KITC would like to welcome back, guest blogger, Stephen Johnson. Stephen Johnson is an Ottawa writer who loves to write about family travel. During the summer, you will most likely find him and his family at a local fair or festival. During the winter, a beach in Mexico is a likely bet.

Our family has always tried to embrace the idea of exploring your own backyard. We are fortunate to have an abundance of natural and historic attractions in or close to Ottawa.

Keeping with the idea of local tourism, my son, David and I decided to go check out the cave at Arbraska Lafleche. My wife, Sandy, decided to pass since she found out there are bats that hibernate in the cave.

Bats hibernating in Arbraska Lafleche Caves

David and I arrived at Arbraska Lafleche and were treated to a nature sighting. We saw a group of wild turkeys eating and then slowly meander across the road. They were not bothered by our vehicle and seemed to be saying they had the right of way.

We entered the main building and were greeted by our guide, Marc Andre Dorval. Marc immediately made us feel welcome and introduced himself as the caveman. The nickname is well-earned as Marc has been exploring caves for the past forty years and started as a young child.

Marc got us suited up with a helmet and showed us how to turn the headlamp on and off. We entered the cave and spotted a number of little brown bats hibernating. David was fascinated to see the animals in their natural environment and not just on a youtube video or zoo. The bats glistened as it had recently rained and they were wet from the dripping inside the cave.

Marc told us that the bats prefer a temperature of between 4-7 celsius when they are hibernating. We did not linger too long as not to disturb the bats.

For the next part of the cave, we descended a small ladder and entered a larger cavern. We made ourselves comfortable and Marc shared with us how the cave was discovered and the geologic history. The cave had first been discovered by a bear trapper in the 1800’s. Of course, the geologic history of the cave stretches back many more years than just the 1800’s.

It was time to visit another section of the cave. We climbed a longer ladder to what I called the upstairs floor. After a short walk, I noticed two yoga style mats on the cave floor. I was intrigued but did not say anything. Marc shared more interesting information about the cave. I was listening but frankly could not get my mind off the mats. Was there a special yoga class offered in the cave? Perhaps some mystic had made the cave his/her permanent home?

It all made sense when Marc asked us to shut off our headlamps. We were enveloped in total darkness. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. Marc shared that he slept in the cave three nights a week as it was too long a commute from his house to the cave. The only problem he mentioned was that sometimes the bats would disturb him in the summer. He truly is a caveman!

As we neared the end of the tour, Marc shared with us some of the future plans for the cave. We were also able to see a gigantic icicle that had already formed on the cave floor. Marc said by January, the exit would be filled with huge icicles. I can imagine it would be a very popular place for Instagrammers.

David and I made a vow to return to Arbraska Lafleche in the summer when we can do the zipline course. I’m sure Sandy will join us as well. Just as long as she does not see any bats.

If you go - Arbraska Lafleche is located about forty minutes north of Ottawa along route 366. David and I chose to do the cave discovery tour which is about an hour. There is also a cave explorer tour for the more adventurous. For the explorer tour, you will be crawling through small spaces.

I would recommend the cave tour for slightly older children and those without mobility issues. There are some stairs to climb.

The temperature of the cave is 4-7 C year round so dress appropriately.

Arbraska Lafleche also offers ziplining, an aerial game trek and hiking. In the winter, they offer a snowman adventure tour that includes a zipline, snowshoeing and the cave discovery tour.

For more information, visit www.arbraska.com.

Full disclosure, we received free passes for the purposes of this review, but all views are my own.