List of caves in Canada explained

This is an incomplete list of caves in Canada. Most notable caves are in western Canada and in parts of southern Ontario where limestone predominates.

NameImageProvincedata-sort-type="number" Entrance
elevation (m)
data-sort-type="number" Depth (m)data-sort-type="number" Length (m)Remarks
Arctomys Cave5363,496Located in Mount Robson Provincial Park
Artlish River Cave396Located in Artlish Caves Provincial Park
Bisaro Anima6705,300Discovered in 2012 on a high plateau of Mount Bisaro near Fernie. Extreme depth reached in a sump in late 2017.[1]
740Located in Artlish Caves Provincial Park
Bluefish CavesLocated near Old Crow
Bocock Peak Caves[2] Located in Bocock Peak Provincial Park
Bonnechere CavesLocated in Eganville
Booming Ice Chasm140704Located near Crowsnest Pass
Cadomin Cave1,8912202,791Located near Cadomin. Closed in 2010 due to an outbreak of white nose syndrome.
Canyon Creek Ice Cave1,769+89.4727.12Located near the town of Bragg Creek. Impassable beyond the first 150m since 1980, due to ice buildup.[3]
Castleguard Cave2,01638420,357Located in Banff National Park. It is longest cave in Canada. The cave entrance is gated and requires permission from Parks Canada to enter.
Cave and Basin1,403Located in the town of Banff. The cave consists of a tunnel blasted through to a natural cavern containing hot springs. Has an entry fee.
Cave FallsLocated in Hamilton
Charlie Lake CaveAn archaeologically significant cave located near Charlie Lake
Chipmunk CavesLocated in the Chilliwack River valley near Ford Mountain Correctional Centre
Close To The Edge700475967Located in Close To The Edge Provincial Park
Cody Caves800Located in Cody Caves Provincial Park. Access is by guided tour only.
Devil's Bath90 44 Large cenote located 13.5 km southeast of Port Alice near Kathleen Lake
Duncan Crevice CavesLocated in Beaver Valley
Eramosa KarstLocated in Hamilton
Eternal FountainA waterfall emptying into a sinkhole near Port McNeill
Fairy HoleA sea cave reputedly linked to various legends of the Mi'kmaq Nation
Fang Cave[4] Located in Evanoff Provincial Park
Gargantua Cave
2,5012866,001Located near Crowsnest Pass. Contains the largest and highest elevation natural cavern in Canada.
Hayes Cave400[5] Located near Maple Grove
Hole in the Wall2,01330A prominent feature on the side of Mount Cory. Visible from the Trans-Canada Highway about 14 km west of the town of Banff.
Homesite Creek CavesLocated near Halfmoon Bay
Hoodoo Cave220Located near Nordegg
Horne Lake cave complexLocated in Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park
Horseshoe Falls grotto46A large manmade grotto behind Horseshoe Falls of Niagara Falls
Kitt's Cave8141Located near Hammondvale
Limestone depositsLocated near Lake Winnipeg
Little Huson Cave complexLocated in Little Huson Cave Regional Park
Nakimu CavesLocated in Glacier National Park
Plateau Mountain Ice Cave2,22690Located in Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve. Closed to the public in the early 1970s.[6]
Raspberry Rising220975Located beneath Mount Tupper in Glacier National Park. Still being explored, its full extents are yet to be determined.[7]
Rat's Nest Cave1,4502454,003Located beneath Grotto Mountain near Exshaw. Access is by guided tour only.
Saint-Alban cavesLocated in Saint-Alban
Saint-Leonard Cavern250 Located in Saint-Léonard. Original cave is 35 metres long with a depth of 8 metres;[8] a second 250-metre cave was discovered in 2017.[9]
Sarlacc's Pit cave+130+2,000Discovered in 2018 within Wells Gray Provincial Park. Not yet accurately measured. The largest known cave of its type. Given the informal name of "Sarlacc's Pit".[10]
Scenic CavesLocated near Collingwood
Skaha North Cave40300Located approximately 5 km south of north end of Skaha and 3 km up from Skaha lake
Skaha South Cave30150Located approximately 2 km south of Skaha North Cave
Slesse Creek cavesLocated near Slesse Creek
Small River Caves complex[11] Located in Small River Caves Provincial Park.
Stone Corral Caves[12] Located in Monkman Provincial Park
Thanksgiving Cave479[13] 8,386Located near Tahsis. A through passage was discovered in September 2017.
Trou de la FéeLocated in Desbiens
Trou du Diable980Located in Saint-Casimir. Second longest cave in Quebec.
Trou du PerdusLocated in Saint-Michel-du-Squatec
Underground Lake13.1141A gypsum cave located in the community of Demoiselle Creek
Valdes Island caveLocated on Valdes Island
Vanishing River/Reappearing RiverLocated southeast of Port Alice near Kathleen Lake
Wapiabi Cave152 540Located near Nordegg
Warsaw CavesLocated in Douro-Dummer Township near Warsaw
Weymer Creek caves complexLocated in Weymer Creek Provincial Park. Caving is strongly discouraged until a park management plan is completed.[14]
Hell Holes CavesLocated in Lennox and Addington County near Centreville[15]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Heide Pearson, Calgarian explorers among team that discovered Canada's deepest cave near Fernie, BC, Global News, January 15, 2018
  2. Web site: Environment. Ministry of. Bocock Peak Provincial Park - BC Parks. 2020-10-19. bcparks.ca.
  3. Book: Rollins, Jon. Caves of the Canadian Rockies & Columbia Mountains. Rocky Mountain Books. Surrey, BC. 0921102941. 2004.
  4. Web site: Environment. Ministry of. Evanoff Provincial Park - BC Parks. 2020-10-19. bcparks.ca.
  5. Derek Davis, et al., (1996 Revised Edition), Natural History of Nova Scotia, Volume II: Theme Regions, Nova Scotia Museum, p. 96
  6. http://www.albertaparks.ca/media/2741526/plateau_mtn_mgmt_plan.pdf Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve Management Plan
  7. Joshua Rapp Learn, "Cave Mappers", Canadian Geographic Magazine, April 2014, pp. 36-37.
  8. https://www.375mtl.com/en/2-minutes-of-history-the-saint-leonard-cavern/ The Saint-Leonard Cavern
  9. Michelle Lalonde, Spelunkers discover 15,000-year-old cavern in St-Léonard park, Montreal Gazette, December 1, 2017
  10. Web site: Newly discovered cave in B.C. might be largest ever found in Canada . The Canadian Press . 3 December 2018 . CBC News . 3 December 2018 .
  11. Web site: Environment. Ministry of. Small River Caves Provincial Park - BC Parks. 2020-10-19. bcparks.ca.
  12. Web site: Environment. Ministry of. Monkman Provincial Park - BC Parks. 2020-10-19. bcparks.ca.
  13. Web site: Canada's 100 Longest and Deepest surveyed caves. CanCaver. Caving Canada. 20 March 2018.
  14. Web site: Environment. Ministry of. Weymer Creek Provincial Park - BC Parks. 2020-10-19. bcparks.ca.
  15. Web site: Spelunking The Hell Holes Caves. 2021-06-30.