Visit the world of caves with Canmore Caverns Ltd. You will descend a cave on Grotto Mountain near Canmore, Alberta. Experienced cave guides will interpret the fascinating natural history of the cave. Huge quantities of water were pumped through this 4- km long limestone cave system from extinct glaciers of the last million years. In this Canadian Rockies cave, guiding goes on year round. As you walk up to the cave through the lodgepole pine forest, you will look down on the Bow River as it flows along the impressive glacial valley that once contained the cave-forming glaciers. Now the glacial waters have drained from the cave leaving glacial deposits, fossil animal bones, pools and glistening calcite formations, all of which you can view on our wild cave tours. (Try the Explorer tour or the more challenging Adventure tour.)

The MacEwan Centre for Sport & Wellness had planned a student weekend trip to Canmore/Banff. The caving tour exceeded our expectations. It was truly amazing. Not only were some of the climbs and rappels physically challenging, but the formations and the natural wonders inside the cave were magnificent. This adventure will be one that the students and us (the leaders) will never forget. We look forward to planning our next adventure trip with Canmore Caverns Ltd.
Linda Stride, Recreation Consultant, Grant MacEwan College, March 2003

On behalf of Jeff Hutcheson and everyone here at Canada AM, we want to thank you for all your help. It was a pleasure working with you and I look forward to working with you in the future
Jana Juginovic, Story Producer, Canada AM, January 2002

Under Grotto Mountain By Charles J. Yonge Published by Rocky Mountain Books, 144 pages. Under Grotto Mountain near Canmore, Alberta, the subterranean passages of Rat's Nest Cave extend for over four kilometers. Pull out the cave map and follow explorers as they press on into the unknown, find out about the geology that brought the cave into being and through photographs enjoy the cave's fragile beauty. $20 Cdn includes GST. Postage extra.

 

My family was thrilled with the Adventure Tour. It was wonderful to explore the cave under the guidance of Rachael who did a great job. She seemed to enjoy the teaching aspect, was encouraging and always mindful of our safety. I admire the tremendous amount of courage and adventure you have to explore spaces such as the laundry chute for the first time! Thanks so much for the signed copy of your book. I know we’ll re-live the adventure many times over when referencing it. You’ve done a great job of managing exposure to the Rat’s Nest Cave, presenting the wonder that it is in a fun and challenging family adventure.

Ruth - Feb 2005

We all had a great time exploring the deep part of the cave and the workout was fantastic! I am sure we will come back at some point to see more of the cave. Thanks again for being great guides. Happy Caving!

Greg - Feb 2005

I wanted to express my appreciation for the great guiding Troy did on Saturday. He took me and my two friends on a wonderful tour around the cave. I want to express appreciation especially for the way he carefully and safely led us in tricky sections. We had a great time, thank you very much.

Shane - Dec 2004

Just wanted to say thanks for the great tour, our guide, Jane, was excellent.

Justin - Nov 2004

We (Japanese sister and brother Yasumi and Tetsu) was on a cave tour and we had such a great experience, we would like to thank Charles. We really appreciate such a nice guiding in the cave. Actually, I (Tetsu) didn't know that the activity on mountain is so exciting for me and I feel like a Rookie again.

Tetsu - Nov 2004

I just want to let you know that Tracy and I agree that Troy did a magnificent job guiding us. He was informative, very safety conscious and fun. We are dive instructors and understand very well how to work with tourists. I value dependability, attitude, good humor and dedication. Troy has all those values and more. You are very fortunate having Troy as part of your staff! Please let him know that when we get back to Canmore we will be taking the Cave tour again.

Sergio Coni, Grand Cayman - Oct 2004

 

The caves were fantastic, and our guide really outdid himself. Both Norm and I enjoyed our time tremendously and have already told several of our friends about it. Thanks again for the memorable time :)

Renee - Oct 2004

 

We just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how much we enjoyed our cave tour. At the end of July, my wife and our 2 kids did the adventure tour with Jane as our guide. We wanted to let you know how much fun we had with Jane. She was very pleasant, courteous, knowledgeable and most of all, great with the kids. They (and us) had a blast! We couldn’t have found a nicer person to go with us.

Dave, Gloria, Chris & Taylor - Oct 2004

 

We wanted to drop you a note to say a huge thank you to CANMORE CAVERNS and especially to Troy (our guide) for a fantastic "first timer" cave experience. Troy was an absolutely top notch guide. His knowledge of the flora and fauna of not just the cave, but the surrounding area was really great. He was patient and happily answered questions and had lots of really interesting knowledge about the area. Once we got into the cave, he patiently and safely navigated us through all the nooks and crannies of the cave. He encouraged active participation throughout and all-in-all made it a really wonderful, unforgettable experience (We've been bitten by the caving bug, thanks to such a great first experience)!

Jillian & Carl - Oct 2004

 

Please pass on my sincerest thank you to "Jane" - our guide through Rat's Nest Cave. She proved to be a very knowledgeable and professional individual, who's love, respect and appreciation of this type of site was apparent. With Jane's insight into the many wonders of this underground world, I learnt not only to better understand this unique area but to also appreciate it for the information it provides us through different means. It was undoubtedly one of the most mentally exhilarating and physically challenging experiences of my life. Thank you Jane,

Jo-Ann Bird - Sept 2004

 

All the staff has been and done the Adventure tour and they absolutely loved it! Thanks again for the discounted rate and we'll definitely be recommending your tours to our guests.

Shelly Baker, Front Office Supervisor, Cathedral Mountain Lodge - Sept 2004

I would like to thank Troy, Maria and Dave for the tour! They were very patient with our group and the concerns for our safety were definitely shown through their actions and words of comfort and encouragement. They were very informative and professional. I had an exceptional exhilarating time - I never dreamed beyond my wildest imagination that it was humanly possible to fit down through the "box" and into some of the crevices, and passages we crawled into, including the" laundry chute". I can not thank you guys enough! You made my experience that much better and it was an amazing adventure! I will definitely recommend the adventure to my peers and friends!

Ruby, Indian Oil and Gas Canada - Sept 2004