OUR RAFTING TRIPS

The first exciting rapid found on the upper section of the Kicking Horse River. Within minutes of pushing off from shore, you’re at the entrance of this Class III rapid. Here, the river steepens and funnels, forming a ramp – essentially, you’re sliding into a wide-open field of bouncy, splashy fun! Coming down this ramp, you’ll pick up plenty of speed to maneuver around and crash through the subsequent holes and wave train. By the end of the rapid, you’ll feel energized and refreshed, ready to take on the rest of the river. After all, it is the river’s natural wakeup call!

Included on: Gentle, Tradition

The Braids are the most scenic section of the Kicking Horse River. Through this mellow section of river, the main channel splits into a series of smaller channels (or, braids) curving down the river. As you wind and cruise through the Braids, the valley opens up and you are treated to 360° of incredible views, from mountain top to valley bottom. You’ll marvel at the Beaverfoot range to your left, and the Van Horne range to your right. Don’t forget to turn around and look upstream too; you’ll be treated to a stunning view of the Ottertail range, home to Chancellor Peak, one of the tallest mountains in the area! Slowly, the braids reconnect into the main channel, and the river begins to flow through the upper canyon of the Kicking Horse River.

Included on: Gentle, Tradition

Get ready to get wet. Rated as a Class III+, it’s one of the most technical rapids found on the river and is short, but oh so sweet. As you approach the rapid, you’ll notice the river becoming steeper, the waves becoming bigger, and you’ll feel the anticipation building. After crashing through the first waves, the river takes a sharp right turn, around an overhanging shale rock wall, where you’ll finish off with a few more waves. At higher water levels, the massive standing waves can reach up to 10ft tall, and we only hit a small piece of the hole. At lower water levels, the hole features the biggest single wave on the river, and we can smash right through the meat of it. No matter the water levels, Hopi’s Hole delivers the goods.

Included on: Whitewater Exciter, Gentle, Tradition, Maximum Horsepower

The ultimate adrenaline rush. 1 km long of technical, fast-paced, action-packed, continuous Class IV+ whitewater, dropping 110ft (about 34m) of elevation overall, that’ll leave you absolutely drenched, with your heart-pounding and smiling from ear to ear. We always start with a quick scout of the rapid, then we get right into it. We’ll enter the rapid on the right, threading the needle through two waves so distinct they have names: Terminator and Rooster’s Tail. You’ll be paddling hard and holding on tight as we make our way left, crashing through an abundance of tall waves and feeling the raft edge from side to side. 

From here, we’ll make our way back towards the centre, and pass through a section known as the Ledges. It’s exactly how it sounds; under the water, there are rock ledges that create the sensation of dropping as you pass over top. Then, we reach the biggest drop of the whole rapid – Shotgun. The river takes a sharp right curve and funnels, creating ramp that’s sandwiched between a sharp shale rock wall to the right, and a boulder field to the left. This drop accelerates the raft, so you’ll be carrying a lot of speed and power to conquer the last holes and waves of the rapid, before the river mellows out. 

Portage & Shotgun is the highlight of the Kicking Horse River, and THE BEST rapid in the Canadian Rockies—one that’s not to be missed! 

Included on: Whitewater Exciter, Tradition, Maximum Horsepower

A guide and guest favourite alike. Perfectly named because that’s exactly what it feels like – a whitewater roller coaster! This 500m long wave train is a Class III+ rapid that features large, towering waves up to 10ft tall, through a tight canyon with steep walls on either side. At lower water levels, there are even some holes that can be surfed, burying the front of the raft in water, if you and your crew are feeling up to the challenge! 

Included on: Whitewater Exciter, Tradition, Maximum Horsepower

Standing at a whopping 92m tall and 405m long, the Park Bridge towers over the Kicking Horse River, hosting the traffic of the TransCanada Highway, and signals that we’re almost at the end of our rafting adventure. Fun fact: the amount of elevation dropped over the course of the river is slightly more than the height of the bridge! 

As you’re coming up to, and passing under the bridge, you’ll not only notice that it’s an incredibly scenic section of river, with views towards the lower canyon, and pristine turquoise waters feeding into the river from Glenogle Creek, but there’s also a very continuous section of whitewater, featuring rapids like Eye of the Needle, Twin Peaks, Big Fatties and the Last Waltz, so you’ll finish your trip with a bang! Floating towards the take-out after these final rapids, you can relax after all of the excitement, and maybe even enjoy one final dip in the river! It’s a full circle experience—on the way back to our River Base, you’ll drive over the same Park Bridge that you just rafted under! 

Included on: Whitewater Exciter, Tradition, Maximum Horsepower