Phoenix Bat Cave — Attraction in Paradise Valley

If you are in the area and a fan of nature or wildlife, I definitely recommend taking some time one evening to check out the bat cave. The crazy thing to me is how many locals do not seem to be aware of this interesting phenomenon.

For detailed information to the location, I would recommend checking out Gina L. or T.T.s review. I used the address they provided of 5080 N. 40th St to find the location which is a business parking lot. If you google it before you go, apparently there is a neighborhood also near it that you can park in and walk to as well.

We went on 7/3/19 and sunset was at 7:42PM. Some bats popped in and out a bit, but I would have to say we really didn't start to see any until after 8PM. Gina's review of just a couple of days prior to when we went (which I used for assistance, thank you!) said they seemed to come out closer to sunset for her. I think they came out later because there was a very loud family running up and down, yelling, and shouting very loud leading up to sunset. They were so loud that many of us were getting upset and asked them to be quieter. The response we got was "We have been here plenty of times, don't worry, the bats will still come out". Lucky for you to get the experience, but for some of us, this is our only chance. I truly believe the bats would have come out sooner had they been quieter. It was still really neat to see the bats when we did, but since they came out later, it was darker, and harder to see them, and almost impossible to capture them on film (when days before, videos uploaded were might lighter out).

If you can, walk to different parts of the 'cave' for other views as some angles offered better lighting and views than others. At one point, it was so dark, we couldn't see much so we decided to walk along the canal back to our car. From that angle, we were afforded an incredible view of the bats; much better than we had been seeing. So if you can, try walking around the area for multiple viewing angles. I know the three of us were a little disappointed at first since it was hard to see the bats since it was so dark, but on the walk back, we really could see the swarms of bats and it...

At first I thought this location was under a bridge by the street. However, it is a little further! After you pass Camelback, you keep going up on the 40th street. You pass the Chelsea Kitchen ( we parked there ) and you take a left at the next commercial building. Keep going , pass through the parking garage, exit the garage and follow the path by the canal. You'll see it to your right after about 5 minutes or less. You can also go by the canal all the way from the 40th street and Camelback to your left. It is pretty hidden by the bushes, you can't see it from afar. Get there before the sunset ...and you'll start seeing bats coming out from the "cave/bridge building " ...at first less and then more. They fly very quick and they are small, you can confuse them with birds. There are people watching on both sides of the fence and some even bring their chairs. It's just a one time experience, especially that it takes place during summer when...

Want the best place to stand??

Want bats flying just a foot over your head?

What you'll want to do is stand on the south side of the bat cave, maybe 15 feet east of the cave. That is where they fly.

If you're at least 5'8" you can even stand up on the fence, and put your head in the opening between the fence tops (there's a gap every dozen feet). Dozens of bats will whiz right over and next to you.

People who were standing right over the cave and on the north side thought they only saw a dozen bats. There were hundreds flying over and next to us.

Parking is another trick. Google maps says you should park on the south side of the canal. That's a mistake. Instead park in the residential cul-de-sac outlined in my photo. Then you just take the stone path to the cave. Very close and simple.

Want extra fun? Bring a blacklight to see a scorpion on that path on...