Cave and Basin National Historic Site

Staff is Very Friendly! They invited and showed us how to play hockey games even in the cold weather, and explain the situation of the ecological environment in the Basin. We had a lot of fun there!Thank you! The trail along the site is also recommended! It is a winter wonderland ❤️

The Cave and Basin National Historic Site is an interesting place to visit, especially if you’re into history and learning about the origins of Canada’s national parks. The cave itself is unique, and the bubbling thermal waters are cool to see. However, the site is relatively small, and there isn’t a ton to do after you’ve explored the main features. Worth a visit if you’re nearby.

A fascinating experience with a rich history. There may not be a lot to it but a quick visit to the cave and hot water basin is worth your time. The park staff is exceptional, friendly, and helpful. Be advised, DO NOT purchase admission online from TripAdvisor or any other vendor. All you get is a self guided audio tour around the area not admission to the park itself. This is deceitful advertising. To add insult to injury, our 'tour' was scheduled for October 16th, a day the park was closed.

This is a great park and exhibit area. There are some really cool signs before entering the cave inside which was amazing. Beware that you need to duck, and it really smells bad. Walking up to the springs on the hill is also really cool. Another great thing here is the Marsh Trail. This is a well rounded and unique and cool experience.

It was an interesting visit to the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. This is the birthplace of National Parks across Canada. The cave and hot springs are unique but has a strong smell of sulphur and we all know that sulfurous compounds are smelly. There are lots of educational information about the history of the hot spring and the town. You also get a stunning view of the mountains from the deck area.

Historic museum dedicated to the hot springs history of the area While it’s a cool museum, I’d only recommend it if you have a lot of spare time and covered entry under the parks pass. The hot springs and the unique snails here are unique but there’s so much more nature in other areas of Banff. There’s a really cool preserved cave / hot springs area inside the museum.

Incredibly cool to see and learn more on the National parks were created! Cave and Basin was an insanely cool experience to see inside, you can walk to both the upper and lower pools. From rare snails, and tiny minnows, to super sulphur-y marshs, waterfalls, and cave system. It is definitely a must visit when in Banff and open all year long! They have an interactive museum for the springs, and an internment camp museum (a bit past the main building but well worth seeing truly!!), as well as a beautiful courtyard with seasonal activities. When we were there, there was curling, hockey standoffs, and other games!! There is an accessible boardwalk that allows for a stunning view of the mountains and springs, may be challenging going back up, but a very wide and clear boardwalk. Lastly, you have free admission with an annual park pass!

We did not go into the historic site. We were keen to explore the area outdoors. The Roam bus (Yellow route 4) was efficient transport from our hotel to the Cave and Basin bus stop, right outside the information building at the car park. It was an uphill walk to the historic site and the start of the Marsh boardwalk - our intended walk. We had read that the warm spring water makes the plant and animal life in this area unique. We didn't see any birds (even from the bird hide) or aquatic life, but did see the white and green algae and a little squirrel posing on a fence! It was a pleasant walk. The path was well maintained and clearly signposted, with informative boards along the way. There were 4 trails of differing lengths which would be great to explore if time allowed.

Located in the outskirts of Banff and it's not within walking distance. When we went, it was free so we didn't have to pay for anything. Even though it was free, the place was pretty much empty. The first building you see right off of the parking lot is the gift shop. You'll want to walk up the hill if you have questions about the place and this is where the cave and other parts of the experience is. You can probably do this all within 30 minutes. It's not very big, but there are other trails you can explore if you want. It's pretty neat that these snails are exist here and they are so tiny that you will have a hard time seeing them. Overall, it's a nice clean place, but doesn't really add much of an experience IMO. I would have been upset if I had to pay for entrance.

Underwhelming. Cave is TINY, can't see the snails. Not worth it at all. Not sure what I'm missing but worst part of our trip. Waste of time.

Wonderful place to visit. Easy to get to, not crowded and friendly staff to educate you on the cave, history and hot springs.

This was definitely an interesting and educational place to check out to learn more about Banff. We did not do the tour since we had limited time. The cave was really strong in sulfur and smells like rotten eggs so please be careful when entering. A nice short pit stop for people who already hold a Canada Parks pass, as it can get up to 7 people in for free. Otherwise, it is $9 per person.

