The Civil Defense Caves

24 miles North of Rexburg.

The name comes from the cold war era. From the 1950’s to late 70’s , the local government  had a plan in place to use the caves as a fallout shelter in case of a nuclear strike.

The entrance to the cave actually has two routes, aptly named the Hard Way and the Easy Way.   They are conveniently labeled at the mouth of the cave, and you can choose whichever suits your fancy. The Easy Way takes you in a big loop, so you end up where you started.  The Hard Way takes a sharp left shortly after the entrance and eventually you pop out another entrance a quarter mile away, or so.

Entrance to the Civil Defense Caves

The road to the Civil Defense Caves is a very rough dirt road. It may be traversable in a passenger car in late summer, as long as there haven’t been any recent rain storms.  However it is recommended that you go in a truck or other 4-wheel drive vehicle.

How to get to the Civil Defense Caves:

1. From Rexburg: Head North on 2nd East, (past Wal-mart) and continue North till you reach the red blinking light (500 North).
2. At the light, reset your travel odometer (so you can gauge how far you travel from this point).
3. Continue North through the red light for 10.6 miles exactly.
4. Turn right on the little dirt road (there is no sign).
5. Follow the dirt road for 4 miles.
6. Turn left at the fork in the road.  Continue 1 more mile, and you will reach a dirt parking lot.  The cave will be straight in front of you.