Crystal Lake Cave - Dubuque, IA
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 42° 26.038 W 090° 37.245
15T E 695704 N 4700703
A half-hour tour of a living cave.
Waymark Code: WM4MMN
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 09/07/2008
Views: 31
Lead mining speculators stumbled upon
Crystal Lake Cave in the late 1860's. After excavating tons of material away to provide proper head room for a upright person, they opened up the cave to the public in 1932.
During your guided tour you can see the cave growing ever so slowly (one cubic inch per century) with the drip of every drop leaving minute mineral deposits.
This cave is not for everyone. You must be an able-bodied person capable of 2 flights of stairs and negotiating uneven flooring and variable head clearance. Like all natural caves, there is water pooling on the floor and water dripping from above in a consistent 52 degrees Fahrenheit environment.
Crystal Lake Cave is open seasonally during the warmer months (May -mid October) and the tour prices are:
Adults - $12.00
Chilren 4-11 - $6.00
Children under 4 - Free
There is also a gift shop with rock samples from around the world (so you are not tempted to take your own from the cave - which is illegal).