One of the most famous caves in Arizona... #Peppersauce #cave

Peppersauce Cave is a limestone cave found in the Santa Catalina Mountains approximately ten miles south of Oracle, Arizona. Peppersauce is frequented by about 20,000 visitors every year and contains approximately one mile of mapped passages. Peppersauce was initially made known to the local public in February 1948 by way of an article published in Desert Magazine. An article about the cave was later featured in a 1951 issue of National Geographic Magazine which showed photos of a scientist breaking off and removing a large stalactite for purposes of further study. The cave has always been and continues to be completely open to the public. There is no guided tour, no parking lot (although enough room exists to park on the side of the road), and the only official sign is not visible from the road. The sign also displays a map of about half the accessible area of the cave, specifically, from the entrance to the Big Room. Inside is reliably humid and 70 °F (21 °C), but rainfall and snowmelt can dramatically affect moisture in mud and lake height, sometimes even flooding up to the "three fissures" near the entrance. However, the lakes stay at a constant level most of the year. The room with the main lake is made accessible from the Big Room by a 15 feet (4.6 m) metal ladder. Without this, spelunkers would otherwise need to bring ropes to rappel anywhere past the Big Room. A similar metal ladder at the other end of the Big Room leads into the second half of cave. The cave has been subject to vandalism and heavy littering for over fifty years. In 2001, the Peppersauce Cave Conservation Project (PCCP) was established upon the discovery of E. coli and coliform within the cave's lakes. The initiative is funded by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and is aided by volunteers who work to keep the cave clean. A sampling conducted in January 2003 indicated that no harmful bacteria were present in the water. The group was also highly successful in removing graffiti, though the cave continues to be heavily subjected to vandalism. To those who walk into this dark and silent world, You stand in a sanctuary carved by time, surrounded by a beauty that is as ancient as it is fragile. This cave remains pristine not by chance, but by love. It survives because the keepers before us left no trace, guarded these stones, and carried away the heavy burdens of the outside world so that we might stand here today in absolute wonder. We are the bridge between the past and the unseen future. Let us honor the hands that protected this place before we arrived. Wrap this darkness in your respect, tread lightly upon its floor, and leave this underground wilderness untouched. By guarding it now, we pass the torch of discovery to the dreamers, explorers, and future children who will one day seek the quiet magic of this deep earth. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Sincerely, Desert Tactical Ninjaz p.s. we'll be back!