Exploring the history of Barton Creek Cave No. 3.

Barton Creek Cave No. 3 is one of the lesser known caves of Austin/Travis County. This news article will explain the biology and geology behind Barton Creek Cave No. 3.

Barton Creek Cave No. 3 was possibly discovered the same time Barton Creek Cave No. 1 and Barton Creek Cave No. 2 was discovered by Bill Russell and James Reddell in spring of 1960. They were members of Texas Speleological Survey. (Ref: https://www.texasspeleologicalsurvey.org/PDF/TSS_Volume1/TSS%201(1)%20compressed.pdf)

However the cave was unexplored at that time. This is because Bill Russell reported that cave Barton Creek Cave No. 3 was a hole 1 foot x 2 feet in size (1’ x 2’) and appeared to be a cave. Size of this hole made entering this cave difficult. That is why Barton Creek Cave No. 3 was never explored and remains to this day. (Ref: https://www.texasspeleologicalsurvey.org/PDF/TSS_Volume1/TSS%201(1)%20compressed.pdf)

Barton Creek Cave No. 3 is located just upstream from Barton Creek Cave No. 2 on the Urban Assault Wall above Barton Creek in Gus Fruh Park and Barton Creek Preserve. There is an entry located 30 feet above creek level that connects to a crawlway that is 109 feet long in length and diameter. The entry to this cave is actually a hole that is 1 foot x 2 feet in size (1’ x 2’). So entry and access for this cave is extremely difficult. The crawlway is located under an overhang in a shaded area. This cave is located further north. The entrance to this cave can be seen about 30 feet above ground. (Ref: https://www.tcmacaves.org/download/87/capital-caver/2056/the-capital-caver-4.pdf)

This cliffside cave is not visible to the naked eyes from a far distance from Barton Creek as the high distance above the ground makes accessibility difficult for many people. The distance above the ground is what makes accessibility difficult for many people. Even cavers have a hard time climbing to get into Barton Creek Cave No. 3. The view from looking outside this cave is similar to an aerial view. The crawlway located under an overhang in a shaded area makes public viewing difficult. So gaining entry to Barton Creek Cave No. 3 has been hard.

Now the rock formation of this cave is native limestone. Many caves in Central Texas have a rock formation of native limestone. The primary type of rock formation you will expect to see inside and outside of this cave is native limestone. Stalagmites have formed inside of this cave.