Burn Ban - Level 1

Fires allowed in all designated fire pits and grills. Propane and gas grills allowed.

A metal walkway sits above the formations inside of the cave.
A metal staircase leads the way down into the cave with moss covered rocks at the bottom.
Two picnic tables in a small grove with spots of light shining through the trees.
The staircase leading down into Gardner Cave sits behind a fence and gate in a wooded area with small bushes growing around the sides.
The interior of the cave is lit with two bright lights and a narrow pathway leads to a stairwell going deeper into the cave.

Crawford State Park Heritage Site

10381 Boundary Road, Metaline Falls, WA 99153

Crawford State Park is a 40-acre forested day use park home to Gardner Cave, one of Washington's longest limestone caves, offering easy access to an intriguing underground landscape.

Rules

  • Dogs Allowed on Leash
  • Fires Allowed in Designated Areas

Gardner Cave tours are closed for the season. Reservations for cave tours will be available in April.

To help ensure that your tour of Gardner Cave is safe and enjoyable, please keep in mind:

  • Wear a light jacket or sweater. The cave temperature is 39 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Bring a flashlight. Although the cave is lit, extra lighting allows you to peer into corners and adds to your enjoyment.
  • Flash photography is allowed.
  • Do not touch the cave formations.
  • Do not take pets into the cave.
  • Smoking inside of the cave is not allowed.

Activities

Bird Watching

Hiking, Walking, Rolling and Running

Amenities

Drinking Water

Restrooms

Picnic Shelters

Picnic Tables

Parking

Interpretive Opportunities

Park features

Forest

Seasonal Wildflowers

Wildlife Viewing

Rules

  • Dogs Allowed on Leash
  • Fires Allowed in Designated Areas

Gardner Cave tours are closed for the season. Reservations for cave tours will be available in April.

To help ensure that your tour of Gardner Cave is safe and enjoyable, please keep in mind:

  • Wear a light jacket or sweater. The cave temperature is 39 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Bring a flashlight. Although the cave is lit, extra lighting allows you to peer into corners and adds to your enjoyment.
  • Flash photography is allowed.
  • Do not touch the cave formations.
  • Do not take pets into the cave.
  • Smoking inside of the cave is not allowed.

Map & visitor guide

48.99487305, -117.3695755

Gardner Cave tour reservations

Tucked away in the northeast corner of Washington, near the U.S.-Canada and Washington-Idaho borders, Crawford State Park is an unassuming day-use park – on the surface. But a tour of Gardner Cave reveals an underworld of deep geologic history. Hailed as a "natural wonder" by the 1911 federal land survey that mapped it, Gardner Cave is not only one of Washington's longest caves, it offers easy access and one of the most intriguing underground landscapes in the western U.S. The cave is over 500 million years old and measures approximately 2,072 feet long and 295 feet deep. Its floors, ceilings and walls are rich with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone and rimstone pools. These features, which your interpretive guide will teach you to recognize, are illuminated by electric lighting. Visitors are recommended to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes. There is a steep, 200 yard walk from the parking lot to the cave entrance with several flights of stairs in the cave. 

Crawford State Park is open seasonally from May 15 through September 15. Free cave tours take place Thursday through Monday at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m..  

Day use

While the Gardner Cave tour is the main feature of the park, there is one sheltered picnic table and seven unsheltered picnic tables for visitors to enjoy. There are two small barbecue stands available to use as well. There is a short walking trail (approximately one half mile) that leads to the Canadian border just north of the park. 

For questions outside of the park's operating season, please call the Mount Spokane office at (509) 238-4258.