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The 680-foot manmade tunnel is long and curved, so the exit cannot be seen from the entrance. The tunnel was blasted through solid limestone and is supported by timbers only for about 30 feet at one end.

A Swedish firm received the tunnel contract and sent a crew of 25 Swedes to complete the project in six months with no power equipment and, often times, in inclement weather. As the train enters the tunnel, it comes within six inches of the walls as daylight diminishes briefly before reappearing at the other end.

As the Canyon walls drop away on both sides, the last notable bridge is the covered steel structure that the Verde Canyon Railroad crosses as it emerges into Perkinsville. Visible from the bridge is a low cave with a blackened ceiling most likely used by early Indians as a temporary camp site for hunting or gathering expeditions. The site remained untouched until the ‘60s, when the pit-house was excavated by Arizona State Museum geologists.

"A descending right turn suddenly yielded a view that would make the entire afternoon worthwhile. It was a scene out of Arizona Highways magazine. No camera can do it justice."

—Paul Sullivan, Free Lance Star

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