8:15am
Departure Time
4 Hours
Duration
12+
Age
Class 3-4
River Rapids
May-Sep
Season

Calling all adventure lovers – there’s no better way to get the adrenaline flowing than big waves! Jump into this epic Alberta rafting trip and let the foamy rapids take you coursing swiftly through the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.

YouTube video

What do expect with this Alberta Rafting Trip through Horseshoe Canyon 

Surrounded by shale cliffs, the Bow River thunders through the Horseshoe Canyon. Here you come, clad in neoprene and whooping with excitement as the rapids surge. During the quiet stretches, you lift your eyes skyward and see large birds of prey soaring above. You might even try cliff jumping – if you dare.

Intensity Level: Moderate

  • Predominantly class 3 and 4
  • Three major rapids
  • Your trip finishes with a short stretch of calm and relaxing Class 1-2 rapids to splash and have fun
  • During the end of the season, the last section will become a class 3+ or 3 by the end of the season when the water level typically drops
  • Many Hollywood movies have been shot here in the spectacular geology of the Canyon – your guide will tell you all about it!

Who’s this Alberta Rafting Trip for?

  • Even if you have no rafting experience don’t sweat it! If you have an adventurous spirit (even a first time)  you’ll learn everything you need to know!
  • As always, our professional rafting guides will ensure you have a safe AND fun trip!
Included
  • 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
  • Light refreshments
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 , Raft Guide (Trip Leader), Chinook Rafting

Horseshoe Canyon Whitewater Rafting Reviews, Chinook Rafting


4.5
3894+
4.4
374+
4.5
786+

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

1

1.5 - 2 Hours on the Bow River

Enjoy up to two hours rafting through shale canyons and awesome Alberta whitewater, surrounded by the magnificent Rocky Mountains. The River Class is 3 – 4 and offers spectacular scenery and big waves.
2

Optional cliff jump and swim

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

Everything is provided!

The tour includes FREE professional photos, equipment, professional guides, instruction and facilities.
Included
  • 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
  • Light refreshments
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 , Raft Guide (Trip Leader), Chinook Rafting

Horseshoe Canyon Whitewater Rafting Reviews, Chinook Rafting


4.5
3894+
4.4
374+
4.5
786+
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 at the Nakoda Lakeside Lodge, 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 be 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 on the bus or in 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. Check out the Whitewater Rafting Rapid Classification Guide for more information: http://chinookrafting.com/plan-and-book/river-classifications/.

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
  • 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
  • Light refreshments
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 , Raft Guide (Trip Leader), Chinook Rafting

Horseshoe Canyon Whitewater Rafting Reviews, Chinook Rafting


4.5
3894+
4.4
374+
4.5
786+
  • 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
  • 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
  • Light refreshments
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 , Raft Guide (Trip Leader), Chinook Rafting

Horseshoe Canyon Whitewater Rafting Reviews, Chinook Rafting


4.5
3894+
4.4
374+
4.5
786+

YouTube video

Included
  • 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
  • Light refreshments
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 , Raft Guide (Trip Leader), Chinook Rafting

Horseshoe Canyon Whitewater Rafting Reviews, Chinook Rafting


4.5
3894+
4.4
374+
4.5
786+
Class 4 rafting rapids fun on the Horseshoe Canyon in the Canadian Rockies
Blue skies for whitewater rafting on the Horseshoe Canyon in the Canadian Rockies
Get splashed by class 4 rafting rapids on the Horseshoe Canyon in the Canadian Rockies
Nakoda Lakeside Lodge Chinook Rafting