Popular Outdoor Locations
first prev next lastWe couldn't find free locations right near you yet, so here are some popular spots from around the world. Know a great place nearby? Add it and help the map grow.
Civil Defense Caves
Rexburg, Idaho
23.0 miles N of Rexburg, IdahoTwo large lava tubes with an arched ceiling, gravel floor, bats in the left branch, and a cavern section at the end — open May through September to protect the bat habitat.
Cave 0.6-2.0 mi
North Menan Butte ('R' Mountain)
Menan, Idaho
4.5 miles N of Menan, IdahoA volcanic butte locals call R Mountain, with a paved trailhead, chain handrails near the top, informational signs at the rim, and views of Rexburg and the Snake River.
Camp, Cave, Hike 6.2 mi
Darby Wind Cave
Driggs, Idaho
7.6 miles E of Driggs, IdahoWaterfalls, wildflowers, creek crossings, and a wind cave high on the canyon wall — Darby's switchback trail rewards hikers with views found nowhere else in the Tetons.
Backpack, Cave, Hike, Rock Climb
Rexburg Area Ice Caves
Rexburg, Idaho
29.1 miles N of Rexburg, IdahoLava tubes that trap winter air and form spectacular ice crystals and frozen floors year-round — bring a rope for the icy ascents, warm clothes, and a flashlight.
Cave
Gore's Cave
Boise City-Nampa, ID, Idaho
33.1 miles SE of Boise City-Nampa, ID, IdahoA lava tube near Boise formed when ancient molten rock drained away, leaving a hollow crust — a classic example of how these underground passages are born.
Cave 1.5 mi
Timpanogas Cave
Provo, Utah
14.7 miles N of Provo, UtahColorful cave formations — cave bacons, columns, flowstone, and drapery — inside a Timpanogos mountain cave, reached by a 1.5-mile paved trail; tours run May through September.
Backpack, Cave, Hike
Smith's Crack
Mountain Home, Idaho
10.0 miles NW of Mountain Home, IdahoA narrow fissure cave near Mountain Home with arrow-marked passages, a 20-foot vertical drop to the bottom, and rooms that take a couple of hours to fully explore.
Cave
Eureka Cave
Mountain Home, Idaho
5.9 miles E of Mountain Home, IdahoAn accessible lava-tube cave near Mountain Home you can drop into and explore — bring a light and pack out what you pack in.
Cave 0.1 mi
40 Horse Cave
Firth, Idaho
11.9 miles E of Firth, IdahoA short, steep scramble near Firth to a roomy hillside cave — big enough, legend says, to hide 40 horses.
Cave, Hike 1.1 mi
Lewis & Clark Caverns
Whitehall, Montana
10.9 miles E of Whitehall, MontanaLewis & Clark Caverns State Park combines colorful guided cave tours at a constant 48°F with mountain biking, year-round fishing, and camping in 3,015 scenic Montana acres.
Camp, Canoe, Cave, Hike, Mountain Bike
Fall Creek Falls
Swan Valley, Idaho
2.1 miles SW of Swan Valley, IdahoA shaded Snake River campground near Swan Valley with abundant wildlife, great trout fishing, and Fall Creek Falls a quarter-mile away.
Camp, Cave, Hike, Kayak, Swim 0.2-0.4 mi
Snow Canyon State Park
St. George, Utah
8.4 miles NW of St. George, UtahA smaller, quieter cousin to Zion, Snow Canyon offers mountain biking, rock climbing, caving, and desert exploration near the Tuacahn amphitheater outside St. George.
Cave, Hike, Mountain Bike, Rock Climb
Dead Horse Cave
Gooding, Idaho
8.0 miles NW of Gooding, IdahoDead Horse Cave is an accessible 150-yard lava tube on the desert northwest of Gooding, Idaho — steps in, a big chamber, and a cool 56F year-round.
Cave
McKinney Butte Lava Tubes
Gooding, Idaho
8.2 miles NW of Gooding, IdahoTwo forking lava tubes near Bliss — one open to anyone, the other gated (BLM permit required) — that survived the Bonneville Flood and a 1993 landslide.
Camp, Cave
Clay Caves North
Eden, Idaho
4.5 miles W of Eden, IdahoA giant lava tube near Eden that opens up dramatically after a lower-clearance entrance — goes back a quarter to half mile and works as a primitive spring campsite.
Cave
T Cave
West Magic, Idaho
1.5 miles S of West Magic, IdahoA cave just north of Gwinn and Mammoth Cave in West Magic, Idaho — enter and travel back about 300 yards to a large T-junction with passages extending roughly a quarter mile each way.
Cave
Mallory Cave
Boulder, Colorado
3.0 miles S of Boulder, ColoradoA hike from the NCAR parking lot to the Mesa Trail and a final 100-foot rock climb into a cave — skip if there's ice or snow on the approach, and follow the signs carefully.
Cave, Hike
Bear Trap Cave
American Falls, Idaho
28.7 miles NW of American Falls, IdahoA lava tube estimated to be 15,000 years old, traceable for nearly 15 miles, originating from the Great Rift near Craters of the Moon — a window into Idaho's volcanic past.
Cave
Palmer Lake Ice Cave
Palmer Lake, Colorado
1.0 miles W of Palmer Lake, ColoradoAt least 500 feet of crawlways under a boulder pile near Palmer Lake — expect ice at the entrance in winter and water flow in spring that can make access tricky.
Cave
Gargantua
Crowsnest, Alberta, Canada
3.4 miles SW of Crowsnest, Alberta, CanadaCanada's largest natural cavern — 290 meters long, 30 meters wide, 25 meters high — inside a limestone plateau cave system with over 6,000 meters of passage.
Cave
Montezuma Mines
Kanab, Utah
15.2 miles NE of Kanab, UtahMontezuma Mines is one of southern Utah's most intriguing underground adventures — a network of hand-dug tunnels and sandstone caves carved into a hillside in Johnson Canyon, east of Kanab,...
Cave, Hike 0.8 mi
Moqui Caverns
Kanab, Utah
5.1 miles N of Kanab, UtahRare sandstone erosion caves with fluorescent rocks, ancient Anasazi and Navajo ruins, hieroglyphs, and dinosaur tracks — all on a short 0.9-mile hike just 5.5 miles north of Kanab.
Cave, Hike
Kimama Wind Caves
Paul, Idaho
12.1 miles NW of Paul, IdahoA labyrinth of lava tubes in the desert north of Paul — tight crawls, varying ceiling heights, and graffiti throughout — strictly for experienced cavers with proper lights.
Camp, Cave
Owl Cave
Fuller, Idaho
6.2 miles N of Fuller, IdahoA massive lava tube near the Spider Caves and Dead Horse Cave — closed seasonally November through May, with a gated entrance and a long passage to explore when open.
Cave
