Cody Caves

The Cody Caves are a network of limestone caves in the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. They are located 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Ainsworth Hot Springs on the west side of Kootenay Lake.

Discovered in the early 1890s, the caves became protected in July 1966 with the formation of the Cody Caves Provincial Park.

Cody Caves is one of the best-known cave systems in British Columbia, and Cody Caves Provincial Park was the first subterranean park created in the province.

The story of Cody Caves began 600 million years ago when the limestone in which the caves later formed was laid down at the bottom of an ancient sea. Then, around 170 million years ago, the limestone beds were thrust upwards. This exposed the rock to the elements, water and carbonic acid, which eventually formed Cody Caves. Approximately 875 yards (800 m) of the Cody Caves passageways are explorable. The caves have several types of calcite formations, such as stalagmites, stalactites, soda straws and flowstone. The boxwork is considered to be among the best in the world, protruding up to 20.3 cm, whereas 2.5 to 5 cm is average. These ancient formations have been growing at an average rate of one cubic centimetre per hundred years.

The Ainsworth Hot Springs originate in the Cody Caves area and are considered to be the best commercial hot springs in British Columbia. The temperatures vary from 40–42 °C (104–108 °F) in the cave to 35–38 °C (95–100 °F) in the pool.

The caves were likely known to local aboriginal people, but the first recorded visit was by prospector Henry Cody, who with hundreds of others had come to the Kootenays looking for silver. The caves gained popularity in 1899 when an article, The Noble Five, was published in Argosy Magazine describing the caves as being "lined with gold".

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