is fenced off for safety.
The Old Yuma Mine
Possibly the most successful mine in the Tucson Mountains is the Old Yuma Mine. This 1872 claim yielded copper, silver, gold, and other commodities, including wulfenite crystals. It was the longest-running mine in the area, closing in 1947 before it was acquired by Saguaro National Park in 2001. The mine can be found approximately half a mile south of Picture Rocks Road on an unofficial trail that connects the Vertical Cliffs Trail to the Picture Rocks Wash Trail. Once here, hikers can see open shafts from the old mine and the space where the mill, smelter, and historic wood buildings once stood.
Bisbee: A Town Built by Mining
Copper Queen Mine Tour
Conveniently located in the same building as the Bisbee Visitors Center, the Copper Queen Mine Tour welcomes guests to board the original mine train to ride more than 1,500 feet and a half a mile deep into this retired mine, which yielded copper, gold, silver, and a fair amount of the famous Bisbee Blue turquoise. The first stop on this one-hour tour is a 300-foot tunnel walk. The second stop, with a short series of steps, is optional.
The Lavender Pit
In 1951, Harrison Lavender, the then-manager of the Copper Queen Branch of Phelps Dodge, decided that an open pit mine would be an economical way to increase ore yield. The resulting Lavender Pit operated until 1974, when the price of copper plummeted. The abandoned pit covers 300 acres and drops 950 feet due to the removal of 351 million tons of material. It is now a tourist destination with viewing platforms along the rim. Because most of Bisbee Blue turquoise was found at the Lavender Pit Mine, its closure marked the eventual end of mining it, making it even more rare and valuable.
Photo courtesy Copper Queen Mine
Caves: An Underground Wonderland
Cave of the Bells
A visit to this site on the eastern slopes of the Santa Rita Mountains requires a four-wheel drive, high-clearance vehicle, and advance reservations made through the Forest Supervisor’s office. There is no fee, but prepare to provide a $100 deposit, refunded upon return of the access key.
Enter via a 10-foot drop on a knotted rope. From there, unlock the gate to a hidden world with multiple formations and an underground lake more than 250 feet below the entrance level. The site is warm and humid, and the passages vary from crawlable openings to wide and expansive rooms, some requiring ropes to come and go.
Colossal Cave Mountain Park
Just down the road in Vail, this popular destination has delighted visitors for decades. Opt for a classic guided walk or a more adventurous tour requiring helmets and gloves. The Ten Ladders path lives up to its name, providing a great workout. Unique “lights out” tours on Saturday mornings offer visitors the rare experience of total darkness and utter silence not found above the surface. Above ground, the park offers a butterfly garden, horseback riding from October through May, hiking trails, campgrounds, a gift shop, and an open-air Terrace Café in a gorgeous stonework building nearly 100 years old.
Colossal Cave Mointain Park
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Just nine miles south of Benson, Kartchner Caverns is one of the best-preserved show caves in the world. Discovered in 1974, the formations are still growing, thanks to high humidity levels and the precautions taken by the park.
Kartchner boasts two different tour options to explore 2.4 miles of passages, which reach a depth of half a mile. Visitors marvel at formations, including the tallest cave column in Arizona and one of the world’s longest soda straw stalactites, measuring 21 feet 3 inches. The expansive Discovery Center, picnic area, camping cabins, and tent campsites are accessible to people with limited mobility.
Coronado Cave
This cave is located in Hereford, near the Mexican border, on Montezuma Canyon Road. Head one-fourth mile west of the Visitor’s Center in the Coronado National Memorial to explore this cave, which is believed to have been used by the Apaches as a hide-out from the U.S. Army in the late 1800s.
Also called Montezuma’s Treasure Vault and Geronimo’s Cave, this open, undeveloped site is home to both stalactites and stalagmites within its 600-foot-long and, in most places, approximately 70-foot-wide passageways. Getting here requires a somewhat strenuous hike. Walking through is rather easy, although some rooms require crawling to enter. Simply check in at the visitor’s center before entering.
Onyx Cave
This cave is first mentioned in the 1870s and 1880s in the accounts of pioneer ranchers and miners. It’s nearest to the city of Sonoita, in the Santa Rita Mountains. Step inside to discover a series of limestone passageways and a honeycomb of rooms, where various artifacts have been found, indicating that it was used by a succession of hunters and Indigenous people. In 1974, it was leased to Escabrosa Grotto, Inc., which undertook a large-scale clean-up, repair, and restoration. Viewable by permit only, visits can be reserved online at least two weeks in advance.
Stalactite vs. Stalagmite?
A stalactite holds TIGHT to the ceiling and a stalagmite from the floor MIGHT someday connect to a stalactite above.
Peppersauce Caves
Discovered in the 1940s, this cave is located on the back road up to Mount Lemmon, also known as the Great
Western Trail. Exploration is free and open to the public; however, the entrance can be difficult to find, and signage is scarce. Intrepid adventurers can crawl through the small opening to discover many passageways, 17 rooms, and a warm, placid underwater lake. Ropes and ladders are installed to help visitors navigate some of the trickier and possibly slippery areas.
Peppersauce Caves (photo courtesy AZ Zipline Adventures)
Smart Spelunking:
Be a considerate caver. Protect yourself AND our natural resources for generations to come. Caves can be easily damaged, so tread lightly and leave the pets at home. Don’t touch walls, smoke, light candles, eat, litter, talk loudly, or play music because resident bats are sensitive to noise.
Exploration
Checklist
Before you take off into the Southern Arizona desert in search of mines and caves, make sure you grab a friend or two to go with you, tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to return, and pack these necessities:
~Plenty of water
~Two sources of light
~Extra batteries
~Gloves
~Closed-toed shoes
~Sunscreen
~A map and compass
~First aid kit
~Helmets and knee pads (for caving)
EXPLORE LIKE AN EXPERT
WATCH OUT FOR BEES, BATS, WILDLIFE, SNAKES, AND OTHER HAZARDS.DON’T REMOVE ANYTHING FROM SITES OR LEAVE TRASH BEHIND.DO YOUR RESEARCH: YOU’LL FIND DIRECTIONS, HOURS OF OPERATION, AND HOW TO RESERVE PERMITS (IF NEEDED) OR RESERVE SPACE ON GUIDED TOURS.