Cave and Basin National Historic Site

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.

It was neat to see the old cave and pools, but there wasn’t much else there and the admission price is more than triple what it was years ago. There was a short video played on the screens, but not very informative. I will say, though, all the staff were super friendly and very eager to assist. Good people.

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!

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.

Awesome to see the original Hot Springs area, and to learn the history of the discovery and use of the Hot Springs for the past several hundred years by the indigenous people in the area. Park staff was awesome, everywhere we went.

We honestly weren’t too sure what this place was about. Glad we stopped and glad we had the Banff National Park Discovery Pass as admission was included. We certainly found both the history of the cave (quite smaller than we expected) and basin and the significance as this essentially is where Canada's first national park, Banff National Park, was established.

It was an amazing experience visiting this place and reading about how the national parks came to be in Canada. So much information is shared in the exhibits. The hot spring cave was pretty amazing to see as well. The exhibits and displays conveyed a great story of how the site was formed and how it was converted to a national historic site. Definitely recommend visiting the place with kids and helping them understand a bit of history of the land these national forests came to be from.

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.

It was neat to see the old cave and pools, but there wasn’t much else there and the admission price is more than triple what it was years ago. There was a short video played on the screens, but not very informative. I will say, though, all the staff were super friendly and very eager to assist. Good people.

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!

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.

Awesome to see the original Hot Springs area, and to learn the history of the discovery and use of the Hot Springs for the past several hundred years by the indigenous people in the area. Park staff was awesome, everywhere we went.

We honestly weren’t too sure what this place was about. Glad we stopped and glad we had the Banff National Park Discovery Pass as admission was included. We certainly found both the history of the cave (quite smaller than we expected) and basin and the significance as this essentially is where Canada's first national park, Banff National Park, was established.

It was an amazing experience visiting this place and reading about how the national parks came to be in Canada. So much information is shared in the exhibits. The hot spring cave was pretty amazing to see as well. The exhibits and displays conveyed a great story of how the site was formed and how it was converted to a national historic site. Definitely recommend visiting the place with kids and helping them understand a bit of history of the land these national forests came to be from.