Canyon Creek Ice Caves

Distance: 12.9km

Elevation: 472m

Rating: Easy to moderate

Remoteness: This is a busy hike, go early or late for less traffic

Distance from Calgary: 45 minutes

This hike begins on Canyon Creek Road in Bragg Creek (marked as “Ing’s Mine), where a roadblock stops you from driving any further. The initial path itself is actually just a continuation of the road. This is definitely not the most exciting initiation into a hike, as far as hiking trails go! If you have access to a hybrid or mountain bike, we highly recommend using it for this part, as it continues for just over 5km. If you don’t have access to a bike, just think of it as a really good warm up for your legs! The road has very little incline. You might also see sport climbers here!

Once you reach an actual hiking trail, the cave itself is only about 1km away. However, you have to work for this 1km, as the path is a steady incline the entire way. This is a great hike for the early season, as there is generally minimal snow, and it’s a short enough distance to get your hiking legs back.

Despite the fact that the exciting part of the trail is short, you get a lot of bang for your buck with this one. The approach to the cave is pretty epic! There is some loose rock here, so be cautious of slipping, as well as kicking rocks towards other approaching hikers.

The cave itself is a highly Instagram-ed spot, but for a very good reason. It’s massive! There’s also a perfect rock for photo opportunities.

We highly recommend taking your time exploring the cave. No crawling, or slouching is required in this one! Anyone with a fear of tight spaces shouldn’t have a problem with it, so it’s great for all levels. Falling rocks are always a risk. Even though this cave is well travelled, a helmet is never a bad idea.

If you want to see the whole thing you will definitely need a headlamp or flashlight. It’s long enough that you eventually lose the sunlight.

The ice on the inside of the cave is amazing!

Anyone who loves climbing around and playing on rocks will have a blast in here. Just be weary of bat droppings. There are also plenty of great ledges for sitting and having lunch and a beer!

There are also other smaller caves along this cliff band that you can explore. However, there are no paths leading to these caves. It’s much more technical hiking getting to these ones, as minor scree scrambling is necessary. Going off path also requires extra care to make sure you’re choosing a route that won’t damage any of the alpine vegetation.

Overall, this is a hike we like to recommend to beginners, families, and influencers. It’s also a great choice to anyone looking for an early season hike, or people that are short on time!