Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn
4.3(2.3K)google
4.0(328)yelp
Road TripGuided Tour
Overview
The Grand Canyon Caverns (Havasupai: Ŧathiil Ñwaʼa or Ŧathiil Ñhaʼa, 35°31′44″N 113°13′54″W) are located a few miles east of Peach Springs, Arizona and lie 210 feet (64 m) below ground level. They are among the largest dry caverns in the United States. Because of the lack of water, stalagmites and stalactites are rare in the caverns.
Practical Info
Suggested Duration2-4 hours
Best TimeVisitable year-round, because the underground cave has a perfect constant-temperature quality—a superb indoor adventure for escaping Arizona's extreme surface heat in summer or the cold in winter
Getting ThereLocated on Route 66 between Seligman and Peach Springs. If you're driving from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon South Rim, this is an absolutely perfect roadside rest stop
Travel Tips
- This is one of the largest natural dry underground limestone caves in the U.S., buried over 200 feet down; the cave stays a constant 56°F (about 13°C) year-round with no natural groundwater at all, an extremely unusual state of preservation
- It has the world's most unique and expensive "underground suite," a room built entirely in the center of the cave; staying one night gives you sole enjoyment of the absolute silence and darkness of a billion-year-old cavern
- The cave sits beside the historic Route 66 and offers tours of various difficulty, from a gentle elevator-assisted walking tour to a hardcore hands-and-feet crawling adventure tour
Reviews
Positive
- Riding the elevator down 20 stories underground, inside it's as spacious as an underground cathedral! The cave still holds Cold War-era emergency nuclear-shelter supplies—the sense of history and technology is maxed out
- A very interesting retro rest stop on Route 66; the dinosaur models and old cars outside make for great photos, and the young guide on the cave tour is humorous and gives a lively, fun explanation
Heads up
- This is a dry cave, so it completely lacks the colorful, oddly shaped stalactites of a wet cave—inside it's basically all grayish-white dry rock