The signs for this place are all around Banff - follow them, you won't be sorry! It's an excellent place to hike and explore on your own. If you want to tour the Cave & Basin historic site, you have to pay the entrance fee. Wonderful interactive, modern displays - engaging for kids and adults alike! In July 2023 they launched tours at 11am and 1pm - both talks/walks are generally about the Cave & Basin history, flora & fauna. In the main exhibition hall there is a short (10 min?) video overhead that has some wonderful scenery and information. Kids will have things to climb on, touch, and explore. We spend about 2.5 hours here. We had a picnic/snack on one of the benches around and soaked up the views here of the estuary below... a few but not many mosquitos, bug spray advised by me:-)

This place is starting point of Canada's national park. There is a public transit Roam bus, but you can walk down from downtown. The main spots would be the cave, the basin, and the board walk outside. It's sad to know there are used to be huge thermal pool right next to the building. I recommend the nature board walk and you will find small hot water(sulpher contaminated) streams sometimes, and those colors changed into white.

First time visiting, and in my honest opinion, it was ok. There is a small entrance fee. This is a National Historic Site, so if you are into that kinda stuff, check it out. I checked it out to see the cave. It is a neat cave but small. Small cave and Basin to look at. If you have some time to check it out, do so. Enjoy!

I felt scammed after coming here. We wasted time driving here through the traffic of downtown Banff and even the paltry $9 is too large a fee IMO for a few middle school level posters they have on display. The cave and little pond of mineral water is not worth the visit. The exhibit where you get to dip your hands into mineral water was closed (but they still advertise it outside). This museum/ centre cannot decide its focus. Mineral springs? Snails? Native culture? It's a salad of a bit of this and bit of that. I'd recommend saving some time and skipping it.

A pretty spot, but with so many other incredible free spots to go to, I didn't find this to be overly special. Pay for parking if you don't just walk over like we did. Pay admission to get in to something that was kind of underwhelming to me - I prefer natural beauty to an extended history most times though. The cave was tiny, pretty and smelly. (The smell reminded me of the sulphur water at my grandfather's remote farm in the early 80s. Ew.)

We visited the Cave & Basin in the winter. The displays were informative and easy to read. It is too bad the pool isn't restored for use. The view of the mountains is breath-taking from the pool deck. I couldn't stop staring and my photo didn't do justice! Staff were nice to chat with and explained things to the kids about the snails in the hot springs. Our kids loved the interactive winter activities: hockey, curling, ice sculpture with ice cubes,.. on the old pool deck. We spent the most time here!

It's a neat piece of nature. Quick walk around. Staff are informative and friendly. Smells like sulphur. Don't let the sign for the cave fool you lol it's a cool cave. Try to imagine it when the natives had it. We got lucky and the cave was empty of tourists so we could really take our time. Make sure to shine your phone light on the walls!! Don't overlook the beauty in the rocks :)

What a great place to visit to educate yourselves about the hot springs and the Canadian national parks. You get to be up close to the live Banff snails. Beautiful trails and amazing Mountain View's.

Don't let the sulfur smell get to you in the basin area, the awe that comes from this place is palatable. I understand why this is the first national park in Canada, there is something primordial about the basin/pool. I wish that the swimming pool/hot spring was still around, but it was nice that you can still imagine what the place was like back in the day.

Very good The origin of the hot springs Allow for about an hour Glad our tire group went to look Bucs gift shop

I had an excellent time during my first every visit here. My boyfriend and I came on a Sunday morning right when it opened for the day at 11am. Because of Canada 150 we were able to get in for free! The staff mentioned that we could get free tickets to a 20 minute film. I'll talk more about this in a bit. The show would start at 11:30am, so we had time to walk around. The place is set up like a museum with different exhibits. There were some interactive ones. I had fun taking pictures in a photo booth where you could choose various backgrounds seen in Banff. We opted for the Cave and Basin background. After taking the picture, you can email yourself a digital postcard. Pretty cool! The cave part was fairly small area. It looked kind of like a ceynote. There was a strong sulphur smell in the air but it didn't bother me too much. I just spent a few minutes in this area and took a couple of pictures. It's kind of unassuming when you look at it but I guess it has quite a historical significance. We went a couple of minutes early to the building next door, where the film was going to be shown. There was a lady named Amanda who brought us up to the theatre area. I didn't realize we were going to sit in a air filled dome where we would see a 360 degree film. The people at the front desk did not give me any idea how cool this film this was and how it was going to be shown. I thought it would be some typical screen in front of seats, movie theatre style. Once inside the theatre area, Amanda instructed us to take off our shoes and jackets and grab a pillow and blankets. We then entered the dome one by one. Amanda had to zip the dome closed for a bit, after each person entered. She did this to maintain the level of inflation inside the dome. Ten people (including a couple of kids) fit inside the dome. We all lay on the ground, faxing upwards. Amanda was inside with us. The film was amazing! It highlighted the beautiful sights across Canada. I really enjoyed this experience! The bonus was that it was all free because of Canada 150! I know the entrance fees will kick back in for 2018. If you are in the Banff area, I definitely recommend dropping by here. There are tonnes of photo opportunities in and around this place. It's a cool place. It's definitely worth a visit!

