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Crawford State Park Heritage Site
Gardner Cave tours
Cave tours operate with a limited capacity Thurs-Mon, May 15 - Sept. 15. General tours for adults and older children are offered at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. Family-focused tours are offered at noon. Reservations are required, each visitor must individually register online for tours.
Crawford State Park feels like it's at the end of the earth, and its star attraction, Gardner Cave, feels like the center of the earth.
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 wonder. The cave is a 500-million-year-old cavern that measures approximately 2,072 feet in length and 295 feet in depth. 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. Flash photography is allowed inside the cave.
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.
Nab one of 10 first-come, first-served picnic tables; choose a sheltered table, a table at the cave's entrance, or a table on the U.S.-Canada border, among others. Warm up in the park or cool down in the cave but remember to layer your clothing. This park at the "end of the earth" gets hot in the summer, while the cave remains approximately 39 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.
Visitors are recommended to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes. There is a steep, 200-yard walk from the parking lot to the cave entrance, and several flights of stairs in the cave.
Park features
Crawford State Park Heritage Site is a 40-acre, forested day-use park featuring Gardner Cave, a unique and tour-worthy cavern.
Discover Pass: A Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to state parks for day use. For more information about the Discover Pass and exemptions, please visit the Discover Pass web page.
ADA amenities/facilities
- Restroom
Use our interactive ADA recreation map to search for other state parks with ADA amenities and facilities.
Picnic & day-use facilities
The park provides one picnic shelter without electricity, plus two sheltered and 11 unsheltered picnic tables. A restroom is also provided. All are available first come, first served.
Gardner Cave Tours
Tours are Thursdays through Mondays. General tours are 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m; kid and family tours are at noon.
Visitors should wear a jacket and sturdy, closed-toe shoes. Cave temperatures average 39 degrees. Be prepared to walk long distances and navigate slippery surfaces and multiple stairways. Pets are not permitted in the cave.
For special tour and reservation questions, call (509) 446-4065 or (509) 238-4258.
Additional information
- The surrounding area has many events and outdoor activities. Contact the Metaline Falls Chamber of Commerce and the National Forest Service. Metaline Falls is located in the Colville National Forest.
- Printable park brochure (PDF).
Boating features
The nearest boat launch is at the Boundry Dam campground located outside the park on the Pend Oreille River. Additional information can be found in the Boating Program.
Campsite information
Crawford State Park Heritage Site has no overnight camping. Seattle City Light has a campground, with standard campsites and restrooms, next to Boundary Dam, 1 mile outside of the park.
Reservations & fees
Reservations for the Seattle City Light campground can be made online or by calling (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688. For fee information, check out our camping rates page.
Historical information
Pend Oreille County-settler Edward E. Gardner lends his name to Gardner Cave as its apparent discoverer circa 1900, although there are other discovery claims. Gardner Cave was reportedly found during a hunting foray by the homesteader, farmer, placer miner, future Metaline saloon keeper and alleged bootlegger during Prohibition. Edward Gardner homesteaded adjacent land on the Pend Oreille River, but never owned the cave.
Metaline businessman William H. Crawford operated a general store and acquired ownership of about 160 acres that included Gardner's Cave in 1920. This was likely an investment opportunity given the local potential for timber, placer and hardrock metals within the Metaline Mining District.
Crawford's investment was short lived as he deeded 40 acres containing the cave to Washington State Parks in 1921 for public purposes, after logging the land.
A 1911 federal land survey assigned a length of 1,100 feet to what they called Little Mammoth Cave – "a natural wonder of considerable interest." Gardner Cave is significant as an uncommon limestone cavern in Washington that is accessible to the public.
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Contact Us
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Crawford State Park
10381 Boundary Road
Metaline Falls, WA 99152
Phone: (509) 238-4258Hours
May 15 - Sept. 15
Open: Thur. – Mon.
Park: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Cave Tours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed: Tues. – Wed.Sept. 16 – May 14
Closed for winter