The Descent - OCT 28 & 31
The creepiest halloween adventure imaginable, back by popular demand!
I'm Prepared to be ScaredThis Canadian Signature Experience is our longest cave tour. It includes an 18m rappel and plenty of time to explore passages like the Laundry Chute.
If you know this is the tour for you simply find your date and start time below and make your reservation now. If you'd like some more information about the tour Click Here
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The Explorer Tour may be our shortest cave tour, but it is by no means short on fun and excitement.
You will spend approximately 2 hours underground exploring this amazing playground, passing ancient bones and cave formations along the way!
If you know this is the tour for you simply find your date and start time below and make your reservation now. If you'd like some more information about the tour Click Here
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Join us year-round, rain or shine, for a Natural History tour into Rat’s Nest Cave - a wild, undeveloped cave under Grotto Mountain; near Banff and Canmore, Alberta, Canada!
Canmore Cave Tours has been offering tours at Rat’s Nest Cave, since 1992. While we have grown since then our goal remains the same - to offer our guests the most extraordinary, unforgettable experience possible.
As passionate cavers and cave advocates we feel it is a privilege to share this amazing place with you, and when you join a tour with us you do so as our friend and fellow explorer. We hope that at the end of the day, tired and dirty as you may be, you are brimming with as much excitement and appreciation for the cave as we are.
Canmore is an authentic mountain lifestyle community nestled in the spectacular Bow River Valley and surrounded by the majesty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. In this dynamic and energetic town you will find award-winning festivals, world-class mountain sports, outstanding health and wellness, vibrant arts and culture, unique boutique shopping and remarkable dining experiences, all on the doorstep of Banff National Park.
Canmore is just a 60 minutes west of Calgary and 25 minutes east of the town of Banff so come visit us and see why in Canmore you can: Do More, Play More, Live More!
Rat’s Nest Cave is a special place. In 1987 it was designated a Provincial Historic Resource because of its incredible archaeological significance. It is home to ancient pictographs, 7000 year old bones, and beautiful cave formations. At over 4km long, Rat’s Nest Cave is one of the longest caves in Canada.
The water-sculpted passages of the cave offer us seemingly endless opportunities to learn and explore. At 5 degrees celsius, the cave is a cool but comfortable destination every day of the year, a trait enjoyed by cave residents like bushy-tailed wood rats, and North America’s smallest mammal - the pigmy shrew.
With no lights, handrails or walkways we are left to enjoy the cave in its natural state, just as the original explorers did.
Explore the Cave MapThe thought of caving often invokes images of extreme adventure, and if that's what you're looking for we can certainly accommodate.
We also understand that not everyone is into the adventurous side of caving. If you find yourself in this category we still have plenty of great options for you too.
Every caver enjoys the cave in their own way, so let us help you discover what those stories and memories are for you.
The Canmore Cave Tours team are thrilled to share an exciting new project with you. As of April 2019, in partnership with the Alberta Speleological Society, we have embarked upon the resurvey of Rat’s Nest Cave; a project that we hope will shed new light on a fascinating and important part of Alberta’s history. As one of the longest caves in Canada it still has potential for significant new exploration and research contributions in the realms of geology, biology, anthropology, ecology, and more. Resurveying the cave is the first step in what we hope will be a long journey of new discovery and we invite you to join us for that journey!
Tim and Whitney have been adventuring together since their first date. Living in the mountains benefits a lifestyle centred around hiking, kayaking, and most recently, caving. Pushing boundaries, facing fears, and finding patience are all a part of their journey through both life and the cave. Keep reading to see how the adventure-lovers fared.
There is something a little bit odd - disconcerting even - about standing at the entrance of Rat’s Nest Cave on a cold winter day and feeling warm air pouring out of the cave. That can’t be natural, can it? Caves are supposed to be damp and cold, aren’t they?
How is it that even on the coldest days of the year a dark hole in the side of Grotto Mountain maintains a modicum of warmth while the rest of the countryside succumbs to the long, deep freeze?
The cave is named after these critters, which make their homes close to the entrance.
Visit this amazing squeeze on our Adventure tour
See this ancient formation on our Adventure tour
This is where our cave divers brave the unknown, and 'push' the cave. Visited by both the: Adventure tour and Explorer tour.
In winter, fixed ropes aid access to the entrance.
The cave is named after these critters, which make their homes close to the entrance.
This is the largest room in the cave
Visit this amazing squeeze on our Adventure tour
See this ancient formation on our Adventure tour
This is where our cave divers brave the unknown, and 'push' the cave. Visited by both the: Adventure tour and Explorer tour.
We believe the souvenirs you take home are just as much a part of your experience as your time in the cave so you won't find the standard gift-shop fare here.
We have partnered with some of our local artisans and asked them to help tell the story of the cave through their eyes, and their craft. You won't find these little pieces of Canmore anywhere else in the world.
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