I really liked this attraction. I mean sure, it likely was more interesting/relaxing back in the day when people visited this historic spot to actually enjoy the hot springs but there's still the Upper Hot Springs for that. The endangered habitat for the snails is fascinating in and of itself. I loved the little historic walkways to explore and the cave and basin itself was pretty neat too. There was a film and many artifacts and pictures of the history of the Canadian National Parks available here and the architecture of the building is great too. There's also a nice gift shop nearby. I liked the interactive exhibits too. There was art on display when we visited as well which was pretty nifty. I think it is important to realize what this attraction is and temper your expectations to match what you're visiting... but once you've done this, this attraction is well worth a visit. We had a good time here!

The Cave and Basin is a great way to start off your Banff National Park visit. The thermal springs are a huge part of the origins of the park. We were here years ago before the big upgrade in 2011. They have done a lot. Don't forget to get a map when you enter so you don't miss anything. There so much in the area to explore beside the Cave and Basin.. On that note..still glad that the Banff Springs Snails are thriving in the Basin. The boardwalks are a great plus to explore the area. Bring your watching shoes.. lots to see!

It is ok to check this place out if there's nothing else to do. But if you have a long list of to-dos and little time to do so, I wouldn't use up my time here. There are a lot more cooler spots in Banff. Admission is negligible at around few bucks per person. There's a little explanation of what this place is, which is cool to learn about. In terms of the actual cave and basin, it is super tiny and looks like something from Disneyland. I don't know if it looks fake because it's just super well maintained or what, but it feels like I'm in little mermaids home or something. It's a small pool with the hot spring water (so yes it smells like sulfur in a confined space because it's in the cave). Just not all that wowing of a place. Probably spend 30 minutes here if you wanna read through all the history.

The birthplace of Canada's National Park system and I visited it! It was our last day in Canada and we were driving through Banff to get to Calgary. We decided to stop in town, visit a site, have lunch and leave. My mom was badgering us to visit this site, so we caved ( and I'm so glad we did). You need to pay $1.50 (Canadian Dollars) to get your hand stamped before you enter the building. Mind your head when you walk through the cave. The walkway becomes very short, even I had to lower my head and I'm only 5' 5". Inside of the Cave pretty much smells awful! If you stay eye level with the water it doesn't smell so bad. But the second you step up onto the platform to look down into the cave's thermal waters you are hit with the scent of rotten eggs not to mention the moisture in the air from the thermal waters. I feel like that scent will stay in my nasal passage forever. And DO NOT TOUCH THE WATER! You will go to jail and pay a hefty fine. There are snails that are found in this water that cannot be found anywhere else in the world and if you touch the water it'll disrupt their ecosystem (They have a lot of pride in these snails). The Basin, which is outside, is just as smelly but you can see the snails a lot better. The park rangers are there to answer any questions you have and to give you a little bit of a history lesson. Walk around this historical site and learn about this important part of Canada's history. You will learn a lot of interesting tidbits, facts and history!

A cool and quick stop. The pool is very inviting, but don't touch these protected waters that got Banff started. Admission is just a few bucks for adults and free for under 17. This is greatly for a rainy day.

The Cave and Basin National Historic Site of Canada (located at the far west end of Cave Avenue) commemorates the birthplace of Canada's National Park system, which began here in 1885. I love this kind of historical stuff, and hence manage to come here (and to the nearby Whyte Museum) most every time I come to Banff. You might want to take a look at his small piece of Canadian culture yourself. The first recorded reference to hot springs here was by James Hector of the Palliser Expedition in 1859, followed by Joe Healey in 1874 who found the Cave and Basin site in 1875. But it was Canadian Pacific Railway workers William McCardell and Frank McCabe who brought national attention to this Site. In 1883 they descended through the skylight entrance into the cave using a felled tree, and the following year constructed a small cabin nearby with the intention of commercializing the Cave and Basin site. Conflicting claims by other parties prompted intervention by the Canadian government and in 1885, 26 km2 were set aside around the Cave and Basin and the nearby Upper Banff Hot Springs area. This was the genesis of Canada's National Parks system. In 1886 an artificial tunnel was driven into the Cave and Basin to aid visitation. In 1912 bottled water from the Cave and Basin site was sold for its alleged curative powers. In 1914 a naturally heated swimming pool was opened to the public and continued to operate until 1994. Luckily I first visited here before it closed and enjoyed a nice swim. The built facilities include an artificial tunnel to the natural grotto, a replica of the original 1887 bathhouse, the restored 1916 swimming pool and structure, and hiking and snowshoe trails to the nearby woods and marshes. Many of the early structures were built by detainees held at a World War I internment camp located nearby. The camp held citizens of countries with which Canada was at war at the time, and had a significant Ukrainian contingent. The growth and development of Canada's national parks are celebrated in interactive displays and exhibits. Naturally-occurring, warm mineral springs can be found inside the cave, and outside in an emerald coloured basin.

