Simple as That

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Gargantua Caves Crowsnest Pass, Alberta Canada

In August my husband and I, along with a group of family members, travelled to the Crowsnest Pass area of Alberta for a trip through the Gargantua Caves. It was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done but it was definitely worth it and I wanted to tell you a little bit about our experience!

Our trip started late on a Friday afternoon, we all met our guide at the parking area at the base of the trail. You can start hiking from here but we opted to take quads and four wheel drive vehicles up this back country road to a clearing where we set up camp for the night. After a relatively good nights sleep we woke up early the next morning and drove the vehicles up a little further to the start of the hiking trail and we were on our way to the caves.  

The hike up to Gargantua is considered to be strenuous, expert level back country hiking. I’d been told it was a tough hike but I don’t know that I was fully prepared for how difficult it actually was. It’s a steep 4 kilometre hike from the start of the trail to the entrance of the caves. I’d say I’m relatively in shape and I found the hike really hard! We saw a few interesting things along the trail – beautiful wildflowers were everywhere and we stopped to observe this little pika at one point – isn’t he a cutie?
We hiked through an alpine meadow area, passed the official campsite where back packers hike to and usually camp for the night if they’re hiking in all their gear. Then the rest of the trail was through shale and up over mountains.
Here I am at the top, not quite to the caves yet, but stopping to look back over where we’d hiked from. The view was absolutely amazing!

Here’s a view of the hiking trail from below near the base camp. Labelled number 1, you can see the area of shale we hiked through up to the top of that ridge then we made our way west towards the area labelled number 2.  At the base of that large peak we went over the other side. From there it’s a short distance to the cave entrance.
Once over the ridge it’s mountains for as far as the eye can see. This is my sister and her husband taking in the view. From here we could see the cave entrance and we were so happy to have made it this far!

A quick shot of me and my Merrell’s! They’ve been with me on all our adventures this past Summer. Love these shoes!

Here is the entrance to the Gargantua caves. The photo on the right is of my husband hiking the last little stretch of the trail to the entrance, it was a steep climb through lots of rock and shale.

After stopping for a quick lunch and getting all geared up we were ready to make our way through the caves. I was a little nervous because I’d never done anything like this before! Inside the caves it’s completely dark and there are 5 rappels, the longest of which is about 58 feet. I’d tried rappelling once years ago so this was definitely a stretch for me! Not something I’m normally comfortable with, but I managed fine and I loved it!
The photo below on the right is of me at the first rappel. Don’t let that smile fool you – I was absolutely terrified! But I did it!! YAY! 🙂 Photo on the right: my husband helping some of the other people in our group make one of the rappels.
The photo below on the left is a terrible shot, but I wanted to show you one of the areas we had to squeeze through. Once we got through this little crevice the cave opened back up again into a larger area, but that feeling of squishing through those rocks – oh my gosh, there’s nothing quite like it! Photo on the right: my sister getting ready to rappel. Notice her outfit! She was much better prepared for the cool temperatures inside the cave than I was. If I did it again I’d definitely bring a pair of overalls with me to wear over top of my clothes, not only to keep warm but to protect my legs and arms as we climbed over and squeezed through sharp rocks.
Another shot of me rappelling. I was getting a little more comfortable with it by the end of the trip but that first step backwards off the edge – that got me every time! Especially since when you look down all you see is pitch darkness!

After exploring the caves for a good 2-3 hours we made it to the cave exit, which is literally a little crack in the wall that has been nicknamed the birth canal. By this time I was pretty cold and tired from the hike up the mountain and then climbing and rappelling through the caves. I’d been most nervous about getting out the exit since I tend to get claustrophobic, but by this point in the day I was just ready to get out, so I handled it much better than I thought I would! 😉 The second photo on the right gives you a bit of an idea of what a tight squeeze it was. Once inside the narrow passage you had to manoeuvre up, over and between rocks. At a few points you are laying down on your stomach pulling yourself through the crack. You even had to rotate your helmet a time or two to be able to fit between some of the narrow spots and really work at fitting your body through. It was pretty intense!

Once through the tunnel area you reach the exit of the cave which is directly behind a waterfall. You have to lay down and crawl out the small opening. Here I am once I got out, I was absolutely spent but was equally as excited to have made it!

After getting all our gear off and taking a short rest we started to make our way back down the mountain. The day for us had started at about 6:30am and by the time we had hiked back down to our camp, packed everything up and driven back down to the parking area it was about 4:30pm.

All in all, the experience was incredible! It was intense and I found myself wanting to turn back at a few points, but I’m so glad I didn’t. It was amazing! I really enjoy being outside in the mountains and exploring nature and to be able to see something like this right in our home province of Alberta, Canada was pretty cool! I’d love to take our kids through the caves with us one day when they’re older!
A few facts about the Gargantua Caves:
* When you enter the Gargantua cave you are in the province of Alberta and the exit is in British Columbia.
*To get to Gargantua it’s about a 3 hour drive from Calgary, Alberta.
*Gargantua is the ninth longest and the twelfth deepest cave system in Canada.
*Gargantua is a limestone cave the exit of which is located at the base of Mt. Ptolomy.
For information about booking a tour or to learn more 
about caving in Alberta, Canada visit:
Rebecca

Rebecca

Rebecca Cooper is a 42-year-old wife and mother of four from Alberta, Canada. As a photographer, crafter, author, and blogger, she finds joy and fulfillment in celebrating everyday moments. She loves to read and eat chocolate, and is a firm believer in afternoon naps. Rebecca shares her family’s adventures, photo tips, simple craft projects + more right here at Simple as That.
Rebecca
Rebecca

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Comments

  1. What a fabulous experience! Love the photos, your shoes, and your smile. A wonderful bonding experience for you all. You’re a brave soul!! TFS 🙂

    Reply

  7. Oh, Rebecca, you are braver than me! Just reading about your adventure has brought me out in a cold sweat! Your photos are amazing. It looks like a really beautiful part of the world. 🙂

    Reply

  11. Wow. I’m not sure I could’ve done that. Thank you so much for sharing! What awesome pictures! I got a little claustrophobic just looking at them! 😉
    Congratulations on doing that. Impressive!

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  19. The ones of you on top of the mountain are gorgeous! Congrats on finishing. It does look tough!!!!! And I’m kinda scared of heights so even looking at these photos I’m feeling a little dizzy. Bravo to you for bringing your camera. I’d totally drop mine off the side of the cliff :O

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  23. Wow- fantastic job!! I get way too claustrophobic to go through those little holes- but the hike looks gorgeous!! What an amazing view!! Last year in Yellowstone they told us that pikas are in danger as the planet keeps getting warmer and it is getting too hot for them, so sad as they are adorable!

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  24. That was lucky to still be able to quad up to the end of the road right to the trail head , they are starting to try and make us walk all the way in now, which would probably require an extra day, making it almost impossible now for the average person, would have to back pack a lot of gear and especially with having to forge 7 or 8 rivers. It was one of the best things re the Crowsnest Pass was how we could ride 4×4’s and quads so we could actually accomplish these things. lets work together to maintain our back country trail systems and say no to losing our crown land rights

    Reply

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