Would you believe me if I told you that there was a rainforest hidden in the Arizona desert? Or that the most extensive studies of the coral reef are going on right now in the Arizona desert? That’s exactly what you’ll discover when you tour Biosphere 2, one of the most fascinating places to visit in Arizona!
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Everything you need to know about the Biosphere 2 tour
Table of Contents
- Biosphere 2 tour information
- A brief history of the Biosphere 2 experiment
- What to expect when touring inside Biosphere 2
- FAQ:
Biosphere 2 tour information
- Address: 32540 S Biosphere Rd, Oracle, Arizona 85623
- Hours: 9 am-4:30 pm the last tour begins at 3:30 pm
- Tickets: Adult $25 | Senior 62+ $23 | Kids 5-17 years $15 | Under 5 years free. Check Viator or Groupon as they sometimes offer discount tickets.
- Time: The tour is self-guided so you can go at your own pace, but plan for about 1-1 1/2 hours
A brief history of the Biosphere 2 experiment
If you are an 80s child, you may recall watching the 1996 Pauly Shore movie called Biodome.
This box office flop has become a bit of a cult classic, but what many people don’t realize is that it is loosely based on a real-life science experiment.
In the 1980s, Space Biospheres Ventures constructed this $150 million facility to research self-sustaining space colonization.
It looked like a glass terrarium in the middle of the barren desert!
The 3.14-acre research facility was designed to replicate a mini-Earth with different ecosystems. It is named Biosphere 2 since Earth is considered Biosphere 1.
The goal was to eventually recreate similar biospheres on the moon and Mars.
The biodome was created to simulate different environments found on earth, including a rainforest, an ocean with coral reefs, a marshland, a fog desert, and a savannah.
It was populated with over 3,800 species of plants, insects, fish, reptiles, and small mammals.
Biosphere 2 is considered the world’s largest earth science laboratory and there is no other place like it on the planet!
In 1991, eight scientists (referred to as “biospherians”) were completely sealed inside Biosphere 2 for two years and twenty minutes. During this time, they had no physical contact with the outside world.
A second shorter mission was also held from 1993 to 1994.
During the mission, they were completely self-sustained. They grew and harvested all their own food from the half-acre farm.
While there were setbacks and the experiment ultimately failed, they were still able to conduct invaluable research and learn from their mistakes.
This was a big deal back in the 90s and it was common to see photos of Biosphere 2 plastered on the front pages of many reputable newspapers and even made the cover of magazines such as Life.
However, over the years Biosphere 2 has become relatively unknown, even to Arizona locals. It has become a bit of a hidden gem in the desert!
In 2011, ownership of Biosphere 2 was transferred to the University of Arizona where they opened it to the public for tours.
Ongoing research is also still being conducted, especially in regard to climate change.
The goal of Biosphere 2 has always been to continually help us better understand biosphere 1, also known as Earth.
What to expect when touring inside Biosphere 2
The Biosphere 2 tour is all self-guided through a downloadable app. You’ll want to be sure to install the app before you arrive as the cell service can be spotty.
I would also recommend downloading the app onto everyone’s individual phones in your group. This way everyone can go at their own pace and you don’t have to share one phone.
It would also be helpful to bring headphones or Airpods so that you can better hear the audio.
The tours run every 30 minutes from 9 am to 3:30 pm. It is recommended to reserve your tickets in advance as there is a limit of 40 spots available per tour.
Biosphere 2 grounds
Biosphere 2 is located at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains in the remote Sonoran Desert. It is within the Oracle city limits about an hour northeast of Tucson.
The tour begins just outside the visitor center at the Biosphere 2 Overlook where you’ll learn about the history of this area.
This area once served as a Native American hunting ground, ranch land, a private residence, and a training institute before the construction of Biosphere 2.
The tour continues around the exterior where you will learn the details about the architecture, function, and design of each of the buildings at Biosphere 2.
It truly is an impressive engineering feat and futuristic architectural wonder!
We thought the “lungs” were particularly fascinating. The lungs are responsible for maintaining atmospheric pressure through a complex system.