Honestly, the review by Eric B. seems to have a bunch of details and the history of it so it's probably a bit more helpful than mine. It's a gorgeous place and I'm glad I forced my dad and brother to come here. It's a great view there.

This site is pretty interesting. It not only had the cave with the Sulphur water pools, but it also had a small museum, a small theatre showcasing the discovery and transfer of ownership of the site, and some great look-out points atop it all for some great shots. There is also a restaurant and gift shop located at the site. For a cheap price, it would be worth looking into this site for some context to this quaint little town, surrounded by majestic mountains. I recommend this site for all ages!!

I love how everything in the Banff area is in walking distance and if you do drive it's all still super close! What is great about this cave is you can also buy tickets to other attractions! Why wait in line to ride up the Gondola, which is a popular site in Banff! You can actually buy tickets here at the cave and then drive over to where the Gondola is and wait for your time to ride up and call it good! At the Cave they have a small area where the cave is but also have a lot of history about the Canada area. They also have a lot of fun things for kids to enjoy as well so this is a great place to take the family for the day. With Canada 150 visiting this place is free, all they ask for is that you provide your zip code for tracking purposes. The staff is super friendly and everyone will answer any questions you have. There is a lot of stuff to look at here so allocate at least one house here.

Although stinky was somewhat worth seeing I couldn't go all the way to the top cause of hip pain but my husband said it was just alright. Maybe if the area with the inside tour part had been open it would of made more sense.

This place is neat. The history is pretty cool, it is too bad you cant swim or anything anymore. I am not sure if it was free cause of Canada 150 or what but I really wouldn't want to pay to go to it. It is really cool but fairly short. Worth a stop in of your looking for something to do...

It was interesting. A lot of history for being the first national park. A nice walk up the boardwalk, which I believe does not require a pass purchase

Do you hate those morons who post first on a YouTube page but only say "First Post!" Don't you just want to squeeze them really, really hard? But what you wouldn't do is celebrate them. That's what the Cave and Basin National Historic Site is basically about--celebrating "firsties". Let's cut to the stink, this place was incredibly boring. I've been in cave tours; I've been on amazing cave tours. The pinnacle was in Guilin, China. It was an hour, only accessible by boat, and took place entirely within a network of caverns. Those were amazing. This was not like that. I wouldn't even call it a tour. Most of this trivial facility is accessible without paying the fee, and if the whole thing was free, I wouldn't complain as much. But it's the fact they DO charge is what annoys me. Yes, it's only $4 a person, but that's money lost. And for what? Thirty feet of cave and one pool? I'm not even complaining about the smell. I knew what to expect--sulphur smells like rotten eggs. But after the aforementioned small pool at the end of the aforementioned small save, there was very little else for us to do. You can stop and read a few exhibits that honestly have very little to do with the actual Cave and Basin Park. The whole thing commemorates the fact this location was the first Canadian National Park. That's it--that's why it's so important. Like being first in this field is significant somehow. So wait, we'll erect a park about the first park being built? That means at one point this was a park commemorating the fact that it was a park. Yeah, that's cool--I'll pay four bucks for that. About the only aspect interesting around the location are the walking paths...that you don't need to pay for. You can tour the boardwalks that navigate the waters, but after that, you check your watch...and realize that you still haven't closed in on an hour. I wasn't expecting Hang Son Doong here (Wiki it), but something substantial other than what was presented...or at least not charge us the price of a six inch meatball marinara at Subway. Don't get me wrong, I love Banff. It has some great things to see...most of which are free. The Cave and Basin Park can be avoided.

Spent more time then we had planned because there was so much to see and do. Interesting information about glaciers and beautiful boardwalks around the grounds. Beautiful area

Pretty cool to check out what first started the national park in Banff and see where the natives lived and bathed and spent time together. The cave was really cool and the sulphuric smell is awesome! You can also watch videos about certain time period that show how people lived. Another thing is the Basin, which is the outdoor tub they took bathes in. Other than that there's not much to see but it's worth it for $7.

