Chinook Rafting
Chinook Rafting
4.9
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Full view
About
Closest whitewater rafting available from Banff and Calgary with daily half day trips. Whether you want Mild or Wild, our fun-loving professional guides will provide you with the best whitewater rafting adventure. Perfect activity for families (5 years and up), and groups like Bachelor and Bachelorette Parties or your Corporate Team Building Event.
Banff, Alberta, Canada
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.9
2,687 reviews
Excellent
2,504
Very good
152
Average
16
Poor
8
Terrible
7
Macy J
1 contribution
Jun 2024 • Family
We had a great experience with Chinook Rafting. We took our 10 and 13 year kids rafting for the first time and it was a memory that we will never forget. Exciting enough for the adventure seeker but mild enough for the cautious adventurer (we had both in our party). Adam, our guide, enriched our experience by teaching us the techniques necessary for rafting but also made us feel safe by leading us when waters got rough. His storytelling made the wildlife around us come to life and all in all, we just had a great time. We would definitely recommend Chinook Rafting as a stop on your Canadian experience!
Written July 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marek D
2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Very well organized rafting, very nice and helpful people, for a family with children it is a wonderful safe adventure. Our guide was Marcin, he gave detailed instructions, entertained us with conversation, gave our daughter a sweater when it was cold. I highly recommend it, not being on a rafting trip in Canada is like not being in Canada.
Written August 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Howard T
1 contribution
Jul 2024 • Couples
Ran the Kananaskis River this morning with our guide Dani and had an awesome time! The river is a ton of fun with lots of great rapids to run and even go back and surf the front of the raft to get extra wet! The river is also beautiful with terrific western scenery, plants and wildlife! The best part of the trip though was our guide Dani who not only did a great job of guiding our boat into and through all the best parts of the rapids but also kept us laughing the whole way down the river. Actually the rapport between the guides in the chinook rafts made the trip extra fun and enjoyable. We highly recommend Chinook Rafting!!
Written July 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jpdfun
Saginaw, MI8 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
Awesome 1st white water rafting experience! Adam was our guide and did such an awesome job of leading the whole group of boats, giving an informative safety talk and great coaching while in the boat. Lots of fun and the Kananaskis River is a great river for a first time rafting trip.
Written July 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Abbey Z
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Couples
We had an awesome time on this trip. Our guide Quinn was extremely skilled and made us feel safe while ensuring we really got to experience the rapids. This was the first time myself and my fiance had done "surf" style rapids and it was an awesome change from your normal white water rafting trip. The company has everything you will need to wear on the trip covered minus a bathing suit which was very helpful. They provide you with excellent pictures of the trip and even coffee and snacks afterwards. Highly recommend this trip for a change up from hiking in the Banff area.
Written August 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caullen S
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Family
I wanna start by saying thank-you Dani for an awesome tour!
A bit about the tour in general: The whole process from when you show up to when you leave is very streamlined. The info is given clearly and quickly and never felt boring. The gear provided is excellent and more than sufficient to keep you warm, safe and comfortable. When you get on the water you do a bit of paddle practice and then you're off in no time. Super accessible to all ages and abilities and by no means does that make it any less exciting.
A bit about our guide: Dani was an absolutely fantastic guide, she was great at managing the group and did so while keeping it fun and exciting. We always felt safe, she could do it all by herself if she had to. You can tell these folks care about what they do and it shows all throughout the trip from the moment you show up.
A bit about the tour in general: The whole process from when you show up to when you leave is very streamlined. The info is given clearly and quickly and never felt boring. The gear provided is excellent and more than sufficient to keep you warm, safe and comfortable. When you get on the water you do a bit of paddle practice and then you're off in no time. Super accessible to all ages and abilities and by no means does that make it any less exciting.
A bit about our guide: Dani was an absolutely fantastic guide, she was great at managing the group and did so while keeping it fun and exciting. We always felt safe, she could do it all by herself if she had to. You can tell these folks care about what they do and it shows all throughout the trip from the moment you show up.
Written August 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
melissa1178
Los Angeles, CA2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
We did the family whitewater raft on the kananaskis river with our 5 and 12 year olds. It was a great afternoon. Our guide Quinn was awesome especially with our 5 year old Ethan. Quinn was young but a total expert and kept us all safe while simultaneously entertaining Ethan (who was the youngest on the boat) by letting him call out directions to the rest of boat. It was fun and exciting but very family friendly. All the stars!
