Darby Canyon is one of the great hikes on the quiet "backside" of the Tetons, a stunning glacial canyon in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness above Alta, Wyoming, that leads to a genuine natural wonder: the Darby Wind Cave. The trail climbs through classic Teton high country of wildflower meadows and towering limestone walls to a gaping cave mouth that exhales a steady cold wind, and for those equipped for it, connects to a hidden ice cave deeper in the mountain. It's a family-friendly hike with a spectacular payoff and, beyond the cave entrance, a serious technical challenge.

The hike runs about 6.2 miles out and back, rated moderately challenging, and takes most people around three and a half hours, best done from June through October once the snow clears. The trailhead sits at the end of Darby Canyon Road, roughly 20 minutes from Driggs across the Idaho line. The route gains steadily through forest and meadow to the mouth of the Wind Cave, a huge portal in the limestone that anyone can walk into for about 100 yards without needing to crawl, duck low, or wear a helmet, which makes the cave entrance a reasonable goal even for families.

Beyond that first stretch, the cave changes character completely. The Wind Cave is labyrinthine and connects through steep drop-offs to a nearby ice cave, and going deep is genuinely technical: it requires ropes, rappelling and real caving experience, the passages feature several large drops, and the exit is known to freeze over, which can trap unprepared explorers. The cold wind that gives the cave its name pours out of that ice-bound interior. In spring, water flows intensely from the cave; by fall it's a trickle. Treat anything past the easy entrance as expert terrain.

The setting is pure Teton wilderness, and the canyon is beautiful in its own right even if you never step inside the cave. Wildflowers peak in July, and the limestone scenery and creek make the hike a worthy destination regardless.

Bring layers for the cold air at the cave mouth (it's chilly even in summer), sturdy footwear for the rocky approach, a headlamp if you plan to poke into the entrance, plenty of water and sun protection for the exposed meadows, and good judgment about where to stop. This is bear country, so standard precautions apply. For a moderate hike to a wind-breathing cave in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness, with the option to turn back at the easy entrance or, for experts, press into the ice beyond, Darby Canyon is one of the Teton region's most memorable outings.