Visit Iron Door Cave, Joshua Tree National Park, California

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Iron Door Cave  (IDC) is under a giant boulder in Hidden Valley's Wonderland of Rocks. The cave has an iron door at the opening - hence the name. Once through the door, the room inside is open enough to stand up in. To find it head past the northern campsite in Hidden Valley and look for a "big, round boulder." :). It's directky northwest of the Tidal Wave Boulder. Walk around to the east side, go down the steps and enter through the door into the cave. The real mystery of Iron Door Cave is who built it and why. What was it used for? There are two stories. One relates that a local rancher installed the iron door, creating a prison cell where he kept his "deranged" son locked up. Another claims that Bill Keys built the enclosure to store dynamite. Some believe it could be a combination of the two stories. My guess is that it was used to store something of importance, something that needed to be kept safe from animals and weather. The iron bar was probably used to keep the door from blowing open during storms. Regardless of who made it or what it was used for, it's one of the many mysteries that J Tree holds. You never know what you'll discover in the desert and that's a good reason to go see what you can find.

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