1:30pm
Departure Time
4 Hours
Duration
5+
Age
Class 2-3
River Rapids
May-Sep
Season
You’ll get splashed by the frothy swells of the rushing river but it won’t wash the smile off your face on this family fun rafting tour for ages 5 – 85!
The Kananaskis River is one heck of a ride – the foamy white rapids lift your raft skyward, you shake the water from your eyes and paddle with all your might as the river surges around you. Plotting a course through the best rapids and cruising swiftly down the flat stretches in between, you’ll have peaceful moments to look up and admire the Kananaskis Country scenery.
You are completely in the moment – immersed in the thrill of riding these rapids. Meanwhile your river-savvy guide ensures the safety of the excursion. This voyage is suitable for the entire family – the novice-level rapids are perfect for young adventurers.
The Kananaskis River offers Class 2 – 3 rapids along with pristine landscapes of Kananaskis Provincial Park for a half day adventure. It is the ideal whitewater experience for families, friends or as a group outing. Extra time is taken to play in the rapids surfing waves and opportunities to swim in the river alongside the raft are there for any keen rafters. You will get wet!
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Richard's Pick
"The Kananaskis is such a fun trip with lively, playful rapids in the first half and stunning scenery around every corner in the second part." - Richard van der Ploeg, Senior Trip Leader
The best parts of the tour for most people include the following:
1
1.5 - 2 Hours on the Kananaskis River
Enjoy up to two hours rafting through the picturesque landscape of Kananaskis Country, surrounded by the magnificent Rocky Mountains. The River Class is 2 – 3 and ideal for families and first timers.
2
Optional river swim
There is a scenic float to the finish where you can swim and splash in the water.
3
Everything is provided!
The tour includes free professional photos, equipment, professional guides, instruction and facilities.
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Richard's Pick
"The Kananaskis is such a fun trip with lively, playful rapids in the first half and stunning scenery around every corner in the second part." - Richard van der Ploeg, Senior Trip Leader
The tour starts at the Nakoda Lakeside Lodge at 1:30pm (meet time 1:15pm) and finishes at 5:30pm, approximately 4 hours. This includes a short drive to the river and 1.5 to 2 hours on the water.
For those taking transport from Banff, the pickup time is 12:45pm from behind the Mt Royal Hotel in Banff (hotel address: 138 Banff Ave) and in Canmore the pickup time is time is 1:10pm from the Coast Canmore Hotel (hotel address: 511 Bow Valley Trail). Please allow 5 hours for those taking transport from Canmore and 5.5 hours for those taking transport from Banff.
For those taking transport from Banff, the pickup time is 12:45pm from behind the Mt Royal Hotel in Banff (hotel address: 138 Banff Ave) and in Canmore the pickup time is time is 1:10pm from the Coast Canmore Hotel (hotel address: 511 Bow Valley Trail). Please allow 5 hours for those taking transport from Canmore and 5.5 hours for those taking transport from Banff.
The tour includes 1.5 – 2 hours on the river (including a 20 minute river 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 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 brought back to your vehicle at the end of the tour.
Transport is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for an additional fee from behind the Mt Royal Hotel in Banff (hotel address: 138 Banff Ave) and the Coast Canmore Hotel (hotel address: 511 Bow Valley Trail).
Please wear your swimsuit under your clothes and bring warm clothes, a face mask, hand sanitizer 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.
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. This tour is ideal for anyone that has never rafted before or does not know how to swim, as the rapids and river are not as strong as the other tours. On the day please inform your guide if you are a non or weak swimmer.
You will go through class 2 & 3 rapids during your tour, which is ideal for families and first time rafters. 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 48 hour cancellation policy, which allows you to change/cancel or refund your booking up to 48 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.
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Richard's Pick
"The Kananaskis is such a fun trip with lively, playful rapids in the first half and stunning scenery around every corner in the second part." - Richard van der Ploeg, Senior Trip Leader
- The minimum age is 5 years and the minimum weight per person is 20kgs (40lbs). If the guest is unaccompanied by an adult then the minimum age is 16 years old.
- The maximum weight per person is 350 lbs.
- Every guest needs to sign a waiver form. Any guest under 18 years will also need a parent or guardian signature on the waiver form and an emergency contact number if the Parent/ Guardian is not joining them on the river.
- Please note that normally this tour requires a minimum of 8 participants, and we ask guests to please call the day prior to confirm the tour. For the foreseeable future, the COVID-19 protocol is a minimum booking number of 4 people per raft with a maximum number of 7 per raft, including children, from one household or cohort family.
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Richard's Pick
"The Kananaskis is such a fun trip with lively, playful rapids in the first half and stunning scenery around every corner in the second part." - Richard van der Ploeg, Senior Trip Leader
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