Cave and Basin National Historic Site

September 30, 2019 tarannosaurus

Epic Travel → North America → Canada → Banff National Park → Cave and Basin National Historic Site

Location: Banff area, Banff National Park, Alberta

Time Required: 2 – 3 hours

Red Tape/Notes: Open 9:30am – 5pm daily. Admission is $3.90CAD for adults 18 years (free for those age 17 and under); admission is included for those with a Parks Canada Discovery Pass. Additional information on the site can be found at the official Parks Canada page here.

What’s Nearby?: Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff Hoodoos, Banff Horseback Riding, Ink Pots, Bow Falls, New Year’s Eve Party, Johnston Canyon

Cave and Basin was always on our radar, but it took a few years for us to actually make the stop. It was surprisingly cool. I guess that makes sense since it’s the whole reason a national park was created here. I recommend taking the boardwalk stroll – head up the stairs that go to the observation decks and the walkway continues behind the decks, meandering over the top of the hill along the source of the water. The most interesting thing about doing this walk is that you get to see the originally discovery point of the cave – a hole in the ground through the rock with steam coming out of it. The original discoverers climbed down through the hole (apparently using a dead tree as a ladder) and found an awesome underground cave filled with warm water. Must have been pretty awesome. But at this point, you don’t know what the cave looks like! So head on back into the building and dash up the conveniently supplied tunnel to see for yourself. If you took the walkway down to the backside of the building, you would also have had a nice view of the basin from above. Once inside the building, go through the enclosed area where the swimming pool used to be (pausing the marvel at the old pictures of people in fantastic swimwear from days of yore) and you can see the basin up close. You can’t swim in either the cave or the basin anymore, but they’re still cool to see.