Entry No. 61 — the Boise file — filed under: oddities

Idaho's Mammoth Cave & Shoshone Bird Museum of Natural History

A classic high-desert roadside stop eight miles north of Shoshone on Highway 75, where a self-guided lava-tube cave tour pairs with a wildly eclectic natural history museum. Around 40 to 50 free-range peacocks roam the grounds, and giant mysterious stone faces flank the entrance. The Shoshone Bird Museum displays mounted birds from around the world alongside butterflies, fish, dinosaur fossils, Stone Age and Native American artifacts. The cave walk runs about a quarter mile in and back out and takes roughly half an hour.

The move: Tour the cool lava tube, then dodge strutting peacocks while gawking at the floor-to-ceiling taxidermy and fossils in the museum.

📍 Before you go Open daily 10am-6pm May through Labor Day, then weekends only until closing for winter around late September.

• 📍 Shoshone
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 251 W Thorn Creek Rd, Shoshone, ID 83352

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24