Written August 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ryan K
St. Albert, Canada2 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
My family and I have gone here a couple of times since last year. Most recently just a few days ago. Every time we go we all end up having a ton of fun floating down the river and talking with the guide. We also enjoy getting splashed and meeting our other rafters. Our guide Marcin was a very knowledgeable individual who could inform us throughout the trip about the land surrounding the river and how to navigate it. Overall, the rafting at this place is a fun activity the whole family will enjoy and I would recommend to anybody.
Written July 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jana M
6 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
Just had the most amazing 2 hour experience river rafting on the kanakaskis with these guys. They were so well organised and fun. We even got to ahve a ride on a proper yellow school bus to my daughters delight. Our guide Ber was the best! His knowledge he shared of everything from rock formations to bird, local stories brilliant and he really cared about everyone and was very personable. They provide all the gear you need and, lovely refreshments and photos all included, such good value for money. Would highly recommend this trip to first time rafters and families. Thanks Ber and team!
Written July 31, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ryan O
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Friends
If I had to raft into a burning building on class 2-3 rapids I would choose Ugo as my guide. He was awesome. We had a great time with a big group on a rainy day in Banff. The gear provided does a great job of keeping everyone comfortable
Written August 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Buen dia somo una familia de 4 dos adultos y dos jovenes de 13 y 15 años estando en verano nos gustaria tomar la aventura no hemos echo rafting pero si sabemos nadar. la pregunta es nos no es demasiado calmado el paseo de principiantes; ya que a mis hijos les gusta la emocion ayudaria me recomendaras
Written December 16, 2019
Hi Hiram, Great to hear you and your family want to come whitewater rafting with us. With regards to which river to raft on, as you haven’t rafted before but are looking for a thrill we would recommend that you should choose the Horseshoe Canyon Rafting trip, class 3-4 rapids with the optional cliff jump. You don't have to have rafted before to join this trip. This rafting trip has the meeting point of Nakoda Lakeside Lodge which is the closest rafting trip to both Calgary and Banff/Canmore (only 45 minutes drive). We do currently have space on the 2nd July 2020 and this trip runs in the morning. We would suggest booking as soon as you can as we do sell out in July and August. If you need any more information or to speak with one of our friendly staff please do not hesitate to contact us directly - we look forward to seeing you out on the river with us.
Written February 12, 2020
My husband and I have rafted before (Colorado, Alaska, Costa Rica) and are looking for the most adventure. Thus what river and or trip do you suggest for the Banff/Lake Louis area?
Written July 18, 2019
Hi Cathy, It depends how far you wish to drive and how much time you are spending in the Banff area. The Kicking Horse River trip has the most rapids but it is not that near to Banff. It is near Golden, BC approximately 1.5 - 2 hours drive west of Banff. The Horseshoe Canyon trip is a half day trip with 3 major rapids and 2 cliff jumps and is only 45 minutes drive east of Banff. Please let us know if you have any other questions, and we hope to see you out on the river soon!
Written July 25, 2019
If you do not know how to swim, we would recommend joining the Kananaskis River Rafting Tour, as the rapids and river are not as strong. On the day please inform your guide that you are a non or weak swimmer too. If you need any more information or to speak with one of our friendly staff please do not hesitate to contact us directly - we look forward to having you out rafting with us!
Written May 29, 2019
HI, do you do private trips rafting for my family of 6 (including 1 x 18 year old, 2 x 16 and 1 x 13)?
Written May 17, 2019
With regards to private rafts we would need at least 4 strong paddling adults to get the raft down the Kananaskis river, and at least 6 strong paddling adults to get the raft down the Bow river (Horseshoe Canyon section). So we could take your booking for a private raft on the Kananaskis river trip, you would just need to purchase the 4 extra spots to make your raft private. Most people prefer to share the raft with others, as you get a wetter ride with a heavier boat, there are more people to paddle the raft, so it is less strenuous, and it is great fun sharing new experiences with people from all over the world. And you can spend your extra $s on other fun stuff. If you need any more information, or to speak with one of our friendly staff to make your reservation, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We look forward to creating great memories with you and your family!
Written May 18, 2019
Hi, my husband and I are 58 and 60 and our daughter is 24. She would like to do a higher level rafting trip but I am afraid. I just don’t want to get hurt. We will be in Banff July 20-24. What do you recommend for us?
Written July 13, 2018
Hi Meryl, Rafting is an adventurous sport, so we can’t guarantee that you won’t get bumped, knocked or even come out of the raft on any whitewater rafting trip. That being said it is very rare that this happens and we go through thorough safety orientations prior to the trip and also in the raft we practice our paddle strokes. It does sound like the Horseshoe Canyon would be the fit for your family, as it is a half day trip with the optional cliff jump for the adventurous. Please let us know if you have any other questions, and we hope to see you out on the river soon!
