About
Cave Tour of La Crosse and Wildflower Caves
Tour Guide: Nico Hauwert, Ph.D. Hydrogeologist
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Sat. July 11, 2026 9-noon
South Austin Creek Alliance offers a cave tour of La Crosse and Wildflower Caves. The tour is free except for Wildflower Center admission (currently about $20 adults/$14 children) for nonmembers. Dr. Nico Hauwert will lead the tour as local geologist and cave expert. We will visit LaCrosse Cave, a short walk in cave and Wildflower Cave, a short crouching cave. For those who have to do challenges, both caves have optional squeezes. Essential safety equipment, including helmets with lights, knee pads and gloves will be provided. Both caves are a great success story where both caves were filled with trash and dirt fill and had little cave life, originally part of Covert Ranch. After the caves were cleaned out with cave volunteers and Wildflower Center staff, the cave life came back, including tricolor bats that hibernate in the caves during winter (The Cricket Connection - Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center https://www.wildflower.org/magazine/fauna/the-cricket-connection). Since 2000, the caves have played an important role in public education, where as much as 2,000 grade school children learn about the aquifer. Wildflower Cave was the site of important dye injections to study groundwater flow. A special treat is the current Ice Ace exhibit with over 10,000 year old mammals whose remains were preserved in Central Texas caves. Children above 2 years old are welcome with parents or guardian. No pets are allowed at the Wildflower Center except service animals. Signed liability release forms are required for cave entry.
Entrance fee to the Wildflower Center is not included in this registration. Entry fee to the Wildflower Center must be paid in order to participate.
Children above 2 years old are welcome with parents or guardian.
No pets are allowed at the WildflowerCenter except service animals.
