Note that the cutting of trees and branches in the Park is strictly prohibited. Signs will be posted if fires are prohibited. For emergencies, there is a 911 phone located in the campgrounds near the “Y” intersection where the road branches to El Bosquecito and La Selvilla picnic areas.įires are allowed in barbecues and established fire rings only, if we are in a fire-safe condition. Please refer to the Park hours below before making your trip plans. For the safety and security of the Park we lock the front gates at night. Note this is primitive dry camping-water and restrooms are limited, there is no electricity or RV hook-ups. Water and restrooms are available in El Bosquecito and La Selvilla. Most areas have tables and barbecue grills. These consist of two large areas-El Bosquecito and La Selvilla-and a number of smaller ones, totaling about 30 individual sites. The Campgrounds, tucked in the mesquites in Posta Quemada canyon, were built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps – CCC. The park encompasses over 2,400 acres and includes the magnificent Colossal Cave, the historic La Posta Quemada Ranch, Western trail rides, camping, and picnicking. You'll find many of the same types of formations in Colossal Cave and Kartchner Caverns like the drapery room.Click image to view more pictures Campground Overiew:Ĭolossal Cave Mountain Park located in Vail, AZ is a popular attraction in the Tuscon Area. Moreno said the near-record monsoon has awakened the cave just a little bit. While nearby Kartchner Caverns is known as a wet, living cave- Colossal Cave is a dry or dead cave. Because of all the monsoon we were getting this year it's pushing about 83% right now." "The temperature stays about 71 degrees in our cave," Cave Lead Antonio Moreno said. Regardless of the origin, once inside, you'll quickly understand why it's called Colossal Cave and why it's a welcome relief from the heat. "From that statement it's believed the name Colossal Cave came from."Īnother theory, Leighton told KGUN 9, is that one-time UArizona President Byron Cummings gave it its name. "After exploring the cave for quite awhile he came out and when asked about it he said 'the cave was colossal,'" Leighton explained. A Boy Scout named Lynn Hodgson was asked by a potential developer to explore the cave. By 1917, it earned it's larger than life name. In 1905, the cave was actually mined for its bat guano, used as fertilizer. People are still on the look out for it to this day. What happened to the stolen loot is unclear. As the legend goes, he served almost two decades in prison in Yuma and never confessed to where the treasure was. After a shootout, just one of the train robbers survived. The sheriff and his posse tracked the bandits to the cave. They escaped with thousand of dollars in currency, gold and silver. "On one of his tours around his property he discovered an opening that he thought was a mine, which turned out to be what we now call Colossal Cave."Īt the time, Solomon Lick's discovery was known as "The Mountain Spring Cave." Eight years later, in 1887, the cave played a major role in what became know as the "Legend of the Lost Loot."Īccording to Leighton's research, three men robbed the same Southern Pacific train twice in a four month period. "Around 1879, a guy name Solomon Lick took over the Mountain Springs Ranch," Leighton said. According to Tucson historian David Leighton, the area became known as Mountain Springs Ranch which had a stagecoach stop and a hotel. There's still evidence of a fire pit and smoke residue near the cave entrance.įast forward to the 1870s. Formed a couple hundred million years ago, the cave system was used by native tribes about a thousand years ago.
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