Description
Tucked in the high desert south of Boise near Flagstaff Butte in Ada County, Higby Cave (likely the intended “Higgle Cave”) is a historic lava tube for curious adventure motorcycle riders.
This roughly 1,100-foot cave with 10–16 ft ceilings once drew spelunkers, but the entrance area and surrounding public lands within 1,000 feet were permanently closed to vehicle access and public use in 2010 for resource protection. Dual-sport and ADV riders can view the remote desert setting from nearby maintained gravel roads off routes between Boise and Mountain Home. Respect all closures, stay on open BLM roads, pack in/pack out, and enjoy the surrounding high-desert scenery from a safe distance.
More Information
Coordinates: 43.295418, -116.132334
Elevation: 3270 ft
Difficulty: 3
What to Expect:
Check In
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1 Check-In
This one confused me. Came across the desert from Guffey Bridge and ended up on the firing range for the air force base. Made me wonder if it was okay to be here or not. Then finally got to the cave area and hit a sign saying it has been closed to the public for over 15 years. Not sure if I did it wrong but that's as far as this one went. Then had to back track 16 miles to get around the base to get back to the freeway.
The Nat'l Guard range roads are public and I've ridden them a lot. There's a road from down around Swan Falls that goes along the west side of the training range and gets you to Grand View. There's a spur off that road (Baja Road) that gets you back to the loop that goes around the training range. The National Guard patrols the road so make sure to stay on it. You can see some cool stuff out there one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year. 🙂