Spook Cave is a flooded cave located about west of

McGregor McGregor may refer to: People * McGregor (surname) * Clan MacGregor, a Scottish highland clan * McGregor W. Scott (born 1962), U.S. attorney Characters * Mr. McGregor, a fictional character from Peter Rabbit Places in Canada: * McGregor Lake ...

in rural

Clayton County, Iowa Clayton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,043. Its county seat is Elkader. The county was established in 1837 and was named in honor of John M. Clayton, United States Senator f ...

. It is privately owned and operated as a tourist attraction offering escorted boat rides into the cave. The cave was first discovered in 1953 and opened for business in 1955. The cave entrance is located on a property that also includes a campground and cabins. The cave is in the drainage of Bloody Run Creek, a small tributary of the

Upper Mississippi River The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, at the confluence of its main tributary, the Missouri River. History In terms of geologic and hydrographic history, the Upper ...

. A lock and dam maintain water levels sufficient for boat access; the cave's stream is allowed to drain to its natural, shin-high depth during the winter. Geologically, the cave is in the

Driftless Area The Driftless Area, a topographical and cultural region in the American Midwest, comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois. Never covered by ice during the las ...

of Iowa, a region characterized by karst topography,

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

s, disappearing streams, and cold springs.

References

External links

*
Spook Cave and Campground Official site
Caves of Iowa Landforms of Clayton County, Iowa Driftless Area Show caves in the United States Limestone caves Tourist attractions in Clayton County, Iowa {{ClaytonCountyIA-geo-stub