#albertahiking

Hike Type: Easy, Busy

Location: Bow Valley Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada

Notes: Bring bear spray and a flashlight.

Within Alberta is a man-made cave known as "Heart Creek Bunker." According to local lore, it was intended to be a nuclear shelter, but was never completed. That is mostly the truth. It was dug out by two brothers, Joe and Stan Rokosh, who had dreams of turning it into a storage facility. While they do mention the possibility of use for disasters, their main goal was storage.

To get there, I first parked at Heart Creek day-use area, and followed the Trans-Canada trail. It has been many years since I was last there (2015), and much of the trail was washed out by flooding, but keeping left on the trails was all it took to reach the cave.

The Caves themselves are shallower than you might expect, with two dead-ends, and the walls were littered with spray-paint and used candles.

If you decide to go yourself, do note that I did spot a bear print, so be sure to bring bear-spray. Also, don’t forget a flashlight!