Watch Thousands of Bats Take Flight

About

The Phoenix Bat Cave isn't really a cave. It's a county flood control tunnel off the Arizona Canal near 40th Street and Camelback Road, and every warm season it becomes the summer home of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats. Watching them costs nothing. Walk northwest from 40th Street and Camelback on the north side of the canal for about half a mile, and look for the fence and the Arizona Game and Fish "Bat Watching Area" sign. Around sunset the bats start streaming out of the tunnel, and they keep coming for 15 to 45 minutes as they swoop low over the canal for bugs. The colony is here from spring into October, so plan an evening in the warmer months, and keep your voice down since homes sit right next to the path.