Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park

The park covers 158 hectares and was established in 1971 (BC Parks gives February 1971), after local cavers asked the province for protection over fears of vandalism. It is managed by BC Parks. BC Parks describes the landscape as karst, shaped by limestone slowly dissolving over time, with features such as disappearing streams, fossils, banded outcrops and the cave entrances themselves. Named caves include Main, Lower Main, Riverbend and Euclataws, and Cougar Cave, Eggshell Cave, Andre's Annex and Riverbend Trail Slot Cave were documented more recently.

The Qualicum First Nation knew of the caves long before outsiders did, and the first written reference is in a 1912 geological report. Main and Lower Main were known to loggers, and visits grew after they were publicised in 1939; Riverbend Cave was found in 1941. Souvenir-taking damaged many formations, which led the province to set aside a recreation reserve of about 29 hectares in 1957. Euclataws Cave was found in the 1960s, with sources giving 1963 or 1964, and was kept quiet for several years. After a serious vandalism incident in 1984, a 1985 management plan brought better facilities, gated caves and privately operated guided tours.

BC Parks says most caves are reached only on guided tours with all equipment and certified guides, while two small caves can be explored independently. Main and Lower Main are the self-guided caves, with helmets, lights and maps available to rent at the park office, and Riverbend Cave is the one visited on guided tours. Tour operators currently describe options from a 1 hour 45 minute Riverbend Cave Explorer tour (minimum age 5) through a 2.5-hour multi-cave tour that includes climbing an underground waterfall, to a five-hour rappelling tour for ages 13 and up. BC Parks gives tour lengths of roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 5.5 hours and minimum ages from 5 to 13, so tours change; check with the operator. The caves are cool and damp even in summer, so dress warmly, and BC Parks says pets are not allowed in them.

A free 2 km interpretive trail, the Phil Whitfield loop, has fossils and signs explaining how caves and karst form, and the park also includes forest and part of the river. The caves and trails are not wheelchair accessible, according to BC Parks. There is no camping in the park, but the neighbouring Horne Lake Regional Park offers campsites and lake access.

Visitors are asked to clean footwear and gear at the park's bio-cleaning station before and after entering caves, as protection against white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has devastated bats in eastern North America. Clothing and gear used in caves east of the Rockies should not be used in British Columbia.

The park is reached by roughly 12 km of road from the Highway 19 exit, so a private vehicle and driver from Nanaimo, Parksville or Qualicum Beach avoids navigating it yourself. Book the cave tour directly with the operator and check current availability.