About SAG

Southern Arizona Grotto :: Essentials

Southern Arizona Grotto is the youngest grotto in Arizona.  Many of the founding members were once part of a freelance caving club called TOCA (Tucson’s Other Caving Alliance) until the National Speleological Society(NSS) granted grotto status in 1998.  Since then, SAG has grown to include an active community of both recreational cavers and those passionate about cave conservation, research, and exploration.  SAG enjoys a wealth of members who are experienced and willing to share their skills and knowledge with fellow and future cavers.

As an organization of the NSS, Southern Arizona Grotto strictly adheres to the “Leave No Trace” philosophy. We believe that the cave environment is highly unique and beneficial and we do our best to promote responsible and safe caving practices. Respecting the fragile cave environment is a crucial step in becoming a true caver.

Some of the activities of Southern Arizona Grotto include:

• Cave clean-up and restoration
• Cave exploration and survey
• Searching for new caves (ridgewalking)
• Training in vertical caving techniques
• Recreational caving trips, including caving excursions to other regions in the southwest
• Assisting in bat counts and other wildlife monitoring