Best White Water Rafting Near Calgary
Rafting Calgary style infers a certain level of adventure. Just think of the word ‘stampede’ and images of cowboys (and cowgirls) riding atop bucking broncos come quickly to mind. White water rafting conjures a very similar image: rafts and rafters bucking and bouncing downstream while holding on tight. For the best stampede, Calgary is where it’s at. When it comes to the best white water rafting near Calgary, look no further than the world-famous Kicking Horse River.
ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES FOR GROUPS
Whitewater rafting on the Kicking Horse River is fun for groups, large or small. Bring your gathering of friends, family or colleagues for a day of fantastic waves, amazing scenery and heaps of laughter. Wild Water Adventures can accommodate any number of rafters, whether there are 8, 58, or 108 in your reservation. Family groups, corporate groups, social, wedding, work and school groups (just to name a few) all benefit from reduced fares. Here are the most important pieces of information to know when planning a group adventure activities and rafting near Calgary experience with Wild Water Adventures. Trip Options: Group discounts are available for the entire Wild Water Adventures roster. Choose from the half-day Gentle or Whitewater Exciter, the full-length Tradition with lunch, or the double-shot Maximum Horsepower. ** Lunch upgrade options are available for morning (8:45 AM) Gentle and Whitewater Exciter trips. Please Note that minimum age and weight criteria apply to all rafting groups: Gentle: 8 years of age and 50 pounds in weight Whitewater Exciter: 12 years of age and 90 pounds in weight Tradition: 12 years of age and 90 pounds in weight Maximum Horsepower: 16 years of age and 100 pounds in weight Group Discounts: Rafting discounts are available for groups with a minimum of 8 rafters. 8 to 15 Rafters: 10% off rafting fares 16 or more Rafters: 15% off rafting fares 50 or more Rafters: ** Call Us Directly About Pricing & Exclusive Departures ** Wedding and Birthday Groups: To help celebrate an extra special day, we offer extra special discount arrangements for Birthday, Stag, Stagette and entire Wedding Party rafting trips. Wedding Planners are welcome to contact us directly to chat about specific wedding party considerations. 4 to 7 Rafters: Bride or Groom or Birthday Rafter receives a 25% Discount 8 to 15 Rafters: Bride or Groom or Birthday Rafter rafts for FREE 16 or More Rafters: Option A: Bride or Groom or Birthday Rafter rafts for FREE Plus Rest of group receives 10% Discount; Or Option B: Bride and Groom both raft for FREE Corporate Groups: For even larger corporate groups, with 50 or more enthusiastic rafters, we are happy to work together, one on one. Let’s make a day out of the office that much more fun and rewarding. In addition to rafting, we can build transportation and lunch options into your exclusively designed Play Day package so that all anyone need do is show up and have fun during your group adventure activities! Inquiries, Reservations and Cancellations: For further information or to make a reservation, simply call us directly at 1-888-647-6444. Payment in full, by credit card, is required at the time of booking. Cancellations require a minimum of 7 days’ notice prior to the reserved date of departure. Any cancellations or changes made to a reservation within the final 7 days prior to trip departure, or no-shows on the actual day of rafting, are non-refundable. ** Larger groups may have slightly different payment arrangements but the 7-day cancellation policy remains in effect. Rafting together in a group, for any type of reason, is fun. Pure and simple. Join us this summer for some Golden white water rafting fun or even start planning your white water rafting in Banff group adventure for next summer. It’s never too early to think about adventure activities and white water rafting in BC! See you soon on the river! Author: Deborah Wade
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE DAY TRIPS FROM CALGARY