This is the first place we visited while on vacation in Banff. Day was came in it was hotter than we expected, but loved it nonetheless. The history of the area is well documented. And workers here are knowledgeable and ready to help. The cave was beautiful as is the surrounding trails. Definitely a must see.

Its true what others are saying, there is really not alot to see but hallways and then one quick pool and also of course huge stinky rotten egg smell. But for me I liked the fact that when you are in Banff as a tourist and you have already paid to have one of those National Park passes, then the whole thing is FREEEEEEEEE!!!!! Most people dont know that PS If you are looking for a restaurant locally; Whatever you do, NEVER go to the Calgary restaurant The Guild. The insane manager literally called the police and tried to put me "under citizens arrest" for accidentally knocking over a glass of wine- see my full review here https://www.yelp.ca/biz/the-guild-calgary

So boring. The picture online is all you see, and they don't control the number of people cramming in at a time to take pictures. Kids are yelling and running into everyone. Plan to be there. About 15 min unless you are really into reading historical facts.

We took a narrative tour, 45 minutes and outdoors only, which was very entertaining and informative. There are quite a few steps on the tour but my aunt (80+) was able to go and the tour guide carried a chair for her so she could rest during the tour. The exhibits are interesting and we spent 2 hours, including the tour, looking around. It was not very crowded in October and visiting the cave helped warm ourselves since it was quite cold outside.

this place is great and good to explore however you can't touch the water it is illegal but you can learn about the smell of sulphur coming from it but enjoy the beauty of the area as well

My boyfriend and our friends went to the Cave and Basin a couple of months ago. We wanted to see how the renovations went and.... they did a really good job. The whole experience was very interactive and they provide a lot of information about the history. If you have small kids or want something to do on a lazy afternoon- GO!

This is a pretty cool place to check out. They've got a really interesting bit about the pool that used to be there, and a boardwalk running through some woods & hot spring pools, plus you can check out this really cool cave with a hot spring in it. I had a really good time here- it was a nice relaxing walk, not anything too hard, and hanging out in that cave was pretty amazing. The admission is really reasonable ($4 when I went) and there's also a really great little cafe inside. It's definitely worth stopping in :)

Overall, I was amazed at the quality of exhibits and the low admission price. It was definitely a great experience, much better than many other historic sites around the world. Definitely something to be proud of, and can't wait to see the quality they start putting into other historic sites if this is any indication! This is my first visit to the Cave and Basin since the renovations and I was in shock at the quality of the exhibits for the low admission price of $4. While there are the usual non-interactive exhibits (pictures, diagrams, etc) the hall overlooking to old pool area has an amazing array of interactive exhibits (from digital postcards to shows on giant projection screens). While not the largest facility by any stretch, it is a good way to spend 1-2 hours by going through all the information. There are also tours provided by the site throughout the day, so perhaps inquire about those ahead of time. The trails around the site are free of charge and parking is plentiful. So, even when closed, there is still something to do. The pool has been paved over, which is a bit of a disappointment, but I can understand why it was not cost effective to restore.

Very interesting place to go for a couple of hours. Don't miss the 2 movies. One is upstairs in the theater. They are very informative about this first National Park of Canada.

I found this place to be very boring. We thought the cave was more intricate than what it was. We had been to a cave in Maui and thought this was similar, at least 15 minutes of walking in underground cave. But the cave was shallow, you can see the end of it from the entrance. Very disappointing.

Do not do the cave by lantern tour! You barely get to see the cave, the water is not even warm, and the "tour" is conducted by people horribly acting as characters from the past. Oh, and only a very few people actually get the lanterns. A waste of time.

Cave and Basin is easily accessible from the Banff townsite, and a good way to spend an hour or two sightseeing. The center itself has a low admission price, and has a cave you can go into with natural hot sulfuric water bubbling up from the mountain. The rest of the interior is an interpretive center that goes through the history of National Parks in Canada. I found this very interesting, but if you don't want to read a lot, it might be a little boring. The cave and interpretive center are indoors, and you can walk around a boardwalk pathway outside. The boardwalk is free (you don't need admission to do the walk) and really interesting - so cool to see the water boiling outside in spots. There are some really nice vantage points higher up as well. The boardwalk takes about 15-20 minutes to walk around, and the inside center can be easily done in half an hour. Fun and unique stop if you are in the area!

Of course, anywhere you go in Alberta can be magical. We thoroughly enjoyed all of the time we spent outdoors.