page_title: Cliff Cave County Park
section_title: Cliff Cave
hierarchical_section_title: Cliff Cave County Park / Features / Cliff Cave
caption_attribution_description: English: Title: Cliff Cave. Picnic party in front of entrance, distant view. 13 June 1891.
context_page_description: Cliff Cave County Park is a 525-acre public park located in St. Louis, Missouri. The park is operated by St. Louis County Parks. It is named after Cliff Cave, a natural cave located in the park that is a historical and archaeologic site. The park contains woodlands, wetlands, and rocky hillsides and is adjacent to the Mississippi River. It has three trails: the Mississippi Trail, the Spring Valley Trail, and the River Bluff Trail. The Riverside Shelter overlooks the Mississippi River. An active train track runs through the park. Cliff Cave Park is part of the Mississippi River Greenway. The park won the "Best View of the Mississippi" award in 2009, which it was granted by The Riverfront Times.
context_section_description: Cliff Cave, also known as Indian Cave, is a natural cave that is considered the second longest cave in St. Louis County, with 4723 ft (1514 m) of cave passage surveyed. It is found at the head of a ravine, with a stream flowing from the entrance. It is developed in Mississippian Period St. Louis limestone. The cave maintains a temperature of 57 °F (14 °C) all year round. The cave was created from the karst plateau in the area forming many sinkholes, dissolving the dolomite/limestone bedrock over time. The cave is connected to a number of these sinkholes, causing the cave to be susceptible to flash flooding. 
  In October 2009, a cave gate was installed at the cave entrance to preserve the endangered Indiana bat which resided in the cave, as a joint effort between Saint Louis County Department of Parks, Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bat Conservation International, the Missouri Karst and Cave Conservancy, and the Meramec Valley Spelunkers. Other fauna of the cave include big brown bats, little brown bats, eastern pipistrelles, cave salamanders, and isopods.  After the gate was installed, the population of bats has increased.
caption: Picnic part in front of entrance of Cliff Cave, 1891
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