By Julianna Cockrell

POCATELLO—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is hosting visitors at the recently completed Pocatello, Idaho Temple at 3100 Butte Street in Pocatello. The temple is open to visitors until October 23. Tour times are 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. 

To participate in the open house, visitors must reserve a time slot online. Visitors will park at one of four churches near the temple. Parking locations are specified with the online reservation. Buses take the visitors from the church parking lots to the temple. Before leaving the parking lot, visitors are asked to leave bags and purses in their cars. Any bags brought are searched at the temple’s entrance. 

Once at the temple, visitors enter a makeshift lobby area. Volunteers put white shoe covers over the visitor’s shoes. Masks are provided here and are highly encouraged. The visitors then enter the temple in small groups. An usher guides the groups through the temple in a silent tour. The tour takes about 30 minutes. The tours are wheelchair accessible. 

In the end, visitors exit the temple. Ushers stand outside to answer any questions people may have had on the tour. Papers are provided for visitors to write their thoughts about the tour and testimony of the temple. These responses may be added to the temple’s cornerstone time capsule. Buses then take the visitors back to their cars. 

The open house will be closed on October 2 in observance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ bi-annual General Conference.

Construction began on the Pocatello Temple in the spring of 2019, after being announced by then-church president Thomas S. Monson in April 2017.

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