From $135
per person
Free 24 Hour Cancellation
Use code ONLINE2SAVE for 10% off bookings 7+ days in advance. Package tours not included.
8:15am
Departure Time
4 Hrs
Duration
12+
Age
3-4
River Class
May-Sep
Season

Ride the thrilling rapids through Horseshoe Canyon. Experience exhilarating whitewater on the Bow River, with an optional cliff jump.

A half-day whitewater tour is for adventure lovers who want rafting thrills and excitement close to Banff, Canmore, and Calgary. The Horseshoe Canyon section offers spectacular scenery, big waves and up to class IV whitewater. Experience a sense of remoteness while you raft through shale canyons and awesome whitewater.

The Horseshoe Canyon rafting experience:

  • Predominantly class 3 and 4
  • Three major rapids
  • Your trip finishes with a short stretch of calm and relaxing Class 1-2 rapids
  • This finishing section will become a class 3+ or 3 by the end of the season when the water level drops due to reduced snowmelt
  • Intensity Level: Moderate

Wondering what the class levels mean? Check out our Whitewater Rafting Rapids Classification Guide.

See this Banff area raft trip for yourself in the video below! 

YouTube video

 

Included
  • Light refreshments
  • Professional river guide on each raft
  • Safety instruction and practice paddle
  • River fee
  • Complimentary photos (online)
  • River time 1.5-2hrs
  • Wetsuits, lifejacket, helmet, rainjacket, wetsuit booties and gloves
Trip Starting Point
  • Meet at River Base. Direction details in FAQs.
Guide Quote

Adam's Pick

"The Horseshoe Canyon is an amazing mix of challenging Canyon rapids, beautiful scenery, and exciting cliff jump options for everyone, with plenty of exhilarating river features to play on at all river levels. Truly one of the best river sections in Alberta." - Adam , Senior Raft Guide, Chinook Rafting

The best parts of the tour for most people include the following:

1

1.5 - 2 Hours on the Bow River

A ride you won’t forget. Surrounded by the magnificent Rocky Mountains.
2

Optional cliff jump and swim

A medium or BIG cliff jump for the adventurous during the float section.
3

Free photos

Professional photos of you whitewater rafting are posted for FREE on our website.
4

Everything is provided!

The tour includes professional guiding, instruction, equipment, practice and facilities.
Included
  • Light refreshments
  • Professional river guide on each raft
  • Safety instruction and practice paddle
  • River fee
  • Complimentary photos (online)
  • River time 1.5-2hrs
  • Wetsuits, lifejacket, helmet, rainjacket, wetsuit booties and gloves
Trip Starting Point
  • Meet at River Base. Direction details in FAQs.
Guide Quote

Adam's Pick

"The Horseshoe Canyon is an amazing mix of challenging Canyon rapids, beautiful scenery, and exciting cliff jump options for everyone, with plenty of exhilarating river features to play on at all river levels. Truly one of the best river sections in Alberta." - Adam , Senior Raft Guide, Chinook Rafting

The tour starts at the Nakoda Lakeside Lodge at 8:15am (meet time 8:10am) and finishes at 12pm, approximately 4 hours. This includes a short drive to the river and 1.5 to 2 hours on the water.
The tour includes 1.5 – 2 hours on the river (including a 20 minute float to finish up), a professional river guide with each boat, an optional river swim, and free professional photos. All safety equipment including clean and dry wetsuits, wetsuit booties, fleece, spray jacket, life jacket and a helmet is provided. The tour winds through scenic views of the front range of the Rocky Mountain Ranges and occasionally we see wildlife such as osprey, bald eagles, deer and bears.

The Nakoda Lakeside Lodge has clean port-a-potties, male and female change tents and ample free parking.

The meeting point is located near the Nakoda Lodge at our Riverbase location, located on Highway 1A approximately 25 minutes from Canmore and 45 minutes from Banff and Calgary. Detailed driving directions are included in your booking confirmation. There is ample free parking at the riverbase and you will brought back to your vehicle at the end of the tour.
Please wear your swimsuit under your clothes and bring warm clothes and a towel in a bag for after the tour. We also suggest bringing a toque or hat for colder days, to wear under the helmet. Your belongings can be stored in the bus or your own car while you are on the river.

You can wear sunglasses/glasses as long as these are secured with a strap or piece of string, and contact lenses are usually okay if you are comfortable swimming with them and tell your guide. Sunscreen is great on a hot day for any areas not covered by the wetsuit, but avoid putting it above or near your eyes. You can bring your own waterproof camera or GoPro which can be secured with your own chest harness or on a helmet with a GoPro mount, but we are not responsible for loss or damage of your equipment.

Anything else! It isn’t recommended to bring your camera and rafters aren’t permitted to wear their own wetsuit or to wear anything that could cause a hazard while on the tour.
When you are making your reservation please let the agent know and they will check with the rafting team. On the day please bring any medication you may need and inform your guide of any medical conditions.
Every guest needs to sign a waiver form. This is a condition of participation before any adventure activity in North America and worldwide. You’ll receive a waiver in your inbox after booking. If you would like to review the contents of our waiver form prior to booking, please use the links below to access a read-only version. These versions are for your review only, upon booking, you will receive a fillable version to complete.

