Hidden beneath New Mexico’s hot desert, the Bandera Volcano Ice Cave stays frozen at 31°F (minus 0.6°C) all year. Inside, ice up to 20 feet thick carpets the floor, preserved for over 3,400 years. This makes it one of the oldest ice caves still intact in the United States. While the desert outside scorches in summer, this cave offers a chilly surprise. The cave is a lava tube formed when molten lava flowed beneath the surface during eruptions. The top lava cooled and hardened, but the molten lava below drained away, leaving a hollow tunnel. This unique shape traps cold air inside and keeps desert heat out. Snowmelt and rain flow in, freezing quickly to create thick layers of ice over centuries. Despite the cold, life exists here. Arctic algae cover the icy floor in a bright blue-green layer. Paul Mauermann, an environmental educator, says, "It’s tiny life holding its own in extreme conditions. You wouldn’t expect it in a desert, yet it’s there." The Bandera Volcano is now dormant, but its lava flows, stretching 23 miles, show the power of past eruptions. The ice cave serves as a natural lab where scientists study ice, microbes, and volcanic geology all together. Visitors are drawn to this eerie, quiet world that feels like the Arctic inside a desert mountain. It’s a frozen time capsule hidden in plain sight.