How Exploring Multiple Idaho Caves Can Be A Bad Idea

Summer is one of the best times to get out and explore all that Idaho has to offer. For those who love the outdoors and nature, exploring Idaho’s caves is a favorite pastime. But, if you’re thinking of exploring caves regularly and making it a hobby, you’ll want to be extra careful.

White Nose Syndrome

What sounds like a code for someone with a drug problem, is actually a dangerous illness that can infect bats that live inside caves. According to Hwy.co, there are reportedly “27 significant caves in the Gem State, although the region around Craters of the Moon has more than 400 small caverns, with five open to the public.”

If you plan on exploring these caves, you’ll want to remember what items you bring to each one. According to information on Minnetonka Cave, Idaho’s deepest cave at Recreation.org:

To keep White Nose Syndrome (a bat illness) from spreading into Minnetonka Cave, please DO NOT wear clothing or hand carried items into Minnetonka Cave that you have worn or carried in any other cave or mine. These items include boots, hats, purses, cameras, backpacks, jewelry, and cell phones.

The one item that stands out among the rest is the cell phone. Think about it – we all take our phones everywhere and how many people are actually leaving their phones when exploring a place like Minnetonka Cave? We know there are safety precautions to keep us (and the bats) all safe; but to not bring your phone, especially to a Minnetonka Cave, sounds like how a horror movie starts.

Let’s take a closer look at one of the deepest caves in Idaho, Minnetonka Cave.