When my daughter was with the high school mountain bike team and had a race in Twin Falls, we made an unexpected pit stop at the Shoshone Ice Caves and journeyed into the unknown. The ice caves are in the middle of nothing but lava fields. The caves comprise a 1000-foot lava tube that has ice anywhere from 8 to 30 feet deep. It is actually the largest ice cave of its kind in the world.
In the 1800s, the ice cave was used to provide ice for the town of Shoshone. By the 1940s, overdevelopment and poor access to the ice caves caused them to almost completely melt. A new owner acquired the caves in the 1950s and began to restore the cave; today the owners have to continually pump water out of the caves because the amount of ice produced will nearly block the entrance.
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When you arrive at the caves, you will think you have hit a tourist trap, it has all the markings. But there is a lot of information in their museum and plenty of fun souvenirs, and rockhounds will really enjoy the area. The guides are well educated on the caves and provide a great overview of the history of the area and the ice caves. The ice caves are a great place to visit year-round; when the weather is warm, it is cool in the caves.
For those who might be claustrophobic, it is a tight squeeze to get into the caves. There are hanging, wooden walkways all throughout the caves as well as LED lights (it is still somewhat dark). The caves are an easy walk for all ages.
I had no idea the ice caves even existed when we stumbled upon them! I am glad we made the side trip because it is a very interesting place to visit. The time spent in the caves is not long so it’s something to add along the way to other places or as an easy day trip from Southeast Idaho.
For those looking for other ice caves, these are also great choices:
- Darby Canyon Wind Caves (Driggs, Idaho)
- Paris Ice Caves (Paris, Idaho)
- Q-emiln Park Caves (Post Falls, Idaho)
- Niter Ice Cave (Grace, Idaho)