Essentially, the lungs are responsible for preventing the lab from exploding or imploding.
As the temperature changes, the air inside the biosphere expands and contracts causing a change in pressure. The lungs help regulate the pressure change.
Human Habitat
The tour will continue inside where the first stop is at the Human Habitat.
This area was designed to house the biospherians during the mission. It was interesting to hear insights about their daily life while on the tour.
The 25,000-square-foot structure is five stories high and contains a communal kitchen, apartments, laboratories, offices, and a medical lab.
A circular staircase in the center of the complex leads up to a library located in the dome.
Unfortunately, this area is closed to tours, but you can imagine the spectacular 360-degree views that are offered from the library windows.
While the biospherian’s diets were almost entirely vegetarian, the basement did hold animal pens for goats, chickens, and pigs that were used for milk, eggs, and some meat.
There is also an exercise room, machine shop, and storage area in the basement as well. Unfortunately, the basement is not open to tour either.
The first mission ran from September 1991 to September 1993 and ended up being a social experiment just as much as it was a scientific experiment.
In fact, locking four men and four women into a self-sustained habitat for two years sounds like it might just be the next idea for a reality tv show!
And the results went just as you might imagine. Tensions were high and the group ended up dividing into two separate factions.
By the end of two years, biospherian Jane Poynter declared that “all eight of the biospherians had gone mad”.
While they may have had their personal differences, they were all still collectively committed to carrying out the mission.
On the tour, you’ll learn about the different challenges they faced on a daily basis.
It literally took four months to make a pizza. First, you had to grow the wheat to make the dough, harvest the tomatoes to make the sauce, and milk the goat to make the cheese!
Their diet consisted of mostly beans, rice, wheat, sweet potatoes, beets, and peanuts, which were all grown on-site.
The biospherians sourced their sugar from the fruit orchard that they referred to as “the sweet shop”.
The low calorie diet resulted in a 22-25% loss in body fat in all of the participants.
But the biggest challenge came when they realized that they were losing oxygen.
Biosphere 2 was figuratively and literally sealed off from the outside world. No outside air was coming in and the oxygen level began decreasing.
This was the result of too much carbon in the rich soil which led to decreased oxygen and increased carbon dioxide.
The excess CO2 was then absorbed into the concrete, resulting in rapidly declining oxygen levels. On day 500, additional oxygen was added so that they could safely continue on the 730-day mission.
If you’re interested, Jane Poynter gives more insight into her experience as a biospherian during this Ted Talk interview.
Fog Desert
The tour then continues through the different ecosystems.
The first is the Fog Desert which is located in one of the two pyramid structures inside Biosphere 2.
As you enter the Desert biome, you’ll immediately notice that it is more humid than the surrounding Sonoran Desert.
This desert ecosystem simulates a coastal fog desert, like the ones you can find in Mexico’s Baja California Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, Australia, Namibia, the Canary Islands, and the Atacama Desert along the coast of Chile and Peru.
Due to the humidity from the tropical rainforest and ocean ecosystems located within Biosphere 2, a more arid desert would not have survived.
One thing that sets a coastal fog desert apart from the Sonoran Desert is that it receives rainfall only during the winter, whereas the Sonoran Desert sees rain in the winter as well as the summer monsoon season.
However, since fog deserts are located along the coast, they experience fog banks. This fog allows moisture to move in which keeps the plants sustained through the dry summer.
This unique system produces desert plants that have specifically adapted to this particular climate. The plants you see here have been transplanted from Madagascar and Baja California.
You’ll also notice the unique topography with hills and valleys that replicate a true fog desert.
Mangrove Forest
The Mangrove Forest is modeled after the estuary type of marsh that can be found in the Florida Everglades.
The vegetation, soil, and water were actually even transported from a mangrove forest near the Everglades National Park.
There are three different species of mangroves found in the Americas and all three are represented in this biome.
Mangroves are crucial for filtering pollutants from the water and protecting against coastal erosion.
Extensive research is being done at Biosphere 2 to better understand how we can protect this unique ecosystem.
