The Kuna Caves are underground lava tubes located in Kuna, Idaho. These lava tubes were formed when lava flowed freely underground and were left hollow when the volcano became extinct.

The Kuna Caves have one entrance. Spelunkers climb down a caged ladder at the entrance of the cave to descend into the lava tube. The decent is about 50 feet. The ladder and cave system are unmaintained so visitors should take safety precautions when exploring the Kuna Caves.

Once at the bottom of the cave the tunnel extends about a quarter mile to the north and a quarter mile to the south. Both directions have places where explorers can stand and walk and tighter places where explorers must crawl. The cave is a cool 56 degrees year round. Spelunkers should bring their own flashlights or lanterns. 

This area is called the Kuna Caves because the single remaining cave used to be a part of a much larger system that is now inaccessible. The remaining cave system has graffiti and litter along the cave. Parking is available on the dirt road at the cave entrance. 

Kuna Cave is an exciting lava tube to explore and enjoy climbing and crawling around in. Visitors and locals in Idaho can enjoy this unique adventure in the dusty desert.

Gore's Cave is a remote desert lava tube hidden in the high-desert plains southeast of Boise, Idaho — a hollow volcanic tunnel left behind by molten lava that once flowed across the Snake River Plain. For Boise-area explorers willing to venture off the beaten path, it's a genuine slice of underground adventure: a cool, dark cave carved entirely by ancient volcanic activity, far from the crowds.

Like Idaho's other lava tubes, Gore's Cave formed when a river of molten rock crusted over on the surface while the lava beneath kept flowing and eventually drained away, leaving a tube-shaped cavern in its wake. The result is a rugged, rocky passage to pick your way through — the kind of place that rewards a sense of adventure and a good light.

Getting there is part of the challenge. The cave lies out in the open desert south of Boise, reached by heading south on Pleasant Valley Road and navigating the dirt tracks beyond — a high-clearance vehicle and a reliable map or GPS are strongly recommended, since there's little signage and the desert roads can be rough. Note that the area sits near the Orchard military training range, so watch for posted signs and stay well clear of any restricted or active zones.

Inside, there's more to see than you might expect for a desert lava tube. Explorers describe “lava candles” and other drip formations along the walls and ceiling, along with sparkling crystal formations, and a few tight side rooms worth a crawl if you don't mind squeezing. A curious feature is the strong wind that whips out of the entrance — a sign the cave connects to other openings underground. Note that some visitors have found the main passage partly collapsed or filled in over the years, so conditions can change, and the entrance, while right along the road, can be genuinely hard to spot.

One serious warning: this is prime rattlesnake country. Multiple visitors report seeing lots of rattlesnakes here, especially in the warmer months, so watch carefully where you step and put your hands, both around the entrance and inside the cave.

Come prepared for true backcountry caving. Bring at least two light sources (a headlamp plus a backup), wear a helmet and sturdy closed-toe shoes, and pack a layer, since the cave stays cool even when the desert above is baking. There's no water, no shade, and no cell service out here, so carry plenty of water, tell someone your plans, and never explore a cave alone. Watch your footing on the loose, rocky floor.

For those who like their adventures a little off-grid, Gore's Cave delivers — a quiet, otherworldly lava tube in the wide-open Idaho desert, and a reminder of the volcanic forces that shaped this whole corner of the state. Pack your lights, bring a friend, and leave it just as wild as you found it.

Eureka Cave is one of the most accessible and adventurous lava tubes near Mountain Home, Idaho — a genuine cave you can climb down into and explore, no guided tour required. Carved by molten rock thousands of years ago, this volcanic tunnel is a window into Idaho's fiery geologic past and a favorite outing for explorers, families, and anyone curious about what lies beneath the high-desert sagebrush.

The cave is a classic lava tube: long ago a river of lava crusted over on top while the molten rock inside kept flowing and drained away, leaving a hollow tunnel behind. Over time a section of the ceiling collapsed, creating the open entrance you scramble down through today. Inside, the passage splits — the north side pinches out after a short crawl of about 50 feet, while the south passage opens into a big, dark tunnel that runs a couple hundred feet back before ending in a jumble of collapsed rock (what cavers call “breakdown”).

Dropping into the entrance is half the adventure. Climbing gear can help, but most reasonably fit visitors can make the descent by taking it slow and keeping three points of contact on the rocky breakdown at the mouth. Once you're in, the temperature drops, the light fades, and you're walking through a passage shaped entirely by flowing lava — bring a good headlamp (plus a backup), wear sturdy closed-toe shoes, and pack a layer, since caves stay cool year-round.

Eureka Cave sits about five miles east of Mountain Home. From I-84 take Exit 95 and head north on Highway 20, then turn onto Worth Lee Road and follow it as the pavement gives way to a maintained dirt road for roughly four and a half miles to the cave turnoff. That last stretch is rough — a high-clearance or 4WD vehicle is the way to go, and if the road looks too gnarly, it's only about a half-mile walk to the entrance from there.

Inside, there's more to find than just the main tunnel. Keep your eyes open for small offshoots and side crawls branching off the passage, and for the mineral formations on the walls that reward a closer look with your headlamp. The cave has its share of wildlife, too — visitors have spotted bats, mice, frogs, and pigeons inside, and snake trails in the dirt near the entrance in warm weather — so watch where you put your hands and give any critters their space. Regulars compare the vibe to the well-known Kuna Caves: straightforward, genuinely fun, and hard to get lost in.

