Snowshoeing Tour to Paint Pots

This tour includes transport from Banff to Kootenay National Park in British Columbia (around 45 minutes from Banff) for a 3km (1.9 miles) guided snowshoe tour. This tour provides an easy introduction to snowshoeing on a mainly flat terrain and guests will snowshoe up Ochre Creek Valley to the bubbling cold-springs and orange ochure used for thousands of years by the Indigenous people as a natural pigment. Plus, all snowshoeing tours include hot chocolate and a maple taffy treat made in the snow. Please note that water is not provided and you may wish to bring your own.

The tour includes the use of snowshoes and we have hiking poles for extra stability if you would like to use them.

We pick up from most hotels in Banff, and you can select your preferred pick-up location during the booking process. For drop offs, our guide will ask you on the way back where you would like to be dropped off either in town or at your hotel.

You are welcome to meet us at any of our pick up locations in Banff to join the tour, and a popular central downtown meeting point is the public bus parking area behind the Mt Royal Hotel (the hotel address is 138 Banff Avenue).

Most guests choose to self-drive into Banff, although please note that you will need to find parking in Banff that exceeds the duration of the tour. Please refer to the Town of Banff website for general parking information, or the banffparking.ca website for live parking availability. For guests staying in Canmore, you can also use the Roam bus service and disembark at the Banff High School. The closest pick up point to the Banff High School is across the road at the Elk and Avenue Hotel.

Snowshoeing is a form of hiking. Snowshoes are worn over your boots to distribute your weight over the snow. It’s way more fun and less tiring than walking in regular shoes through deep snow!

The tour includes the use of snowshoes and hiking poles. You can bring your own snowshoes if you wish, but we recommend using ours.

This tour is suitable for beginners. You should be physically fit enough to walk up and down a few hills, and walk at a comfortable pace for 3 kilometres.

Please be prepared for the mountain weather, it changes quickly and our winter tours run in anything from -27C (-17F) to +10C (+50F). Wind chill can change the temperature dramatically and you will be outside for the majority of your tour.

To ensure that you enjoy the tour, please wear/bring:

• Photo ID for each adult (18+) for waiver verification.
• Thermals/base layers/long johns.
• Snow pants are essential as we will be walking in deep snow. Snow pants can be rented from stores in Banff such as Snowtips-Bactrax.
• A warm shirt or sweater.
• A winter jacket, ideally waterproof. Ski jackets can be rented from stores in Banff such as Snowtips-Bactrax.
• A hat and mitts.
• A neck warmer or scarf.
• Sturdy waterproof boots, ideally ones that go over the ankle as we will be walking in deep snow. Winter boots like Sorel, Baffin etc are great. No trainers, sneakers, vans, ugg boots, or “dressy” boots. If you do not have waterproof boots, please contact our Reservations Team and we will check our stock levels or recommend a rental store such as Snowtips-Bactrax.
• A water bottle.

Please note that safety is our first priority. If the guide thinks your attire or footwear isn’t appropriate and compromises your safety on the tour, you may not be able to participate.

If it goes below -27 degrees Celcius then we will not run the tour and we can reschedule your booking.

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.