Written July 25, 2018
Seema, thanks for your question. We don't have any coupons or discounts running currently. Sometimes we do before the season starts in February and March, but during our season which runs mid-May to mid-September, unfortunately, we don't have any discounts. We do have a Kids Raft Free promo for their birthday, the child must be 5-15 years old and raft on the Kananaskis river trip. The rafting trip is free if it is the child's birthday on the day that they come rafting. Please let us know if you have any other questions, and we hope to see you out on the river soon!
Written August 31, 2017
We are coming in early August, think the water will be up still?
Written June 22, 2017
Hi Bob, Spring run off happens in June for us, so high river levels happen at that time. Once we hit summer (July & August) our river levels are pretty consistent with fun hits and big splashes. In September our river tends to start to go down, and we stay open as long as the river is still fun. If you need any more information or to speak with one of our friendly staff please do not hesitate to contact us directly - we look forward to creating great memories with you!
Written June 22, 2017
Is there an age minimum to do this? Between two families, we have kids who range from 11-16yrs. Would there be an option suitable for them (parents would be along for the ride as well)? Also, could you accommodate a group of 11 (6 adults, 5 kids - ages above)?
Written April 25, 2017
Hi Aisling, We do have the Kananaskis River whitewater rafting trip that all your group can do, as it has a minimum age of 5 years old. This 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 and we can accommodate large groups, so a group of 11 is fine. Extra time is taken on this trip to play the rapids, surfing waves and opportunities to swim in the river alongside the raft are there for any keen rafters. You will get wet! If you need any more information or to speak with one of our friendly staff please do not hesitate to contact us directly - we look forward to creating great memories with you and your family.
Written April 25, 2017
My partner and i want to book a trip with the most thrills we haven't been before but are up for a challenge. what would you recommend?
Written March 26, 2017
Hi Penny, Great to hear you want to come whitewater rafting with us. With regards to which river to raft on, as you haven’t rafted before but are looking for a thrill we would recommend that you should choose the Horseshoe Canyon Rafting trip, class 3-4 rapids with the optional cliff jump. You don't have to have rafted before to join this trip. This rafting trip has the meeting point of Nakoda Lakeside Lodge which is the closest rafting trip to both Calgary and Banff/Canmore. If you need any more information or to speak with one of our friendly staff please do not hesitate to contact us directly - we look forward to seeing you out on the river with us.
Written March 26, 2017
Hi, we are going to be in Banff National Park (July 4th - July 9th, 2017) and Jasper National Park (July 9th - July 14th, 2017) so we are trying to decide if we should go rafting in Banff National Park, which Chinook Rafting seems to have the best reviews and most reviews out of all of the places from both areas. Which river would you recommend going on? We have never white water rafted before, we are from Duluth, MN and are outdoor enthusiasts. From what I have read we would probably want level 2 of rapids if there are 3 levels? or level 3 if there are 5 levels of rapids? I see Chinook Rafting has 3 river options, which one would you recommend? We will be staying at Johnston Canyon Campground while we are in Banff National Park. Which one is closest to this campground? And which one is the best river to raft down for the skill level we are looking for?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and comments!
Nicole
Written March 14, 2017
Hi Nicole, It looks like you have done your TripAdvisor research! Yes we do pride ourselves in ‘currently’ being number 1 on TripAdvisor for outdoor activities in Banff, as we have had lots of our wonderful guests recommend us. We always say with regards to which river to raft on, that it depends on your enthusiasm, and what level of thrill you are looking for. As you haven’t rafted before, and from what you have written we would recommend that you should choose either the Kananaskis River Rafting, class 2-3 rapids, or the Horseshoe Canyon Rafting, class 3-4 rapids with the optional cliff jump. These 2 rafting trips have the meeting point of Nakoda Lakeside Lodge and are the closest to the Johnson Canyon campground. It also depends if you are early morning people, as the Horseshoe Canyon meets in the morning, and the Kananaskis river rafting meets early afternoon. What we can guarantee is on both rivers you are going to get wet from head to toe! We would also recommend booking in advance, as July is super busy for us, and also as you are available mid-week, if your plans allow, pick a mid-week day. If you need any more information or to speak with one of our friendly staff please do not hesitate to contact us directly - we look forward to seeing you out rafting with us.
Written March 14, 2017
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.