Boyd Cave facts for kids

Boyd Cave is a cool lava tube located in Deschutes County, Oregon, in the United States. It's found inside the Deschutes National Forest, close to the city of Bend, and sits on the side of Newberry Volcano. This cave is a popular spot for exploring and learning about geology.

How Boyd Cave Formed

Boyd Cave is super old! It formed between 75,000 and 400,000 years ago. It's a type of cave called a lava tube. These caves are created when hot, flowing lava cools on the outside, forming a crust, while the lava inside keeps flowing away. This leaves behind a hollow tunnel.

What You See Inside

Like Skeleton Cave, Boyd Cave is a really well-preserved lava tube. You can see cool wavy patterns, called pahoehoe flow structures, on its walls, ceiling, and floor. These patterns show how the lava moved when it was still liquid. But unlike Skeleton Cave, some parts of Boyd Cave's roof are quite thin, less than 3 feet thick!

Exploring the Cave

You get into the cave through a large opening, like a skylight, that's about 10 feet wide. There's a stairway to help you go down. Most of the cave is easy to walk through. However, about two-thirds of the way in, there's a small section where you might need to crawl on your hands and knees for about 10 feet.

Connection to Other Caves

Boyd Cave is actually part of the same ancient lava flow that created Skeleton Cave. It even seems to trend in the direction of Skeleton Cave's Bear Passage. This shows how massive and connected these underground lava systems can be!

History of Boyd Cave

Boyd Cave is one of several interesting caves found off China Hat Road. Long ago, cavers (people who explore caves) in the area knew it as Coyote Butte Cave. This was because it was near a cinder cone called Coyote Butte.

How It Got Its Name

The cave got its official name from a former employee of the Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company. He reportedly discovered it in the late 1920s. The Forest Service officially certified the name around 1970.

Cave Access and Tours

The first stairway into the cave was made of wood and built in 1969. It was later replaced with a stronger steel stairway in the 1970s. Today, if you want to explore Boyd Cave with a guide, Wanderlust Tours is the only company allowed to lead tours there.