Kartchner Caverns State Park

We are on a trip with two families in a 32' motor home (12 people stuffed in here). Since all but 4 of us are kids, we wanted to tour the caves. We were originally assigned space #45 but we couldn't level the long motor home. The campground host, Charlie, was very nice and asked us if we wanted a more level spot. Turns out #44 and #45 are the only two that have a slope. They are fine for trailers or tents but not a longer motor home. We moved to #47 and we were level. There are water and power hook ups that helped with the air conditioner (It's July 22nd and it's HOT). The camp spaces are well laid out. There was a picnic bench and raised tent site. No fires or charcoal grills were allowed due to the high fire danger.

We went on a hike the evening we arrived. The kids had a blast spotting jack rabbits, a horned lizard, a large red millipede and other wildlife. We took the 2.5 mile loop. We were losing daylight and unfortunately had to skip the lookout trail to the top of one of the mountains. The cave tour was amazing and the kids loved it! We only planned a one night stay but considered staying another night. I would definitely come back if we head through this area again.

The bathrooms were very clean. There were two showers in the men's room with lockable stall doors. There is a curtain beyond that so you have an area to get dressed and an area to shower. There was a dump station on the way out and a garbage bin near the bathrooms. I saw some small cabins you could rent but I didn't look into them.

We spent two nights here the first of May 2019. Lovely park. Only about half full at the time so very quiet. Water pressure and 50 amp electrical worked well. Sites were good sized and paved. Not totally level but only needed a couple leveling pads under one corner to correct. Site was easy to find and access. Bathrooms clean and nice. Didn't use the showers but they appeared clean and adequate. Did not tour the caverns but did spend some time in the visitor center which was informative. The visitor center cafe was closed when we were there so can't comment on it. Didn't use the dump facility.

We stayed here for 3 nights at the end of April. Upon arrival we were greeted cheerfully from the entrance host and throughout our visit we were treated very kindly from everyone. We found our site which was well groomed prior to our arrival. The campground is very easy to navigate and our spot, 46, was easy to back into, mostly level, water pressure ok, 30 amp electric stable, no sewer. Our site was a short walk to the Caverns and adjacent to a trail that fed the main trail. There was a bit of shade for chairs but not for the trailer, however, the temps were perfect. Nice cool mornings about 60ish and topped out about 80ish. The spacing between sites is FANTASTIC! No parking lot feel here. There are tons of mesquite trees and prickly pear. We saw: jackrabbits, lizards, birds, and very few insects. The only disappointments were: no fires due to dry conditions, a long way from grocery stores and gas station. Each site appears to have a tent space approximately 10X10 which makes for a perfect “patio” for our chairs. There is lots of great hiking and the Kartchner Caverns is a MUST SEE! We will be back!

We stayed at this park for a long weekend and found that it was quite full when we arrived. Over-flow parking was the only area available aside from reserved spots.
The first day was chilly and cold at night, but with heat in the trailer, it didn't matter. During the day it warmed nicely and the second two days were sunny and enjoyable.
The sites are large and paved. Ours (16) was back to front unlevel and required blocks to achieve a level trailer.
Many other reviewers mentioned the very low water pressure and on our gauge it hardly measured 20lbs, but as long as there is water and electric, we manage just fine.
The camp hosts were kind and helpful.
If it were possible to give 4.5 stars I would, as to ding, this campground for a full star is a little harsh. We will be back and will certainly stay in the back where we were, as the middle sites seemed much more crowded

We loved this campground. This was our first stop on our full time RV adventures and we were definitely spoiled with the park. The grounds and scenery are absolutely beautiful. Night sky is really spectacular. You have neighbors but aren't sitting on top of each other. We had water and electricity hookups as well as a picnic table and fire pit at our spot. Showers and restrooms are clean. They do have a few cabins for rent and have tent spots. There are lots of hiking trails in this area, we hiked the Foothills Loop trail. It was an easy to moderate hike. Our campsite was adjacent to the trailhead. We also walked the campground several times with our dogs. Good little walk too. We were a 5 minute walk to the caverns tour, which is a must. We loved our stay at Kartchners CG and will definitely be back!

