The Nakimu Caves are a cave system located in Glacier National Park in British Columbia, Canada. The caves run for six kilometres in the central region of the park. The name means "grumbling spirits" in the

Shuswap language The Shuswap language (; shs, Secwepemctsín ) is the traditional language of the Shuswap people ( shs, Secwépemc ) of British Columbia. An endangered language, Shuswap is spoken mainly in the Central and Southern Interior of British Columbia b ...

. They were formed by the action of Cougar Brook on a soluble limestone strata. The access is through Balu Pass. The caves were discovered in 1902 by D. Woolsey and W. Scott. They were more thoroughly explored in 1904 by Revelstoke resident Charles Deutchmann, and were called both Cheop's Caves and Deutchmann Caves before being called Nakimu. Deutchmann signed a contract with

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

to operate tours in the caves. A teahouse was constructed near the cave mouth and a road was built from the

Illecillewaet River The Illecillewaet River is a tributary of the Columbia River located in British Columbia, Canada. Fed by the Illecillewaet Glacier in Glacier National Park, the river flows approximately to the southwest,Glacier House A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

in the early 1900s, Deutchmann constructed a series of wooden stairs and boardwalks and the caves were visited heavily by tourists. The natural features were significantly damaged by human contact during the period. The Nakimu Caves had for a period what was considered the only true "show" cave among the Canadian national parks, although this section was closed in 1935 because of decreased tourist attendance. Parks removed the remnants of Deutchmann's construction, and closed the caves completely to all but experienced cavers with permits. The caves consist of marbloid rocks from the Cambrian period, many of which exhibit scalloping patterns. The cave contains cauliflower-shaped agglomerations of a substance called

moonmilk Moonmilk (sometimes called mondmilch, also known as montmilch or as cave milk) is a white, creamy substance found inside limestone, dolomite, and possibly other types of caves. It is a precipitate from limestone comprising aggregates of fine cry ...

; this is a precipitate of calcium carbonate and bacteria.

References

External links

Nakimu Caves at Parks Canada
{{coord, 51, 16, 45, N, 117, 35, 30, W, type:landmark_region:CA-BC, display=title

Caves of British Columbia Glacier National Park (Canada)