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Crawford State Park - Gardner Cave

Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range
48.9946, -117.3705 Map & Directions
Length
1.0 miles, roundtrip
Elevation Gain
200 feet
Highest Point
2,700 feet
Calculated Difficulty About Calculated Difficulty
Easy

The park is closed for the winter season. It will reopen in mid-May 2026.

Gardner Cave. Photo by WalkingWild. Full-size image
  • Good for kids

Parking Pass/Entry Fee

Discover Pass
Saved to My Backpack

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

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Hiking 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.

Hike Description Written by
Holly Weiler, WTA Correspondent

Crawford State Park - Gardner Cave

Map & Directions

Trailhead
Co-ordinates: 48.9946, -117.3705 Open in Google Maps

Before You Go

The park is closed for the winter season. It will reopen in mid-May 2026.

See weather forecast

Parking Pass/Entry Fee

Discover Pass

WTA Pro Tip: Save a copy of our directions before you leave! App-based driving directions aren't always accurate and data connections may be unreliable as you drive to the trailhead.

Getting There

From Spokane, take Highway 2 north to Highway 211, and turn left. Continue on to Highway 20, and turn left again, heading north. At Tiger, Highway 20 turns left to Colville, but you should continue heading north on SR 31. Follow signs to Ione, Metaline and Metaline Falls. Once in Metaline, follow highway signs to Crawford State Park.

More Hike Details

Trailhead

Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range

Washington State Parks

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Crawford State Park - Gardner Cave

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