The Ocean
The Ocean is perhaps the most fascinating ecosystem that exists in the biosphere.
This 700,000-gallon saltwater experimental ocean is the only one like it that exists in the world.
It is complete with a wave machine and temperature controls.
It was once teeming with tropical fish and coral reefs that were sourced from the Yucatán Peninsula.
Studies of the effects of atmospheric CO2 and global warming eventually killed off the reef.
This mirrors the coral reef crisis going on in our oceans today.
Biosphere 2 has partnered with researchers and scientists from around the globe to find solutions to bringing the reef back to life and protecting it.
Research that is being done at Biosphere 2 is unique in that the scientists have more control over different environmental factors.
They can also take greater risks without impacting the actual coral reef system in the earth’s oceans.
The Savanna
The Savanna runs lengthwise along the biome and is home to plants from the African, Australian, and South American savannas.
It serves as a transition zone from the desert to the rainforest.
Ongoing research is being conducted to learn more about this complex ecology of plants.
The majority of the plants in the savanna biome are edible in order to provide seed pods and fruit for the gallagos birds that they were originally planning to introduce into Biosphere 2.
Many of the fruit trees are still producing fruit today, like mango and papaya.
*Related post: for another unique place to visit in Arizona that’s off the beaten path, check out our guide to Arcrosanti: An Experimental City in Arizona!
The Tropical Rainforest
The last biome you’ll experience on the tour is the Tropical Rainforest. It is located in the second pyramid of the biosphere.
It is incredible to see that this 30-year-old tropical rainforest is still thriving here in the heart of the desert!
When you step inside, you’ll immediately notice a dramatic increase in the humidity level.
The average temperature in this biome is 80 degrees with an annual rainfall of anywhere from 9 to 30 feet.
Scientists sometimes create a drought in order to study how plants respond.
There are 26 air handlers at Biosphere 2 that are used to heat, cool, purify, and humidify the air. They even have a system that creates rain and fog to simulate the conditions in a rainforest.
The rainforests only cover 7% of the earth’s surface but are essitional to the global weather systems and the health of our planet.
As a result, the research being done at Biosphere 2 is critical to helping us better understand how to protect our rainforests so they can continue to slow the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
During the mission, the rainforest was home to a variety of species including lizards, snakes, frogs, and small mammals called “bush babies”. These were all donated to the San Antonio Zoo after the mission.
After exiting the Rainforest, you’ll walk past the Santa Fe-style casitas that are used as accommodations for visitors attending conferences, corporate retreats, school field trips, and other events.
The tour concludes at the visitor center where you can learn more about the Biosphere 2 experiment and see artifacts.
Overall, we thought that the tour was interesting and worth the time. Tickets are a little expensive, but the proceeds do help fund the research.
You can also check Viator or Groupon for discount tickets.
It’s definitely one of the most unique places that we’ve visited in Arizona! And if you’re looking for more hidden gems, check out our guide 7 Underrated Spots in Arizona You Need to Visit.
If you’re looking for more things to do in the area, you can also check out our guide for the Best Things to do in Tucson!
FAQ:
- Where is Biosphere 2 located? In Oracle, Arizona about 55 minutes northeast of Tucson at the base of the Catalina Mountains.
- Where is Biosphere 1? Biosphere 1 is the earth that we live on.
- Can I visit Bioshpere 2? Yes, Biosphere 2 is open to the public. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for kids. The tour is self-guided with a free downloadable app. The tour lasts about an hour and 15 minutes, but you can go at your own pace.
- Can kids tour Biosphere 2? Yes! All ages are welcome to tour Biosphere 2, however, younger kids might not have the attention span to listen to the self-guided audio tour. I would probably recommend the tour for kids ages 8- 10 years and up, depending on your child.
- What should I bring on the Biosphere 2 tour? Wear comfortable walking shoes. I would recommend bringing a water bottle and your camera. Backpacks and purses are allowed on the tour. If you visit in the winter, bring a jacket as it can be cold outside but hot inside the biomes. Food and drinks, besides water, are not allowed inside.
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