Four kilometres of passage inside Grotto Mountain above Canmore, dissolved out of the limestone by meltwater from old glaciers, and one of the longest caves in the country. It is a Provincial Historic Resource under Alberta’s Historical Resources Act, the entrance is gated and locked, and the only way in is with the licensed guide who holds the key. That is the right arrangement: the cave has formations and animal bones in it that a crowd would have flattened long ago. Two trips are run, a shorter one of about two and a half hours underground and a longer caving trip of about four, and both add a hike up the mountain at each end. Expect to crawl, and expect to come out filthy.
Other places on the map within a couple of hours.
