Alberta, Canada Road Trip: Day 2 (Cave and Basin National Historic Site)
We (3 couples) all met up at Canmore Rocky Mountain Lodge, our hotel for 2 nights while exploring the sites of Banff National Park. We chose to stay outside of Banff town because it's cheaper to stay here in Canmore than in Banff. We did great in choosing this hotel. Since we came early, we could not check in just yet, but they agreed to hold our luggage while we go and sightsee.
Our friends who wrote the itinerary added a last-minute item in today's itinerary - and I thought that our day was already packed with activities; obviously it can still accommodate one more stop. And it happened to be the first stop for today at Cave and Basin National Historic Site located in the town of Banff. It is the site of natural thermal mineral springs around which Canada's first national park, Banff, was established.
There is a cave that I thought was very "polished" and can be accessed from the visitor center. The cave part is pretty cool, I thought, although very small and can be a bit crowded. At that time in June, we have not completely relaxed in our Covid protocols yet the people with us in the cave were not wearing masks. I kept my mask on the entire time. We took photos and left immediately. I could not fully enjoy being indoors with people who were not wearing mask.
Inside the building there is a large room (Story Hall) that had exhibits and I believed the room is used for programs and shows and the walls were covered with interesting tidbits about the place. Next to the large room is a walled in, roofless area that seem to be the location of the bathhouse that is no more. Further at the back, there was a thermal pool. The smell of sulfur hang heavy here.
There are living things supposed to be thriving in this environment, but we could not identify them without the assistance of a guide.
We climbed up and enjoyed the panoramic views of the majestic mountains and the colorful thermal pool. There's a boardwalk that we followed and inspected the flora of this area.
One more look before we left.
This is a very nice stop, educational and you can definitely get your steps and cardio because you climb up to see a better view. However, there is no bad angle here.
There is a cave that I thought was very "polished" and can be accessed from the visitor center. The cave part is pretty cool, I thought, although very small and can be a bit crowded. At that time in June, we have not completely relaxed in our Covid protocols yet the people with us in the cave were not wearing masks. I kept my mask on the entire time. We took photos and left immediately. I could not fully enjoy being indoors with people who were not wearing mask.
Inside the building there is a large room (Story Hall) that had exhibits and I believed the room is used for programs and shows and the walls were covered with interesting tidbits about the place. Next to the large room is a walled in, roofless area that seem to be the location of the bathhouse that is no more. Further at the back, there was a thermal pool. The smell of sulfur hang heavy here.
There are living things supposed to be thriving in this environment, but we could not identify them without the assistance of a guide.
We climbed up and enjoyed the panoramic views of the majestic mountains and the colorful thermal pool. There's a boardwalk that we followed and inspected the flora of this area.
One more look before we left.
This is a very nice stop, educational and you can definitely get your steps and cardio because you climb up to see a better view. However, there is no bad angle here.
That's such a beautiful area. Your photos are wonderful. Thanks for taking us along!
ReplyDeleteCool.
ReplyDelete...a beautiful place that I've heard of, but have never visited. Thanks for taking me along.
ReplyDeleteLovely landscapes. And caves are always fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear more about your trip so I'm off to the next post. :)