Float Trips

The tour includes up to one hour on the Bow River, a professional river guide on each raft and all equipment – a lifejacket (mandatory) and optional rain jacket.

The meeting point is at the Canmore boat launch site in Canmore, approximately a 30 minute drive from Banff and a 5-10 minute walk from downtown Canmore. The guiding team will meet you at the river’s edge and detailed driving instructions will be included in your booking confirmation. Public parking can be found in this parking lot or on the roadside.

For guests in Banff, there is the Roam Transit regional route that runs to Canmore which would take you within a 10 minute walk of the meeting point.

The smallest lifejackets are rated for children that are 30 lbs (13.7kgs) or more in weight. It would be great if everyone to be able to come on the river but safety is always the top priority. If you have young children please ensure that they meet the minimum weight requirement.

This is a tricky one to answer! In most cases, no you will not. That said, on a few occasions the group can experience the odd splash or two.

The rafts are what is known in the industry as ‘self-bailing’ rafts, meaning that there are manufactured spaces around the join of the floor and side structure of the raft. Because the raft is inflatable, the whole structure floats on the surface of the water. This allows any water to drain out of the boat without the need to bail it out with a bucket (which isn’t fun for anyone involved!). Occasionally water splashes in through these holes as the raft floats along the river. Therefore it’s recommended to wear footwear that you wouldn’t mind a few splashes on, even though this is rare.

The tours run daily during the summer months and the weather is typically beautiful. That said, the mountains can change their mood quite quickly. Just in case the weather turns and you forget your rain gear, they carry rain jackets for all ages and sizes on board the rafts.

The guides ensure that all you have to do is sit back and relax. The 16 foot inflatable rafts have what is called a ‘stern oar frame’ mounted on the back. This means the guide will be at the stern of the raft (the back) propelling and steering the raft along the float tour with oars. You can share the experience of sitting in the guide’s seat as someone takes over the oars (normally the little ones, we take no offence if Mom and Dad would rather chill!). The guides are always completely aware however, of where and when this is safe.

There is a maximum of 8-9 people per raft, it may be possible to fit 10 people if there are young children.

Adults of all ages are welcome on the float tours and those well into their 80’s enjoy the adventures. The pathway to the river where the tour begins and ends is very gentle and manageable for any age or ability and the guides are very helpful in lending a hand.

Guests are more than welcome to bring a camera, or any other means of photography device with them. Naturally, caution is advised since they don’t float so well if you drop them overboard. The Bow River in Canmore is a very gentle float but there is the possibility that one chooses to take a picture just as a small wave rocks the boat, and there goes your favourite selfie stick with your phone attached!

As an alternative the guides carry with them a high quality DSLR zoom lens camera in the event that there are any unique wildlife sightings along your river adventure. Depending on the location of the sighting it cannot be guaranteed that it is a safe spot on the river to pull over for photos, or in the interests of not disturbing the wildlife’s natural activities the raft may have to gently float on. Support staff will also take a series of riverside shots with high quality DSLR zoom lens cameras to provide guests without cameras, or those that wish to purchase a copy, to leave the trip with high quality photos of their Canmore float tour.

Safety is the highest priority and no matter how pretty those mountains look, you will never be taken down the river if it is felt to be unsafe. Water levels are assessed daily, but thankfully during the summer months, on this stretch of the Bow River the water is very calm. A professionally guided float tour along the Bow River in Canmore is probably one of the best river float sections for someone new to traveling on rivers.

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.