Outdoor adventure, in this time of COVID-19, is exactly what people crave this summer. Everyone wants to put a smile on their face and a spring back in their step. Being outside in the sunshine and fresh air will do just that. With the Rocky Mountains so close to Calgary, a day-trip full of adventure is as easy as 1-2-3! When planning an adventurous day-trip from Calgary, consider the following suggestions: 1. Rock-Climbing with Yamnuska Mountain Adventures As children, we loved climbing and scrambling over and under all sorts of things in the great outdoors; boulders, fallen logs, home-made ladders leading up to tree forts. Signing up for a professionally-instructed rock climbing course with Yamnuska helps get back that childhood ‘love to climb’ feeling. Whether a complete beginner who has never rock climbed before or a highly skilled climber looking to tick off the list of classics, Yam has something for everyone. Rock shoes and technical gear included. * Private sessions, with your own personal guiding professional, are available * 2. Whitewater Rafting with Wild Water Adventures Nothing says ‘outdoor adventure’ more than Calgary whitewater rafting! With mild to wild waves splashing and crashing about (sometimes from above), rafters will feel completely energized and refreshed by the time the trip is finished. The best river in the Rockies for whitewater action is the good ‘ole Kicking Horse, a river Wild Water Adventures has rafted since 1992. With its eye for detail, highly experienced (and fun-loving) guides, and spacious RiverBase Day Lodge, time spent with Wild Water is definitely worth the drive from Calgary! Roster options include the family-friendly Gentle rafting trip (a great introduction to whitewater rafting); the ever-exciting Whitewater Exciter (for BIG whitewater); the full-length Tradition (the Gentle and Whitewater Exciter half-day trips put together for 2 trips in 1), and the double-run Maximum Horsepower. Daily departures available at 8:45AM and 1:45PM. * Private Boat options are available for all trips; Minimum 8 years of age * * For 2021: Afternoon Gentle departures available on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays * 3. Bike Rentals with Gear Up Head on out to Canmore, pick up a rental bike and pedal your way around the trails! What could be easier than packing a picnic lunch and powering a well-maintained road or mountain bike, rented from Gear Up, to a lovely spot in the Bow Valley? With the multitude of dirt and paved trails in and around Canmore and Banff, riders of all abilities can enjoy spending a day out in the fresh Rocky Mountain air. * Bike riding with your family is a naturally spacious outdoor activity * 4. Guided Fishing Tours with Wapiti Sports Try your hand at fishing for trout on the Upper Bow River near Canmore. The Rocky Mountains offer a stunning backdrop for Wapiti Sports’ Float and Wade guided fishing tours, all of which are strictly catch and release. Spend a few hours gently drifting along turquoise-hued waters, searching out Bull and Brook trout, Cutthroat and the Rocky Mountain Whitefish. * Privately guided tours available * 5. Go For a Hike in Yoho National Park ‘Yoho’ is Cree for amazement or awe, of which there is no shortage on any hiking trail found within the national park boundaries. Wapta Falls, just down the highway from Wild Water Adventures’ RiverBase, is a mellow forest trail leading to the most amazingly awesome waterfall (a miniature Niagara Falls!). Be sure to walk down to the base of the waterfall for even more spectacular Rocky Mountain views. For more isolated time on the trail, hike up to Hunter Lookout; the trailhead is just across the TransCanada from the Wapta Falls exit. * Hiking is yet another naturally spacious outdoor activity ideal for families and groups * Before The Summer Ends … This summer, more than ever it seems, we have to treat ourselves to the wonders of nature. Our minds are eased when outside by the rivers, on a trail, or somewhere on a mountain. Outdoor adventure is key to keeping us happy and content while still allowing for appropriate distancing from others. Just be sure to get your summer outdoor adventuring accomplished before the season ends. See You Soon On The River! Author: Deborah Wade
Best Canada Whitewater Rafting – The Maximum Horsepower Trip
Looking for the biggest and best Calgary rafting adventure with the most whitewater action to be found in the Rockies? Look no further than Wild Water Adventure’s Maximum Horsepower rafting trip on the Kicking Horse River. The MHP, as we like to call this particular trip, definitely lives up to its name. It is not one, but TWO runs down THE best section of whitewater the Kicking Horse River has to offer. Rafters experience 24 exhilarating rapids and cover a total of 24 kilometres of river distance (the longest possible whitewater trip near Banff National Park!) But the adrenaline rush does not stop there. To make this double whitewater trip even more exhilarating, rafters power downstream in two different styles of rafts. The first run, in our ever-popular 16-foot oar-rigged rafts, gives everyone a chance to warm up and get familiar with the river. For the second run, we completely change it up and launch everyone in smaller 14-foot all-paddle rafts with the guide being just another paddler. Believe you me, those two feet make a world of difference! Smaller rafts accentuate everything: the bounces, the smashes, and the hits! It may be the second run on the same section of river, but it will be a completely different experience. Not only that, but everyone (and, I mean everyone) will have a paddle in their hands. 