10 Things to Do at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site in Banff, Alberta
On a recent summertime visit to Banff National Park and the town of Banff, we enjoyed exploring the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, one of the most historic (and preserved!) and popular sites in the heart of downtown Banff.
When the Canadian Pacific Railway opened in the 1880s, it brought many visitors to the Banff area. Frank McCabe and brothers William and Tom McCardell were some of the first visitors to “find” the cave and thermal springs in 1883 and immediately wanted to develop the area around it. The Prime Minister of Canada created the hot springs reserve to protect the property.
The bathing pavilion officially opened in 1914 and stayed open until 1976, when it closed due to structural damage. The site reopened in 1985 as a public pool, with swimming allowed until 1992. From 1992 until 2013, guests were welcome to visit the site as a reflecting pool with limited facilities. In 2013, a museum and walking trails open, along with renewed programming, allowing visitors to explore more areas of the property while preserving the hot springs. Today, the National Historic Site is overseen by the Parks Department, welcoming visitors year round to enjoy the hot springs, learn about the history of the area, and walk the trails around the property.
Travel Tips:
Ten Things to Do at the Cave and Basin NHS:
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- Learn how to make hot spring soup and all about the famous Banff Springs snails in the Hot Springs History exhibit.
- Look for flowstone, speleothem, the vent hole, and the waterfall inside the cave (and watch your head if you’re taller than 5’6”!) Note the strong sulfur smell.
- Follow the important dates of the springs from 1885 through modern day on the life size timeline in the Story Hall exhibit.
- Check out the styles of bathing suits from when the bathing pavilion opened in 1914.
- Hop inside a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle Buggy that was common to find inside Banff National Park during the surge in visitors in the late 1960s and 1970s.
- Share your vision for the world on a white board and upload it to the projection screen in the Story Hall exhibit.
- Check out the outside basin for micro animals in the pools. And be sure to climb the stairs and get an aerial view from the upper platforms.
- Enjoy a variety of kids activities, including Snakes and Snails and Tower Tumble games, in the Galletly Building. There’s also coloring stations, reading nooks, and a series of Indigenous Voices short films (nine short films about the indigenous people of the Canadian Rockies).
- Play a lifesize version of Snakes and Snails outside next to the basin.
- Learn about the forces physical labor or interments in the Enemy Aliens, Prisoners of War exhibit. During and after World War I, Canada operated 24 internment camps for prisoners of war, mainly civilians. Women and children were not subject to internment, but 81 women and 156 opted to go to the camps with their husbands and fathers.
Bonus: Hike, bike, or even snowshoe on the Sundance Trail.
Looking for other adventures in Banff National Park? See our full City Guide to Banff here. And follow along on our adventures on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and X.
Gotta admit… only ever knew about the skiing in Banff! Great that there are summer attractions, too!
I loved visiting the Cave & Basin. Such an interesting site. I find so many people who visit Banff miss it because it’s not right downtown, but it’s somewhere I always recommend. I especially love seeing the vintage bathing suits
We’d love to visit Banff in the summer–so many neat things to do.
We would love to visit Banff sometime soon..