Horne Lake Caves

Useful Information

Location:	3900 Horne Lake Caves Rd., Horne Lake, B.C. West of Qualicum Beach on the east side of Vancouver Island. From Nanaimo, head north on the Inland Island Highway to Horne Lake Road, just north of Qualicum Beach.
Open:	Family Cavern Tour: MAY to 24-JUN daily 11:30, 14. 25-JUN to 05-SEP daily 10-17, hourly. 06-SEP to 02-OCT daily 11, 13:30. Ice Age Adventure: MAY to 24-JUN daily 14. 25-JUN to 05-SEP daily 10, 14, 16. 06-SEP to 02-OCT daily 13:30. High Adventure: JUN to 24-JUN after appointment. 25-JUN to 02-OCT daily 9:30. 06-SEP to 02-OCT daily 9:20, weather permitting. Extreme Rappel: JUN to 24-JUN after appointment. 25-JUN to 02-OCT daily 12:30. 06-SEP to 02-OCT daily 12:30, weather permitting. Reservation required for all tours! [2011]
Fee:	Family Cavern Tour: Adults CAD 26, Children (5-11) CAD 22, Children (0-4) not allowed. Ice Age Adventure: Adults CAD 54, Children (4-12) CAD 45, Children (0-4) not allowed. High Adventure: Adults CAD 109, Children (0-14) not allowed. Extreme Rappel: Adults CAD 149, Children (0-14) not allowed. [2011]
Classification:	Karst cave Karst Trail
Light:	torch provided/rented/bring own.
Dimension:	T=8 °C. Lower Main Cave: L=40 m, VR=15 m. Main Cave: L=136 m, VR=30 m. Riverbend Cave: L=384 m.
Guided tours:	Family Cavern Tour: D=90 min. Ice Age Adventure: D=3 h. High Adventure: D=4 h, Extreme Rappel: D=5 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Horne Lake Caverns and Teepee Adventure Camp, Box 3531 Stn. Main, Courtenay, B.C. V9N6Z8. Information: +1-250-7578687. Reservations: +1-250-2487829. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1912	karst area discovered by local geologist.
1939	cavers discovered Main Cave and Lower Cave.
1971	Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park created, Riverbend Cave gated to protect speleothems.

Description

Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park is a small park in the centre of Vancouver Island. Composed of uplifted limestone and weathered by the melting water of several Ice Ages and the typical West Coast rains, numerous caves have formed on the island. This area, discovered in 1912 by a local geologist, has been protected as a park in 1971. There are numerous caves, some are open to the public in several tours of all difficulties.

Main Cave (aka Horne Lake Main) and Lower Main Cave are open for self-guided tours. Safety helmets, maps, and flashlights can be rented at the park office during operating hours.

Riverbend Cave is the main attraction of the park, with numerous speleothems. It is visited on different guided tours, helmets and lamps are provided for the tours. The Karst Trail, leading to various karst features of the park, leads also to the cave entrance after a 20 minutes walk. The cave entrance is covered by a steel door, looking like a manhole cover, below is a steel ladder leading down into the cave. The tours of different length show various passages of the cave with different formations. The longest and most demanding tour is called Extreme Rappel and includes a rappel down a seven-storey waterfall and then a climb out on a cable ladder.