Participants must read and agree to the terms and conditions of the waiver, before we can take you on our white water rafting trip. Please complete the waiver 24 hours before your trip starts.

If you choose not to sign the waiver, you can contact us to receive a full refund.

Preview Adult Waiver: Here

Preview Child Waiver: Here

No rafting experience is necessary, and we provide a Professional River Guide with each boat who will explain and demonstrate paddle, safety and emergency techniques. This includes dryland safety instructions and practicing paddling on the river before the waves.

Guests should be physically fit and have a reasonable swimming ability. If you have never rafted before or do not know how to swim, we recommend the Kananaskis Whitewater Rafting Tour, as the rapids and river are not as strong as the other tours.

You will go through class 3 & 4 rapids during your tour, which is ideal for adventure lovers. This is a moderate trip, exciting but not difficult. Wondering what the rapids classifications mean? Check out our Whitewater Rafting Rapids Classification Guide.

The tour is run by Chinook Rafting who have been operating whitewater rafting tours as a licensed company in the province of Alberta since 1983 and all of the rafting guides are trained in Swiftwater Rescue and First Aid & CPR. What this means for you is that they are confident that they can manage, not eliminate, the risks today to offer you an exciting and fun day on the river, creating as safe a framework as they can, given what we are doing. However, it is important to remember that we are not on a track, this isn’t Disneyland!  The fact that we’re not on a track adds excitement to what we’re doing, but it also adds inherent risks.

There is a 24 hour cancellation policy, which allows you to change/cancel or refund your booking up to 24 hours outside your booked tour (up to 7 days for group bookings).
Tips are not expected, but are certainly appreciated. If you think your guide did a wonderful job and would like to indicate that with a tip, it will be graciously accepted.

Included
  • Light refreshments
  • Professional river guide on each raft
  • Safety instruction and practice paddle
  • River fee
  • Complimentary photos (online)
  • River time 1.5-2hrs
  • Wetsuits, lifejacket, helmet, rainjacket, wetsuit booties and gloves
Trip Starting Point
  • Meet at River Base. Direction details in FAQs.
Guide Quote

Adam's Pick

"The Horseshoe Canyon is an amazing mix of challenging Canyon rapids, beautiful scenery, and exciting cliff jump options for everyone, with plenty of exhilarating river features to play on at all river levels. Truly one of the best river sections in Alberta." - Adam , Senior Raft Guide, Chinook Rafting

  • A waiver must be completed prior to the trip and is a condition of participation, this will be sent through upon booking. In addition, a Parental Consent form must be completed by the parent or legal guardian of any child under the age of 18 years prior to arrival at the riverbase. This is especially important if you are bringing someone else’s child (under 18 years old) rafting.
  • The minimum age is 12 years and the minimum weight per person is 90 lbs. If the guest is unaccompanied by an adult then the minimum age is 16 years old.
  • The maximum weight per person is 350 lbs.
  • Photo ID may be required for identity verification.
  • Please note that this tour requires a minimum of 8 participants, please call the day prior to confirm the tour.
Included
  • Light refreshments
  • Professional river guide on each raft
  • Safety instruction and practice paddle
  • River fee
  • Complimentary photos (online)
  • River time 1.5-2hrs
  • Wetsuits, lifejacket, helmet, rainjacket, wetsuit booties and gloves
Trip Starting Point
  • Meet at River Base. Direction details in FAQs.
Guide Quote

Adam's Pick

"The Horseshoe Canyon is an amazing mix of challenging Canyon rapids, beautiful scenery, and exciting cliff jump options for everyone, with plenty of exhilarating river features to play on at all river levels. Truly one of the best river sections in Alberta." - Adam , Senior Raft Guide, Chinook Rafting

YouTube video

Included
  • Light refreshments
  • Professional river guide on each raft
  • Safety instruction and practice paddle
  • River fee
  • Complimentary photos (online)
  • River time 1.5-2hrs
  • Wetsuits, lifejacket, helmet, rainjacket, wetsuit booties and gloves
Trip Starting Point
  • Meet at River Base. Direction details in FAQs.
Guide Quote

Adam's Pick

"The Horseshoe Canyon is an amazing mix of challenging Canyon rapids, beautiful scenery, and exciting cliff jump options for everyone, with plenty of exhilarating river features to play on at all river levels. Truly one of the best river sections in Alberta." - Adam , Senior Raft Guide, Chinook Rafting

Class 4 rapids on the Horseshoe Canyon section of the Bow River with Chinook Rafting in the Canadian Rockies
Class 4 rapids on the Horseshoe Canyon section of the Bow River with Chinook Rafting in the Canadian Rockies
Jump into the Bow River on the Horseshoe Canyon rafting tour with Chinook Rafting
Try a cliff jump on the Horseshoe Canyon rafting tour with Chinook Rafting
Blue Skies on the Horseshoe Canyon with Chinook Rafting in the Canadian Rockies