STATE & NATION TRAVEL · events
Kartchner Caverns' October 24 Bat Fest is separate from a cave-tour booking
By Staff Writer · Published October 14, 2026
The Benson-area park plans a day of bat education in its Discovery Center. Festival activities come with park entry, while cave tours require separate planning.
Official event date: Arizona State Parks and Trails · October 24, 2026
Kartchner Caverns State Park will host Bat Fest from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2026, giving visitors a reason to stop at the Discovery Center even if they are not taking a cave tour. Arizona State Parks and Trails announced the event October 14 for the park south of Benson.
The official event listing includes live bat ambassadors, crafts, children's activities, book readings, costume contests and presentations by bat specialists. These are educational festival activities, not a promise of watching the park's wild colony emerge. The distinction is important at a cave where protecting seasonal bat habitat shapes visitor access.
There is no additional festival admission charge beyond the applicable park entry fee. The announcement quotes $20 per vehicle for two to four adults and explicitly excludes cave tours from the festival activities. Visitors who want both experiences should arrange the tour separately; the agency recommends advance cave-tour reservations rather than relying on a festival visit to secure a place underground.
What Travelers Need to Know
Go to 2980 South Highway 90, Benson, and check the current Bat Fest page before departure for program changes. The park's general fee schedule also lists $10 for a one-person vehicle and $5 for an individual arriving by bicycle or on foot. Confirm the rate and any applicable waiver for your party rather than treating the quoted $20 as a universal per-person ticket.
Book a cave tour separately if it is part of your trip. The park says entrance fees are waived with cave-tour and campsite reservations, but that does not make a cave tour part of the festival. Read the official tour booking terms before paying; this report does not establish live ticket availability.
The park currently says its cafe is closed until further notice, so make a food plan instead of assuming meals will be available. It also warns of weekday I-10 construction delays, relevant if you are arriving before Saturday or extending the trip. For questions about the visit, call 520-586-4100.
About the Location
Kartchner Caverns lies at the eastern base of the Whetstone Mountains, about nine miles south of Benson in southeastern Arizona. Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts found the limestone cave in November 1974 and later told landowners James and Lois Kartchner. The park's account of that discovery emphasizes the need to protect a cave vulnerable to uncontrolled visitation.
Bats are part of that conservation story, not simply a festival theme. The park describes a seasonal cave-myotis colony using the Big Room to raise young, and says that section is kept undisturbed during the summer. Learning about the animals at the Discovery Center therefore connects the day's programs with the living habitat the cave-tour system is designed to protect.