Vancouver Island, BC : Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park

Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park

Nanaimo

Parksville

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Address http://www.hornelake.com Island Highway 19 Parksville, BC 250 757-8687

Directions
Caves are located 60km north of Nanaimo or 55km south of Courtenay off the Island Highway(19 or 19A)near Qualicum Beach. Turn at the Provincial Park signs at Horne Lake exit and follow signs for 12km along the active, gravel, logging road to come to parking lot.

Description:
The most popular of the three Vancouver Island cave parks because of its easy accessibility, the Horne Lake Caves is a great family destination. Young and old will find fascinating this visually stunning underground realm of sculpted limestone, that’s thousands of years old. Marbled passages covered in unique crystal formations with names like "soda straws" and "moon milk" inspire awe. This is by far one of the best geology lessons you’ll ever get. A weak acid solution, produced when water leaks down through limestone (Karst), carves out the caving chambers.

The largely undeveloped caves for exploring are the Main, Lower Caves, and the Riverbend, the largest of the three. Forest trails lead across a small suspension bridge straddling the river, and up to an information booth near the cave entrances. Rentals of lighted helmets are available if you haven’t brought your own flashlights and helmets, one for every member in your party. You have the option of taking one of the guided tours offered by Island Pacific Adventures. The only caves open for self-guided tours are the Main and Lower Caves. Because tour guides provide an excellent narrative on the history and geology of the caves it’s highly recommend you take a tour. Dress warmly for the coolness of the caves, and proper footwear is essential as the floors are rough, uneven and often slippery. Some caves will require crouching, crawling, and squeezing through narrow passages.

The self-guided caves are open year-round with tours operating during the summer months. The easiest, most popular tour is the 90-minute Riverbend Tour, operated on a first-come basis throughout summer. The Riverbend cave is home to a seven storey underground waterfall. For a real adventure try the Triple Cave Tour, a fulfilling three hours of magical landscapes and ancient fossils, with some climbing involved. Other tours, more daring and challenging involving rappelling and rock climbing are available; reservations are recommended.

This is an excellent introduction to caving. Though this is a day-use only park, camping is available at a nearby private site. Pack a picnic, as there are no services available other than on site outhouses.

Written By: Cheryl Oakes

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Walking Trails

Comments
Hi , Could you please give the names of all the caves in Horne lake.Is there a cave called Eculta,I'm not sure if that's the exact spelling of the cave.Also is there a book called the Canadian Caver which was written about 30 years ago?We use to live in Horne lake and the cavers use to stay at our home when they went to the caves.At that time my last name Selbee .I was a young girl back then in the early 70s. Could you please EMAIL ME BACK IF YOU HAVE INFO regarding the caves Thankyou Susan. B
- susan barnes on Tue, July 31, 2007

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