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Kyle Giesbrecht photo
Cody Caves
Cave chamber.
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Kyle Giesbrecht photo
Cody Caves
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Cody Cave Tours photo
Cody Caves
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Cody Cave Tours photo
Cody Caves
By Laura Mikol
No need to say ‘Gesundheit’ or ‘Bless You’, for whether you call it Spelunking, Potholing or Caving, it’s all about exploring a fascinating world below our feet. Caves have been mankind’s refuge since the dawn of time and also a source of legend from mythical people (dwarves) and beasts (dragons) to portals to other worlds as in Jules Verne’s famous ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’.
You can explore a wild but fragile underground world sculpted by glacier fed waters located in the Selkirk Mountains above Ainsworth Hot Springs and Kootenay Lake in beautiful British Columbia. Cody Caves Provincial Park was re-established in June of 2013. Since then Cody Cave Tours Owner / Operator Lee Hollis and his professional guiding team have been escorting hundreds of individuals and families through a fascinating journey of this fragile underworld.
Cody Caves are limestone caves that display an impressive array of ancient calcite formations, growing at the slow rate of about one cubic centimetre each century. 600 million years ago, the first oceans of our planet laid down layers of sediment that eventually turned into limestone. About 170 million years ago, the limestone seabed was thrust upward to its current elevation and location near Ainsworth Hot Springs. Flowing water has since dissolved the solid rock, created the tunnels and passages within the cave and decorated those walkways and crawlways with calcite. The cave we see today is the result of millions of years of erosion, solution and deposition.
Cody Cave Tours operates year round offering a variety of tour packages that would appeal to all adventurous types. For children age 5 and up to adults who enjoy a much more strenuous and physical adventure, there is a tour just for you. The family tour offers an informative one-hour exploration of the caves. The Explorer and Adventure Tour are more physical journeys that offer a greater exploration of the cave system spending 3 to 5 hours underground. Winter tours are also available for those who enjoy a more strenuous, active and adventurous experience. You can choose from the Overnight Adventure, which involves an 8km snowshoe in, a good night’s rest and then a 5-hour exploration of the caves. Or you may choose a scenic helicopter ride, a 5-hour tour of the caves and a snowshoe decent to Ainsworth Hot Springs.
Owner / Operator Lee Hollis has been an enthusiastic caver for over 26 years. Since his early days as a pot-holer in England, his caving exploits have taken him to many of the limestone regions around the world. To name a few places - United States, Thailand, France, Spain, England, Ireland, Wales and Canada. Lee has participated in many global expeditions and has been involved with numerous cave exploration and extension projects. His guiding team all possess excellent general knowledge of the local geology, geography and of course lots of guiding experience.
You and your family can safely experience Cody Caves by booking a tour. For more information you can visit www.codycavetours.com or email codycavetours@telus.net or phone: 250-359-CAVE. Caving equipment is provided. Reservations are required.