Colossal Cave Mountain Park

Colossal Cave Mountain Park (CCMP) is a 2,400-acre Pima County park that includes Colossal Cave, a tourist attraction since the 1920s, and the La Posta Quemada Ranch, a working cattle ranch since the 1880s. The park is on the National Register of Historic Places.

From 1934 through 1937, the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made improvements to the cave and the surrounding area. The CCC was a federal government program dedicated to conserving the nation's natural resources and to providing jobs and education to young, unmarried men. Under the supervision of personnel from the State Park Service, the men of the CCC enlarged the cave entrance; built trails and installed lighting within the cave; constructed the administration buildings at the mouth of the cave; and built roads and picnic areas in the surrounding area. Personnel from the U.S. Army ran the CCC camp, providing housing, clothing, food, medical care, education, and sports and recreational activities.

The park maintains a CCC museum, a research library containing materials about the history of the CCC throughout the country, and photographic archives, with more than three hundred historical CCC images.

The park is located at 16721 E. Old Spanish Trail, Vail, AZ. We are open 8am to 5 pm (March 15-September 15) and 9am to 5pm (September 16-March 15). The CCC museum and library are open during regular park hours. Interested persons who wish to visit our archives should contact 520-647-7121 to arrange an appointment.

Collections:

• Colossal Cave Mountain Park's Civillian Conservation Corps Image Collection

Contact Information

Rights & Reproduction

Property of Colossal Cave Mountain Park Research Library & Photo Archives. Please contact us at www.colossalcave.com