Colossal Cave is a large cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

 system in southeastern Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, near the community of Vail

Vail, Arizona

Vail is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 10,208 at the 2010 census. The area is known for the nearby Colossal Cave, a large cave system, and the Rincon Mountains District of Saguaro National Park, a top tourism spot within Arizona.Vail was...

, approximately 22 miles SE of Tucson. It contains about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of mapped passageways, and was discovered by Soloman Lick in 1879. Temperatures inside average 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) year-round.

The cave is an ancient karst

KARST

Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...

 cave, classified as "dry" by guides (though this is not a speleologic term). The meaning of this is that its formations are completely dry, or "dead", and do not grow. This is because the cave was formed by water depositing limestone, but this source has disappeared. It instead feeds the "active" nearby Arkenstone Cave that continues to grow formations.

Colossal Cave was used from 900 to 1450 AD by the Hohokam

Hohokam

Hohokam is one of the four major prehistoric archaeological Oasisamerica traditions of what is now the American Southwest. Many local residents put the accent on the first syllable . Variant spellings in current, official usage include Hobokam, Huhugam and Huhukam...

, Sobaipuri

Sobaipuri

The Sobaipuri are one of many indigenous groups occupying Sonora at the time Europeans first entered the American Southwest. They were a Piman group who occupied southern Arizona and northern Sonora in the 15th-19th centuries...

, and Apache

Apache

Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...

 Indians

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

. The cave was rediscovered in 1879 by Solomon Lick, the owner of the nearby Mountain Springs Hotel. He was searching for stray cattle when he discovered the entrance to the cave. The cave was then used as a guano

Guano

Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...

 source, and a tunnel, 25 metres (82 ft) long, was built in 1905, and a total of seven train

Train

A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...

 cars of guano were filled. The deposit was soon exhausted, and the tunnel was abandoned.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park

Today the cave is a popular tourist destination as part of Colossal Cave Mountain Park. The park also features two other caves, named Arkenstone and La Tetera, which are protected and are being studied by researchers.

Other park attractions include:

• La Posta Quemada Ranch Museum - exhibits focus on the human history and the natural history of Colossal Cave Mountain Park and the Cienega Corridor region, with special emphasis on the park's caves.
• Civilian Conservation Corps Museum - history of the Civilian Conservation Corps
  Civilian Conservation Corps
  The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
  
   activities in the park
• "The Cowboy" - a bronze sculpture of a cowboy
  Cowboy
  A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
  
  by Buck McCain, reflecting the park's history as a ranch
• Horseback trail rides
• Picnic and camping facilities
• Butterfly garden

External links

• Colossal Cave Mountain Park - official site