One honest note: because it's easy to reach and free to visit, Eureka Cave has long been a local hangout, and it's picked up its share of litter and graffiti over the years. Do the cave a favor — pack out everything you bring in (and maybe a little extra), skip the spray paint, and leave it better than you found it so the next explorers get the same thrill. Bring friends, bring lights, and come see one of the Mountain Home area's coolest underground adventures.

Dead Horse Cave is an accessible lava tube out on the high desert northwest of Gooding, Idaho — part of the same volcanic cave country, formed by the ancient lava flows of the Snake River Plain, as nearby Tea Kettle Cave. A lava tube forms when the surface of a lava flow cools and hardens into a crust while the still-molten rock beneath drains away, leaving a long hollow tunnel behind. Dead Horse is one of the more family-friendly examples in the area: a set of steps leads right down into the entrance, which opens into a large, spacious chamber roughly 150 yards long, with a cool, steady temperature around 56°F year-round.

The cave has an unusually storied past, starting with its grim name. In the open-range days, wild horses galloping across the flat desert would occasionally drop through the hole in the tube's roof — a collapse in the ceiling that's invisible until you're nearly on top of it — and their bones collected on the floor below. In later years, the local Odd Fellows fraternal order is said to have held ceremonies down in the chamber, and you'll still find their concrete benches on the cave floor today, a curious relic in the middle of nowhere.

It makes a great outing for families and first-time cavers. The big, walkable chamber is easy to explore, and kids love it — a favorite game is to run ahead into the dark and jump out to spook the group. You do need light to enjoy the whole thing, though, so make sure everyone carries their own.

The cave sits about 11 miles from Gooding: head north a couple of miles, then west, following GPS toward Dead Horse Cave Road. The final stretch is a rough two-track that's impassable when wet, so go in dry conditions and consider a higher-clearance vehicle. There's no fee or permit required.

Inside, the chamber is refreshingly roomy — you can walk upright through most of it — and the collapsed skylight in the roof throws a shaft of daylight onto the rubble pile below, a dramatic touch that makes the place feel part cave, part cathedral. Beyond that pool of light the tube runs back into true darkness, which is where the flashlights come in.

Dead Horse sits in a whole neighborhood of volcanic features across the black-rock desert south of the Snake River. If you're making the drive out, it pairs well with the area's other lava tubes and desert oddities — just bring extra water and a full tank of gas, since services are sparse and the lava plains stretch for miles in every direction.

Standard cave gear applies: bring at least two light sources per person, wear sturdy shoes and a warm layer (it's chilly inside no matter how hot the desert above), and watch your footing on the rocky, uneven floor. Take nothing but pictures, and leave the cave — benches, bones, and all — exactly as you found it, so the next explorers can share the same sense of discovery.

Owl Cave is located out by the Dead Horse Cave and Spider  Caves (Mckinley Butte Lava Tubes). Owl Cave is about 100 yards from Spider Cave and is also closed Seasonally from Nov-May but ocassionally open longer This is a massive lava tube as you enter you will climb up in to a gate you enter through the gate when open and goes back a good ways great cave to explore

Smith's Crack is one of the most unusual — and most demanding — caves near Mountain Home, Idaho. Unlike the region's many walk-in lava tubes, this is a lava fissure: a deep crack that opened as a lava flow cooled and contracted, leaving a narrow, vertical, maze-like cave that plunges toward the bottom of the flow. It's a genuine adventure and a local favorite among experienced cavers, but it is emphatically not a beginner's cave. (You may also see it labeled “Devil's Hole” on some maps — a misnomer for this same fissure.)

From the entrance near one corner of the opening, the route works its way down and through a series of rooms and passages. For the most part arrows mark the way, but the entrances and exits between chambers can be genuinely hard to find, so plan on spending a couple of hours underground. Just before the cave bottoms out at the base of the lava flow there's a serious 20-foot vertical drop; from there the passage gradually regains elevation and eventually leads to an exit about 100 yards north of where you started.

Take the danger seriously. Cavers who've done Smith's Crack describe it as thrilling but no joke — there are multiple drops and climbs where a slip or a grabbed loose rock could cause a serious or even fatal fall. Add in slick surfaces, tight squeezes, and the disorientation of an underground maze, and this is a cave that demands real caving experience, good judgment, and ideally someone along who already knows the route. It should never be a first cave, and no one should go alone.

A few specific cautions from those who've been: don't go during wet seasons, when the rock is slicker and conditions more dangerous; wear a helmet and gloves and use sturdy footwear; and be ready for the grime — the cave collects bird droppings, fungus, and unfortunately some trash, and snakes have been seen near the entrance in warm weather. Bring at least two reliable light sources per person, since it's pitch dark and both hands are often needed to climb.

A bit of geology makes the visit richer. Fissure caves like Smith's Crack are relatively rare compared with the walk-through lava tubes that dot the Snake River Plain — they form along cracks and faults in the cooling basalt rather than from a drained lava river, which is why the passage is so vertical and maze-like rather than a simple tunnel. That character is exactly what makes it thrilling for experienced cavers and dangerous for the unprepared.

Come prepared, go with an experienced group, tell someone your plans, and follow the arrows carefully both in and out. For skilled, careful cavers, Smith's Crack delivers a genuinely exciting descent into Idaho's volcanic underworld — but it rewards respect and punishes carelessness, so treat it accordingly, and help keep it clean by packing out everything you bring.