Minnetonka Cave

Minnetonka Cave is a limestone cave a half-mile long of which 1,800 feet has been developed for guided tours to the public. The elevation of the cave is 7,700 feet. It is located on the Cache National Forest near St. Charles, Idaho, and is administered by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Montpelier Ranger District.

The cave is used by the Townsend big-eared bat, and the season of operation is managed to consider the hibernation of this sensitive species.

The tours take visitors past lit cave formations and through its large, winding passages. The tours require walking in 40 degree air for just more than a half-mile and up and down 444 stone or metal steps. The tours last approximately 90 minutes.

Guides provided by Scenic Canyons stay with the tour going in and going out of the cave. Tours are staggered so multiple tours are in the cave at the same time. Scenic Canyons employs 11 tour guides and managers, and three part-time maintenance personnel in the Minnetonka Cave operations. From late June to early August, hour-long waits are common.