You can explore this spooky Cold War bunker on the side of an Alberta mountain
There’s an abandoned Cold War-era vault hidden on the side of a mountain in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country, and it’s a fascinating piece of history you’ll want to add to your summer hiking list.
Now abandoned, “The Vault,” also known as the Heart Creek Bunker, is a large tunnel with a couple of small chambers measuring roughly 80 by 25 feet in size.
The tunnel was once rumoured to be a bunker that would house Canadian government officials in the case of a nuclear event during the Cold War, according to a post by travel guide Atlas Obscura.
In reality, the tunnel was part of a project by Rocky Mountain Vaults and Archives, a company that planned to create a secure underground storage facility for sensitive records. The company received licences to build the vault in 1969, though reports suggest tunnelling work began before 1966.
The company’s vision was to store Canada’s “most important documents,” keeping them safe in the case of a nuclear attack. There were plans for the vault to be climate-controlled and protect documents from anything, including the elements and other potential threats.
Original plans called for a system of “impenetrable” chambers and vaults built straight into the mountain.
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During this time, Rocky Mountain Vaults and Archives were in negotiations with the Royal Bank of Canada to house bank records. However, it failed when RBC instead decided to use a building in Montreal to keep corporate records.
The company eventually went bankrupt due to a lack of committed clients, and “The Vault” was ultimately left abandoned and as is, measuring only a fraction of what its planned size was.
Today, the caves remain empty, becoming a favourite spot for hikers and photographers. AllTrails has a guide on how to find The Vault.
Have you explored “The Vault”? Let us know in the comments.