Cave and Basin National Historic Site

Canada's National Park system began at this very spot in 1885.

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Cave and Basin National Historic Site Details

Wondering where Canada's National Park system began? Well, you've found it here at Cave and Basin National Historic Site. In 1883, three Canadian Pacific Railway workers came across the natural hot mineral springs at Cave and Basin, which had been enjoyed for thousands of years by the indigenous people of the Canadian Rockies. Upon its discovery, the three described the springs "like some fantastic dream from a tale of the Arabian Nights". In order to preserve the springs and the area around them, the Hot Springs Reserve was established in 1885 and the springs were reserved from sale or settlement or squatting". This was the beginning of the Canadian National Park system. In 1887, the Hot Springs Reserve was expanded under the Rocky Mountains Park Act and the area officially became the Rocky Mountains National Park, Canada's first national park; its name changed to Banff National Park in 1930. At the historical site, on the outskirts of downtown Banff, visitors can travel back to the late 1800s through interactive displays, classic bath houses and sulphuric mineral springs to the origin of Canada's National Park system.

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