The Cave and Basin National Historic Site should be on your list of places to visit at Banff National Park. It offers natural wonder, history, and Indigenous significance and is vital to Canada’s national park history. This site was the first ever federally protected reserve in Canada and the birthplace of the country’s national park system.
Plus, admission to the Cave and Basin is included with your Parks Canada Discovery Pass. Just bring your park pass up to the front desk when you enter the building. If you don’t have a Discovery Pass, you can check out the fees for the Cave and Basin National Historic Site.
The Cave and Basin National Historical Site and Banff National Park are within Treaty 6, 7 and 8 territories and the Metis Homeland. These lands are the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Îyârhe Nakoda of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations; the Tsuut’ina First Nation; and the Métis Nation of Alberta.
What is the Cave and Basin?
The Cave and Basin National Historic Site protects a natural hot spring in a cave on the northeast flank of Sulphur Mountain and a nearby basin out on the hillside. Visitors can access the Cave and Basin through the interpretive centre, which used to be a public pool complex for nearly 100 years. No longer a swimming pool, the entire complex has been renovated into an interpretive centre and museum.
The cave is really a site to behold. From the interpretive centre, visitors enter an artificial tunnel into the natural cave and hot spring. It is a large hollowed-out cavern with a steaming mineral pool below and a small vent hole in the rock ceiling. The vent hole acts as a natural skylight, letting in enough sunlight to reflect off the pool and glisten on the smooth red and white flowstone layers running down the cave walls. You’ll find stalactites and stalagmites, glacial till and a small trickling waterfall.
The basin is located outside the old pool complex. It has been rewilded as close to its original state as possible and is now protected. If you look closely, you’ll catch a glimpse of the Banff Springs Snail in the pools. The Cave and Basin are the unique habitats for this endangered species.
History of the Cave and Basin National Historic Site
A sacred space for Indigenous people
The Cave and Basin have been culturally significant to Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Many First Nations see the site as sacred and a spiritual place where people have gathered and held ceremonies for generations.
When you enter the interpretive centre, a remarkable mural is one of the first things you’ll see. Created by artist Roland Rollinmud, an elder from Stoney Nakoda Nation, it depicts Indigenous elders climbing down into the cave through the vent hole on rawhide ladders.
Stoney elders climbed down into the cave on strong rawhide ladders and settled in a small circle within the cave. Drums, songs, prayers and whistles echoed in the small chamber: Mother Earth’s Church was alive with the sound and a sense of magic! The sun shone in from above, illuminating the images in the rocks.
Stories and prayers were shared with the Creator, and he blessed his people. Large Animal bladders heavy with healing water were lifted from the Cave. The water was a gift from the Creator and Mother Earth and would be used for blessings and medicine for the Stony.
The sound of the running water represented the flow of life itself. The beauty of the Cave, with the messages that it carried from the Creator, reminded the Stoneys of their connection with all living things and the importance of cherishing all life with respect, reverence, and honour.
- Roland Rollimud
Rollimud presented Parks Canada with the mural in 2011. Once CPR workers and settlers arrived in Banff, the Stoney people stopped coming to the Cave. In the summer of 2010, First Nations ceremonies and rituals began again in the Cave and Basin.
Found by CPR Workers in 1883
Canadian Pacific Railway workers William and Tom McCardell and their co-worker Frank McCabe stumbled upon the Cave and Basin in 1883. They lowered a downed tree into the vent hole and climbed into the cave to discover its sulphur-smelling hot pool. Hot springs were extremely valuable in those days since hot water was not readily available from a tap like it is today. The CPR workers knew this would attract people and wanted to monetize it.
They wrote to the Canadian government to stake a claim on the hot springs. The government saw the natural hot springs as an incentive to attract more tourists and settlers west, but it denied their claim. In the meantime, the CPR workers built a small cabin at the entrance of the site, a ‘hotel,’ so they could stay close and protect it from other prospectors.
This led to a legal battle over the ownership of the hot springs. In late 1885, the government decided to create a large Hot Springs Reserve around the site. Doing so legally protected it from settlers and squatters. The McCardell brothers and McCabe were offered compensation in the settlement but had to abandon their plans to make it big in the hot springs business.
Two years later, the 26-square-kilometre reserve was expanded to 665 kilometres in the Rocky Mountains Park Act. In 1887, it was recognized as Canada’s first national park. Later, the park’s name changed to Banff National Park, but the legacy of the hot springs remains.
Now, Canada has 37 national parks, 11 national park reserves, and 1004 national historic sites (171 administered by Parks Canada)! It all started right here, in a steamy, warm cave on the side of the mountain near Banff, Alberta.
100 years of relaxation at the hot springs pool
In 1887, a bathhouse provided visitors with access to the hot springs. A naturally-heated outdoor pool was constructed in 1904, and a stone bathhouse was completed in 1914. The stone arches you see today around the old pool area were designed by architect Walter S. Painter. These pools were a tourist attraction and local hot spot for most of the 20th century. The Cave and Basin area was designated a national historical site in 1981. They were renovated once more in 1885 but closed permanently in 1992.
While you can’t take a dip in the hot pools here anymore, it is still worth the trip. The cave is accessible, and the interpretive centre and outdoor complex offer educational programs and exhibits. You’ll also find helpful interpreters, guided history tours, hiking, and an opportunity to learn more about the area’s cultural and natural history.
The Discovery Boardwalk
The boardwalks within the complex lead you up the hill and through unique marshes created by the natural springs. Along the walk, you’ll encounter a few other smaller hot pools, which create their bright blue-green waters—a stark contrast to the muted browns and whites of winter in the forest. The boardwalks also feature educational signage, upper views of the Cave and Basin complex, and sweeping mountain and valley vistas.
Visitors can still enjoy natural hot springs at the Banff Upper Hot Springs, about 5 km down the road from the Cave and Basin National Historic Site.
How to get to the Cave and Basin National Historic Site
The Cave and Basin National Historic Site is in Banff, Alberta, about 2 kilometres and a 30-minute walk from the town centre.
Driving: From Banff, head south on Banff Avenue over the Bow River Bridge. Turn right on Cave Avenue and follow the signs. The Cave and Basin parking lot is located at the end of this road.
Walking: Once you cross the bridge, look for the dedicated walking trail. The Cave and Basin Trail will take you all the way there.
Bus: If you want to hop on the bus, Roam bus route #4 will take you to the Cave and Basin.
Plan your visit to the Cave and Basin National Historic Site
Check out Parks Canada’s website for detailed information on visiting the Cave and Basin, including:
- Hours of operation
- Fees
- Visitors Guide
- Facility Rental Information.
You can find that here – https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ab/caveandbasin/visit
