Jura Cave Traditional Cache

This small lock and lock container is located inside of Jura Cave, a large cave above Jura Creek. It makes a great short day trip and is a fun adventure! Getting to the cave is quite a challenge regardless of the route; expect some steep hiking on loose terrain, and a little bit of scrambling.

If you've never been, the hike up Jura Creek through the slot canyon is a lot of fun! It's family friendly, but depending on the season you might end up with wet feet! If you go in early spring or late summer the creekbed and canyon will be dry.

To reach the canyon, park at the suggested location, cross the road and hike along a nice trail for about 500 meters. Leave the trail and walk along the creekbed for another 200-300 meters upstream. Soon the creekbed constricts into the slot canyon, and is only about a meter wide in some spots! You'll pass an almost perfectly cubical block known to local boulderers as the "Sugar Cube". Nearby are a couple short sport climbs that probably aren't worth the time or effort. There is a lot of bouldering in the canyon though - check out Marcus Norman's "Bouldering in the Canadian Rockies" for more details! Continue up the canyon until it begins to open up. Now look behind you - there's Jura Cave! The cave is accessible via two routes: an easier way from the south starting before the canyon, and the much harder way from the north along steep broken slabs.

The Easier Way - From the South (Terrain Rating = 4 stars): Find a well-travelled trail starting at N51° 04.412 W115° 08.763. It's marked with a cairn and flagging, and should be easy to spot. Follow it for just over 100 meters to a fork at N51° 04.474 W115° 08.746 - turn left (also marked with a small cairn). After about 40 meters on the trail, it turns right and climbs up to a small rock band. Scramble up (easy scrambling), turn a corner and arrive at the cave! The trail is a little loose and exposed, but not overly so. Just be sure to retrace your steps back to the creekbed on return.

The Harder Way - From the North (Terrain Rating = 4.5 stars): This is the route I took to place the cache. I don't recommend it over the route from the south, but I'll describe it for completeness. From the end of the canyon I went quite a ways upstream, then scrambled up along some slabs and loose terrain. I crossed a couple exposed but textured slabs with decent footholds, and continued toward the cave. There was even a trail further along in the scree that helped a little. Overall, moderate scrambling with exposure. Note: Climbing shoes, approach shoes or any shoes with nice sticky rubber will help quite a bit for this harder route. Also, please be very mindful of hikers in the canyon below. You will probably drop rocks and they might end up falling into the canyon. Wait for the creekbed to be clear before scrambling.

I don't recommend trying to reach the cave during the winter or after any rain or snow. Try it when it's nice and dry! Stay safe, have fun and enjoy the adventure to the cave!