SHOSHONE, Idaho — The Idaho Mammoth cave and Shoshone Bird Museum of Natural History near Shoshone opens April 2. The cave and museum will be open Friday through Sunday every weekend till full schedule starts in May.
The Lava cave was first discovered by Richard Olsen in 1954 while bobcat hunting with his high school sweetheart. The quarter-mile-long cave since then has become a local tourist site for Idahoans and people around the world to discover.
Richard Olsen passed away in 2019 and his daughter Katie Olsen has taken over as managing owner. She says her job is to keep her fathers spirit alive through this cave and museum.
"That is my goal, is to continue on his legacy. It was his dream to share his love with history and nature and different cultures around the world. He loved doing that and we want to continue doing too."
The cave tour is self guided so you can explore it for as long as you like, Olsen said it gives you a sense of adventure.
"It’s definitely and adventure you get to not only see everything from around the world in the museum but you get to go underground in one of the largest volcanic caves in the world," she said.
