Minnetonka Cave

In 2008 I went with my mother to the Minnetonka Cave near the Utah-Idaho border. I read an article in the newspaper about it and within an hour we were headed up. The roundtrip was about 240 miles. In 1906 a hunter shot a grouse and when he went to pick it up he could feel a current of cold air. He found a small opening in the cave and the next day brought up seven people with lanterns to search the cave.

In 1938 the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal agency, developed the mine to allow for visitors. Three areas were expanded, including the entrance. The crew added lights, handrails and steps at a cost of $17,000 which was a significant amount at the time. Tours began in 1941 but were put on hold during World War II. Today, a private company handles the tours with permission from the Forest Service.

It is the largest limestone cave in Idaho and is filled with stalagmites and stalactites. An early name was Porcupine Cave because in 1912 some Boy Scouts found a dead porcupine in the cave. The bones are still on display. The cave was later renamed to Minnetonka, which is a Native American word for "falling water" because of the dripping ceiling. It is believed that the water runs into an underground lake.

Parts of the cave are about 300 feet below the surface and the entrance is the only known passage out of it. The cave is divided into sections or rooms and has been opened to 1800 feet. Another 1200 feet of the cave was never developed, partly because of all the material that would need to be removed and it is believed the tour is long enough already. Some of the stalagmites and stalactites look similar to other objects and because of this were given various nicknames. There is one that looks like fingers on a hand and another that looks like a bird with an egg just above it. They only grow at about a half-inch every 100 years and eventually the ones on the floor and ceiling will meet. They mainly occur in limestone caves.

The company has a website with tour information. If anyone from Utah is interested in visiting, I recommend you go on northbound I-15 until you reach Brigham City and then follow Highway 89 to Bear Lake.