Aviator’s Cave is a collapsed lava tube on the Idaho National Laboratory in Eastern Idaho. Because of its location on a secure government research facility, it has not been accessible to the general public for decades therefore artifacts remained in place and undisturbed. The massive lava flows in the area and the low rainfall do not support much vegetation other than sagebrush and some grasses. Plus the cave is miles away from the nearest permanent water source limiting the length of use of the cave. However there are few shallow basins, called “playas” in the region that often fill with water in the spring. These playas seasonally attract a wide range of wildlife ranging from bison to migratory waterfowl (photo used by permission of the Idaho National Laboratory and the Idaho Museum of Natural History).
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