100% participation is required from each and every rafter. There is nothing finer than digging in and paddling hard when your guide hollers out commands. WHO CAN RAFT THE MHP? The MHP is twice the whitewater action of our single-run Whitewater Exciter, and paddling is mandatory on the second run. Because of this, every rafter must be at least 16 years old AND weigh at least 100 pounds. Muscle power, stamina, and enthusiasm for double-action whitewater are key characteristics. WHEN IS THE MHP OFFERED? Smaller boats require the Kicking Horse River to be running at a certain water level. We want to have fun, but more importantly, we want to be safe. If the water level is too high, the smaller boats are not appropriate. The 2022 MHP season kicks off July 20th, pending favourable river levels, and runs through to August 27th. Two weekly departures are offered on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Generally by the end of July and into August, the river is at the perfect level for the MHP. WHAT IS PROVIDED FOR RAFTERS? As with all Kicking Horse rafting trips, guests are asked to bring a towel, their own bathing suit/swimming shorts and a heavy polar fleece/polypropelene sweater (for added warmth on the river). In these times of COVID-19, guests are also asked to bring a face covering and ziploc bag (for dry storage of your face covering while on the river). Wild Water provides guests with clean, dry and sanitized wetsuits, wetsuit booties, spray jackets, life jackets, and helmets. Even wetsuit gloves are available (a piece of gear that I personally don’t raft the Kicking Horse River without!). Once back at the RiverBase after the second run, and in dry clothes once again, hot beverages are served and trip photographs displayed. To Find Out More About The MHP, Or Any Of Our Kicking Horse Rafting Adventures, Simply Give Us a Call at 1-888-647-6444. See You On The River! Rafting The Kicking Horse Since 1992 Author: Deborah Wade
The 2020 Season Has Begun!
The 2020 Kicking Horse rafting season has ‘kicked’ off! The Wild Water crew is so happy to be back on the river welcoming guests from British Columbia and Alberta, as well as other Canadian provinces. This year marks Wild Water Adventure’s 29th year of operations. We could not be more proud of all that has been achieved over the past three decades. Protocols for safety and hygiene are so well entrenched that even COVID-19 could not stop us! Our 2020 rafting roster continues to offer daily departures on the half-day Gentle and Whitewater Exciter trips, as well as the full-length Tradition. Later in July, the double-shot Maximum Horsepower will be offered on Saturday and Wednesday afternoons. River levels to date have been, in a word, exceptional. Between the massive quantities of snow melting in the alpine and the heavy rains of spring, gung-ho rafters can take their pick of adjectives to describe river conditions. Cranking, pumping and blasting are all appropriately descriptive. For those thinking about rafting, now is definitely the time to be on the river! NEW FOR 2020: PRIVATE RAFTS Two more fine words available to rafters this year are ‘private rafts’. For those wishing to have only their family or friends on board, the Build Your Own Boatload program, or BYOB, is perfect. Guests can feel more at ease on the river with their own guide and raft while still being part of a larger flotilla. All it takes is 4 to 8 guests to have your own raft on a regularly-scheduled Gentle, Whitewater Exciter, Tradition or Maximum Horsepower departure. The 2020 Season So Far After only one week on the river, the 2020 rafting season is shaping up to be as fun-filled and exciting as ever. We invite one and all to come out to the river, share the laughter and have a lot of fun. There is no need to let COVID-19 keep you at home. Feel free to refer back to the previous post which outlines our company-specific COVID-19 protocols. For information on all our departures and the BYOB program, simply give us a call at 1-888-647-6444. The office is open daily from 8 AM to 8 PM. Here’s to a great summer of river rafting. We look forward to seeing everyone soon. Rafting the Kicking Horse Since 1992 Author: Deborah Wade