Grand Canyon Caverns - Peach Springs, AZ - an amazing cavern in the Grand Canyon


The largest dry cavern in the United States is the Grand Canyon Caverns. It a natural limestone cavern found underground 210 feet. An elevator takes visitors into and out of the cavern. There are tours offered every half hour that last forty-five minutes and are three quarters of a mile long. The Grand Canyon Caverns are closed on Christmas Day.

The formation of the Grand Canyon Caverns began over three million years ago during the Mississippian Period. During this time an ocean covered all of the Southwestern United States. Mud that was rich in lime deposits as the skeletons and shells of the sea creatures hit the ocean floor. The base of the Caverns was formed as this turned into limestone bedrock. The floor of the ocean rose thousands of feet due to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions forming the current mountaintops. The Caverns are now over five thousand feet above sea level splitting the earth's crust.

There are times of tropical downpours and an abundance of rainfalls with a mid acid solution. This acid dissolved the softest portions of the limestone as it came in contact with them. Eventually this formed the passages of the Grand Canyon Caverns that then filled with water. Eventual this water began to evaporate leaving calcium carbonate deposits behind.

Winter tours of the Grand Canyon Caverns are given from 10am until 4pm with the cost being $14.95 a person for adults and $9.95 a person for children aged four to twelve. The caverns offer a tour that only lasts twenty-five minutes designed to suit guests that don't have a lot of time or that require a wheel chair accessible tour. A twenty-one story elevator ride begins the tour to the Chapel of the Ages cavern. This cavern is where wedding where held is the size of two football fields. There are also Helecite, limestone and Selenite crystals on the tour. The explorer's tour takes guest into rooms just off the trail. The temperature in the caverns is 56 degrees all during the year.

Outside of the entrance to the Grand Canyon Caverns is a T-rex. The main building of the Caverns has a restaurant and snack bar. There is a buffet and menu ordering available in the restaurant. There are also box lunches prepared for outdoor activities. The restaurant at the Grand Canyon Caverns also has a full bar and screened patio. Group service is available for weekend or week long outings.

There is a separate room that visitors can assemble in to wait for the elevator to take them to the Caverns. There is a replica of a T-Rex skull and a sign reading "Fallout Shelter'' on the door to the elevator. The Grand Canyon Caverns has an RV campground with fifty sites that have full hookups. There are spots that provide privacy and portable water but do not have hookups. There are private showers and flush toilets available for all guests of the campground.

The Grand Canyon Caverns are a beautiful place to visit. You can take a tour or spend time in the campground if you are ever in the Peach Springs, Arizona area.

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