Arizona Cave Survey

Arizona has some fantastic caves and great cavers who have been protecting these delicate environments. One in particular is a multi-mile cave with ongoing survey exploration. In the past, caves were destroyed by mining operations and vandalism — graffiti and broken formations. This destruction caused caves to be gated and closed, harming the bats and other species that call these caves home. Most Arizona caves require caving experience, vertical caving experience, or grotto membership.

Clint Poole, Paige Gilmore, Samantha Lester, Chuck Chapman, Andy Orr, and I entered this cave — passages ranging from walking borehole to crawling. Fun cave with many galleries and great opportunities for continued survey. Clint has taken over the survey project and has more passage and leads to explore. Survey trips are lasting 14-16 hours — our visit was 10.5 hours. Looking forward to coming back to help complete the map. If you want to get involved with Arizona caving, reach out to your local grotto.