Crawford State Park - Gardner Cave

Descend 90 feet beneath the surface on a guided tour of the third-longest limestone cave in Washington.

In 1899, homesteader Ed Gardner’s horse stumbled into the sinkhole that now marks the entrance to his namesake cave. Legend has it that Gardner used the cave as his base for a bootlegging business, until a streak of bad luck at poker resulted in the loss of his deed to William Crawford, who ultimately signed the property over to Washington State Parks.

The geologic history of the cave is far older, of course. About 500 million years ago, the site was ocean floor. The shells of dead sea creatures decomposed into an ooze that would eventually become limestone. The uplift of the Selkirk Mountains caused the limestone sediment to fold and crack. Later, as water seeped and dripped into the cavern through the calcium-rich limestone, an array of deposit formations began growing into unique and interesting cave features.

Stalactites, like icicles, cling to the cave roof. Stalagmites build from the cave floor up. Where the two meet, a column is formed. The 7.8-ton Gardner Cave column is the largest in the Pacific Northwest. Human imagination has led to the naming of several other formations: the Frozen Waterfall, Christmas Tree (dated to 90,000 years), Roast Turkey, Lopsided Wedding Cake, Queen’s Throne and the Frog.

Cave Tours

Tours are offered every Thursday through Monday at 10 a.m., 12 noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., from May through mid-September. A Discover Pass required to park, but the tours themselves are free. You need to schedule ahead of time though! Call the park at 509-238-4258

Wear a jacket, as the cave is a constant 41 to 43 degrees. Never touch the cave walls, as this causes irreparable damage to calcite growth.