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

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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.

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Seibert Sink, 8/6/04

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.

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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

Field Trip/Education Program Info

Download the PDF

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Explorer Gallery

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