This campground is definitely worth the price.

Below is a video of the campground and our stay if you'd like to check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdKNwyEioQ4

Pros:
-Cavern tours were great and hiking around the camping area is nice and easy.

Cons:
-We were told that we reserved an "RV" campsite when checking in. The website doesn't differentiate and reads RV/tent on our site. The host saw we were tent camping (along with our our young children) and tried to have us move to another site for some reason upon our arrival. She then again told us we mistakenly reserved an RV site. Again, the reservation site does not clarify this and it shouldn't be a point of contention upon arrival.
-At 8:30 pm, our children were laughing and playing together (because we were unplugged and let them stay up to have fun) and we were told that although it wasn't "quiet time" we were to make our children quiet down because we were near the hosts. :| It rained all day and the rain had stopped. They were eager to move. I guess we should have just given them iPads.
-the site is awkward unless you're pulling in an RV. The picnic table is right next to the fire pit and there really isn't a good location for a tent.
-Don't choose a site near the hosts- they really don't want you around
-This is a campground more geared to the RV Glamper; if you have kids they shouldn't be seen nor heard. It was difficult to keep our kids silent at 8:30pm on our family vacation. I don't think the hosts should be campground hosts if they don't like families.
Quick message to the hosts: THIS WAS OUR VACATION. Your behavior was insolent and rude and I suggest you stick to the 55+ communities if you can't be more welcoming to families.

We stayed for 2 nights so that we could see the Caverns and drive over to Tombstone. All in all it was an okay stay, nothing too special except the views at night and seeing the actual caverns themselves. The actual campsite is set up really strange, fire pits far away from picnic benches, some sites large and separated while others are very close to neighbors, no water buckets to put out fires at night, some tent pads, some not, just the set up of sites was a little weird and scattered. The worst parts were the noise from the highway, which was actually really noticeable and then all the ugly signs taped up everywhere telling you what you shouldn’t be doing. In our opinion there was a little too much policing going on by camp staff, they drove by every 10 minutes it felt like. They obviously take their jobs very seriously, but we got the feeling they relished telling people what they can’t do. A little too obtrusive for our liking. We assume they’re worried about fires or something. The best part was the proximity to the places we wanted to visit, the stars at night and how quiet and respectful the other guests at the park were. Modern amenities available which is convenient.

This was our first visit to Kartchner Caverns State Park and we really loved it.

Kartchner Caverns State Park is simply one of the many beautiful Arizona State Parks. Everything was perfectly maintained from the landscaping to the showers and restrooms. The visitor center was beautiful as well and the staff, very friendly and more than happy to answer questions. Only complaint would be the low water pressure as some have mentioned in previous reviews. Not a huge problem as the shower house water pressure was just fine. (4 stars on site quality because of the water pressure)

There is a dump station on site with both potable and non-potable water available. The station is double sided so two rigs can dump at once. Very convenient, we dumped on the way into the park and again when we left.

We didn't get a chance to visit the cavern on this visit so that is on our to do list during another planned visit this fall.

We truly did love this park and recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

This was our first time at this campground and we found it to be clean, quiet and the sites are pretty spacious. Aside from the amazing cavern tour there is hiking right from the campground and it's a short drive to other interesting SE Arizona towns like Tombstone and Bisbee. Water pressure was lower than some other campground we've visited, but not a problem.

Did you know this place was voted “best cave in the US”? We didn’t either, but after our Rotunda/Throne Room Tour we could see why. Our guide was fantastic and we met for the tour just a short walk from our campsite.

The campground itself was wonderful. We had a spacious site with a picnic table and fire pit, EW hookups we’re great, and the campground was mostly quiet in the evening, even with it being spring break. Camp hosts were friendly and helpful in recommendations for hikes (Foothill Loop trail and the short, attached Mountain View Overlook were great). Bathrooms were clean and there was a dishwashing sink available outside if that’s something you’d need. No laundry in the park.

Cell service worked well for ATT and Verizon. Verizon slowed significantly in the evenings though (overloaded towers?) and ATT worked better overall. I don’t remember the Mbps upload/download, but ATT was more than sufficient for my wife to video conference.