The Darby Canyon Trail, a few miles outside of Driggs, is a great adventure with the Darby Win-d Cave waiting to be explored just two and a half miles from the trailhead.
Be sure to bring your camera because the semi-steep trail weaves through meadows, forests and the occasional waterfall – all with constant, breath-taking views.
The trail gets steeper the closer you get to the mouth of the cave, and at some point, you will want to cross the river at the shallow part. Keep in mind that the rocks that aid the crossing, although mostly flat, will be slippery.
The wind cave has a large, inverted pyramid opening. No matter how warm the weather is outside of the opening, chances are that the cave itself will be quite chilly. Many recommend bringing an extra sweatshirt and pair of pants to wear inside of the cave to fend off the cold.
Remember to bring some sort of headlamp or flashlight with you, or you will literally be kept in the dark about all the cool features the cave has.
In the cave, you’ll come across a small hole with strong gusts of wind coming through it (this is the windy part of the wind cave). Without rope, repelling equipment and a lack of claustrophobia, you won’t make it very far into the cave, but it is still a great place to explore.
For those with technical ice climbing knowledge, the Darby Canyon Ice Cave is just a mile up the trail from the wind cave and is an experience all its own.
If you don’t take the fork in the Darby Canyon Trail to the caves, the path continues on to Fox Creek Trail and Teton Crest Trail.