Crawford State Park Heritage Site, State park in Pend Oreille County, Washington.
Crawford State Park Heritage Site is a protected area in Pend Oreille County spanning about 40 acres and home to Gardner Cave with its limestone formations and underground chambers. The cave features various types of rock formations spread across multiple levels, creating a complex underground landscape.
Gardner Cave is named for Ed Gardner, who is said to have found it around 1899. The park takes its name from William Crawford, who came into possession of the land and deeded it to Washington State in 1921. The cave lies about 11 miles north of Metaline, close to the Canada–United States border.
The cave is named for Ed Gardner, who is said to have found it around 1899; the park honours William Crawford, who deeded the land to the state in 1921. Visitors enter Gardner Cave only on seasonal guided tours, which run during the warmer months.
Visitors can only enter the cave through guided tours, so advance planning is necessary. The best time to visit is during the warmer months when tours are operating.
Gardner Cave is named after Ed Gardner, who is said to have found it around 1899; the park itself honours William Crawford, who deeded the land to the state in 1921. The two names mark the cave and the park separately, a detail many visitors miss.
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