Named for stone rings left behind by ancestral Shoshone tribes, Indian Tunnel is one of the few lava tubes visitors are allowed to explore without a guide. Formed by rivers of lava, the hardened shell of the tube was left empty as the lava moved away, leaving small caves beneath the baking black surface of the Arco Desert at Craters of the Moon National Monument in central Idaho. Thirty feet high, fifty feet wide, and around 800 feet long, my sister and I spent some time exploring this lava tube during our visit to the monument, where we listened to rock doves coo from recessed alcoves in the cave's ceiling. You wouldn't think there would be much water in the desert, and you'd be right if you were at surface level. Get below ground, however, and you find a cool respite from the desert heat and enough water to allow passersby to survive. Craters of the Moon stayed with us from the first time we visited more than ten years ago with our family, and my sister and I were eager to revist on last summer's adventure. Though we didn't get too much spelunking in during our time, we didn't leave disappointed. I can't wait till we can go back!
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