Lava River Cave is set to close early this year to allow for the reconstruction of stairs and the boardwalk in the popular attraction south of Bend.

The Deschutes National Forest plans to close the cave for the season on Sept. 8, forest officials announced Tuesday. The cave should reopen in May 2015.

The early closure will allow construction work to be done before migratory bats move into the cave and hibernate over winter. The cave normally doesn’t close for the season until the end of September.