Lynn O’Rourke Hayes
FamilyTravel.com
What lies beneath can be cold, damp and compelling. Learn about dry and wet caves, the creatures that live in them and the characteristics that create these natural settings. Here are five places to explore underground:
1. Kartchner Caverns, Benson, Arizona
In 1974, two University of Arizona students and amateur cavers spotted a narrow crack in the bottom of a sinkhole. They followed the unusually moist air and discovered more than 2 miles of unspoiled cave passages. The caverns, carved from limestone, were not opened to the public until 1999 and are part of the Arizona State Park system. Visit this living or “wet” cave to experience stalactites, stalagmites, “cave bacon” and small white helictites. Many of the resident minerals are not found in any other cave in the world. Among the cave’s highlights: a 22-foot-long “soda straw” stalactite, reported to be the second longest in the world. For a unique experience, visitors 10 and older can experience the cave as the first discoverers did during a tour that uses only light provided by a helmet headlamp.
