Goat Cave Karst Preserve
Visitor's Information
Hours: 7 AM - 9 PM daily
Fees: Free
Parking: Street parking in residential area.
Rules: No dogs allowed on the preserve.
Explorer's Checklist
Goat Cave got its name in 1957 when cave explorers entered a 3-foot square hole in pasture land to find a goat 35-feet below ground! After a frisky chase on a ledge, they pulled it up to safety by rope. These days, visitors can enter this cave on City of Austin guided tours only.
Latest Explorer Observation


This 9-acre City of Austin preserve sits atop the many caves, sinkholes, and underground streams that form the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer. Throughout the ages, water continues to slowly dissolve the weathered Edwards limestone creating thousands of passages and a dynamic subsurface ecosystem. Many of these caves and sinkholes were historically plugged by ranchers to prevent livestock from falling, and to create surface ponds. They were also used as garbage dumps. Through scientific research, we have learned about the importance of these natural features and now volunteers restore these caves for habitat preservation and watershed protection.



CREATURES OF THE DEPTHS
The isolated conditions of caves have led to unique species of invertebrates and amphibians such as the Cliff Chirping Frog and Pseudoscorpion. Efforts to preserve vegetation and prohibit vandalism and illegal dumping help protect these subterranean species.

Volunteer Info
Save Barton Creek Association
City of Austin Wildland Conservation Division
Austin Parks Foundation
Keep Austin Beautiful
TreeFolks
City of Austin Watershed Protection Department
Educational Resources

Explorer Gallery
