Minnetonka Cave
Show Cave · St. Charles, Idaho
A limestone cave in St. Charles Canyon above Bear Lake, and one of the larger caves in Idaho - a half-mile guided route through chambers of stalactites and stalagmites at a constant forty degrees Fahrenheit. It is on Caribou-Targhee National Forest land and is run under a Forest Service permit by a concession, open only from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It is also a hibernaculum for five species of bat, including the Townsend's big-eared bat, which is a species of concern in Idaho.
Minnetonka Cave Road, St. Charles, Idaho, 83272, United States
⚠ OPEN ONLY FROM MEMORIAL DAY TO LABOR DAY, WEATHER PERMITTING, and closed for the other three quarters of the year - this is the single most important fact about visiting. GUIDED TOURS ONLY; there is no self-guided access and the cave is gated. Tours run at intervals through the day in season, group sizes are limited, and they SELL OUT ON SUMMER WEEKENDS - arrive early. Run by a concession under U.S. Forest Service permit on Caribou-Targhee National Forest land. ⚠ THE CAVE IS A CONSTANT 40 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT whatever the weather outside. Bring a jacket, wear grippy shoes, and expect several hundred stairs each way. Check the current booking arrangement before travelling and bring cash as well as a card.