Lakeline Cave is one of the lesser known caves of Austin, Texas that only locals and longtime residents seem to know about or have history on. Lakeline Cave is one of the lesser known caves of Cedar Park, Texas as well. Lakeline Cave is also known as Lakeline Mall Cave.
Lakeline Cave is a small cave located in a grassy covered area hidden by cedar trees that and is located on a 2.3 acre tract at 2801 S. Lakeline Blvd., immediately north of Lakeline Mall. The entire tract is covered by trees, shrubbery, and caves in a secluded wooded area.
Lakeline Cave is 6 feet high and 15 feet long. Width of this cave is only a few feet long. So accessibility can be difficult deepening on your size. However there is enough standing room and breathing room. The cave is hollow and has high humidity levels. The heat level can be extremely high depending on weather. 
An entrance, which is a crawlway composed of clay and limestone, merges to a small room. This small room is only a few feet wide. Now this small room leads to another crawlway. This crawlway is much smaller than the entrance crawlway. This crawlway becomes small quickly and ahead the passage splits continuing as a very low squeeze at floor level as an upper level crawlway. The upper level widens into the Formation Room, an enlarged bedding plane that connects through a small pit to the lower level. The cave continues but would require much digging to get through.
There are two entrances to Lakeline Cave. One entrance to Lakeline Cave is located immediately north of Lakeline Mall with no iron gate installed. The other entrance to Lakeline Cave is located just east of Lakeline Mall and has an iron gate installed around the entrance to prevent vandalism and destruction.
Below are the species of wildlife that have been discovered to be living in Lakeline Cave.
Lakeline Cave contains the protected harvestman Texella reyesi which is protected because animals of this new species were originally included Texella reddelli, a federally-listed species. Texella reyesi was “known to be endemic to Lakeline Cave”. Further studies of Texella with additional collections indicate there were two distinct species. (Ref: https://digital.lib.usf.edu/content/SF/S0/05/47/93/00001/K26-04344-KIP-00011524.pdf#search=%22lakeline%22)
Reportedly Tooth Cave ground beetles (Rhadine persephone) were observed in this cave. Open grassland with woody vegetation is an ideal habitat for Tooth Cave ground beetles in that preserve. Rhadine n.s. was “known to be endemic to Lakeline Cave”. According to researchers, Rhadine persephone in Lakeline Cave has been discovered to be more active at night. (Ref: http://cavelife.info/pdf/1996%20TX%20recoveryplan.pdf)
Bone Cave harvestmen have been observed living inside of this cave as well. No more than three Bone Cave harvestmen have been observed during any single survey. This included the 12 surveys of Lakeline Cave. (Ref: ZARA 2012, p. 11).
Red fire ants live and inhabit Lakeline Cave. These red fire ants can be see crawling around outside on the perimeter of the cave entrance where an iron gate leads to a small entrance. The small entrance makes accessibility easy for ants to crawl into. Seeing or encountering red fire ants is uncommon when exploring caves in Texas.
The cave also contains 6 other cave-adapted species which include an isopod, a silverfish, and 2 species of millipedes. A pseudoscorpion was confirmed to be existing in there. (Ref: https://www.fws.gov/policy/library/2015/2015-13136.pdf)
Lakeline Cave was once located on a 46.7-acre tract at 2801 S. Lakeline Blvd., immediately north of Lakeline Mall prior to 1985. The entire tract was covered by trees, shrubbery, and caves. Very little development surrounded the area if anything. Lakeline Cave was a small cave located in a grassy covered area hidden entirely by cedar trees at that time. (Ref: www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=166006)
Lakeline Cave was discovered by Bill Russell of Texas Speleological Survey on his way back from exploring Garden-of-Sinks Cave in 1984. He had not been able to find this small cave before. He had wanted to see this cave himself for a very long time as spelunking was his desire of course and because he was concerned Lakeline Cave would be an environmental problem since he was an environmental activist. He attempted to explore the area himself but his search for Lakeline Cave turned up empty. Then he realized he was going to need help. So he invited a member from Texas Speleological Survey.
Bill Russell and Erika Heinen of Texas Speleological Survey had later decided to explore the property in hopes of discovering Lakeline Cave. They had not been able to find this small cave reported on the property, but wanted to visit the cave to see if it would be or would have been an environmental problem. When first located, the entrance to Lakeline Cave was a trash and barbed-wire filled sink. The sink was cleared after a rock was removed by Bill Russell and Erika Heinen. However this was easy digging for them as not much needed to be dug. (Ref: https://digital.lib.usf.edu/content/SF/S0/05/47/93/00001/K26-04344-KIP-00011524.pdf)
Simon Properties bought 200 acres of land northwest of Austin in 1985 for construction of the proposed Lakeline Mall. Construction was supposed to start in 1986, however a rare insect species called Texella reyesi was discovered to be living on the property. USFWS stepped in and issued an injunction against Simon Properties and Simon Lakeline Mall Partnership to prevent them from continuing development until all the permits could be filled out. The developers were told Texella reyesi and Texella reddelli are a federally-listed species.
City workers stepped in and cleared some of the land to locate the cave in 1987. In order for city workers to find this cave, they needed help from Texas Speleological Survey. So Bill Russell agreed to place flagging tape on trees near the caves so it would be easy to find for city workers to access.
Lakeline Cave had been treated twice in 1990 and 1991, but not since a study was done in 1991. This cave was left in a small preserve called Lakeline Cave Preserve during that same year after the City of Cedar Park called for the creation of a 2.3-acre “research preserve” around Lakeline Cave. Lakeline Cave Preserve is also known as Lakeline Cave Research Preserve, Lakeline Research Preserve, and Lakeline HCP. (Ref: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=166006)
Lakeline Cave was gated by the City of Cedar Park in 1993 to protect two endangered invertebrate species. However 2 months later, the cave entrance had been burned out by vandals, so a double-lock gate was installed. In Texas, many caves have been gated for the protection of endangered or rare cave invertebrates. (Ref: http://cavelife.info/pdf/1994%20TX%20recoveryplan.pdf)
Now the cave was gated in 1993 and left in a small preserve when Lakeline Mall was constructed in an attempt to maintain the cave and natural wildlife. This iron gate was installed around the entrance. An animal access hole at the far end of the sink was dug by city workers.
The City of Austin purchased the tract in 2000 from the City of Cedar Park. The City of Austin had installed a double gate around the cave entrance after the lock had been broken off for a second time in 2002 to the other cave entrance. So the City of Cedar Park and City of Austin decided to leave that cave entrance alone in a preserve alongside Pecan Park Boulevard with no iron gate installed. Today there is still no iron gate covering this entrance of Lakeline Cave.
The address and location for Lakeline Cave is 2801 South Lakeline Boulevard, Cedar Park, Texas, US 78613. However Lakeline Cave is actually located alongside Pecan Park Boulevard.
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