One of the side effects of living near the Dry Canyon, created by ancient lava flows from the Newberry Volcano, is the presence of caves dispersed throughout the city.

The Redmond Caves, located east of downtown near the Redmond Airport, features five explorable caverns that vary in size.

The cave system was first excavated on a whim by members of the Redmond Lions Club in 1954 via ‘Scoopmobile,’ a primitive front-loading tractor.

John Berning led the speleological expedition, which also included Jack Elliott, Joe Brown, Don Gunderson, James Smith, Beni Galligan, Jack Morris and Carl Martin. These men worked to unearth each of the caves using a “scoopmobile” to tediously remove the pounds of dirt and rocks that stood in their way.

What most people don’t know is that the caves go much further and there is evidence of a much larger lava cave system beneath the city. In fact, there are caves everywhere, most of which are kept secret because they’re on private property or have yet to be discovered. The tubes are thought to extend from Dry Canyon all the way to the caves at Juniper Preserve.

April 8, 1954 edition of the Redmond Spokesman describes the newly rediscovered Redmond Caves were found by the Lions Club. Members of the club supposedly dug 30-50 feet into the silt and pumice sand to uncover the mouth of one cave. They then found four more.

The caves had once served as a shelter and a cultural space for indigenous tribes, evidenced by findings of artifacts like arrowheads and an assortment of primitive tools. Usage of the caves is believed to date back over 6,000 years ago.

Upon the rediscovery of the caves, Redmond initially eyed the spot for storing their famed potatoes. There were also talks of using the caves as a mushroom growing operation and even a museum.

Pets are not allowed in the caves and there are no public restrooms. There is a small gravel parking lot on the north shoulder of Airport Way. All five caves remain open for the public to explore and can be found 0.8 miles south of the Redmond Airport.