Alpine Rafting
Alpine Rafting
5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Full view
About
Alpine Rafting offers Half and Full Day Trips on the Kicking Horse River starting at $59 per person. All experience levels welcome, no experience necessary. We offer Golden's biggest thrills!
Similar Experiences
Contribute
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.
5.0
979 reviews
Excellent
869
Very good
86
Average
14
Poor
3
Terrible
7
invinciblekungfu
Medicine Hat, Canada3 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
I went with my wife and two kids, 12 and 13 on the Whitewater Express tour. It was our first time white water rafting, not quite sure what we were in for, and we were a little nervous going into it with our kids; but they were so good teaching us all what to do beforehand and encouraging our kids. Very thorough instruction before you hit the water, pre-bus ride, on the bus and shoreside. Then the first stretch of water is calmer and your guide runs through your paces and makes sure everyone is comfortable with the guide's instructions and working well together. Then it's a ridiculously fun ride down the river. In the end it was an amazing experience and the kids probably did better than mom and dad. You should probably just go for it :)
Written August 12, 2021
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.
Laura H
1 contribution
Jul 2019 • Family
We have rafted twice with Alpine and both trips were fantastic. Staff are friendly and well organized, our guide made us feel safe. Lunch was provided in our trips and the food was fresh, well prepared and waiting for us. Beautiful views with an adrenaline rush! We will be back!
Written June 7, 2020
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.
Carrie D
32 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
Our family did the family float and loved it, the guide was amazing, everyone felt secure and had so much fun
Written August 2, 2020
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.
Jalbertaexplorer
Calgary, Canada1 contribution
Jun 2011 • Couples
We signed up to complete the River Challenge (Upper, Middle and Lower Canyon) It wasn't until we were on the bus to the start point when one of the guides casually mentioned that the Lower Canyon was currently unraftable, and had been for the entire month of June. To make up for it, we would be completing the second (middle) portion twice. I understand that river rafting is at the mercy of the water, however, had I recieved any indication while at the office (prior to departure) I likely would have asked to change. (On a side note-)The system in place is that they take money from your credit card the night before- meaning that even if I wanted to change the trip- because you are not actually getting what you originally paid for (pay less money for less river-as the cost is based on which portions you complete)- you likely couldnt change anyway as they already have your money. Needless to say I was very annoyed. First round was mediocre at best. Upper canyon is basically a casual float where the guide does all the work, tells some stories and interesting facts and everyone sits in the raft. Middle portion first round was alright. Second round of the middle canyon was much better- we sat at the front of the raft and hit some pretty gnarly features. Still annoyed that we never got to the lower canyon and were kind of mislead when booking. I've heard the lower canyon is the best- however another group in my boat indicated that they have booked lower canyon two years in a row and have never got down there. Call ahead to inquire about the status of all portions of the river before booking.
Written July 4, 2011
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.
Sunray22
Calgary, Canada1 contribution
May 2011
May be i am ranting, but i am utterly disappointed by how Alpine rafting treat their customers. I had reservations for few people, but due to an emergency, i had to cancel my rafting trip just 1 hr ago. I had every intention to go, but just couldn't because of an accident. But Alpine rafting refused to consider my request to refund, as clearly i am not cancelling before 72 hr (as they require). I thought given i had an emergency, the company should consider this and make an exception to their cancellation policy, but they simple refused. Whatever happened to keeping customer happy?? I had one similar experience with a hotel reservation, and they cordially refunded the money. Anyway, if you plan to book rafting with Alpine Rafting, make sure you go rafting as whatever emergency happens, you will not get the money back.
Written May 23, 2011
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.
Hi Sunray22
Thank you for your feedback. I know you are disapointed that you were unable to reuse your rafting vouchers for another day, however, we have to keep policies in place. Alpine Rafting has a 72 hour cancellation policy. You are more than welcome to cancel for any reason up until 72 hours prior to trip departure for a full refund of your deposit. Within the 72 hours, your deposit is non refundable, unless you have purchased our $5 per person cancellation insurance. In the event of a no-show, Alpine Rafting automatically refunds the guest in full less the $5 per person. We think our policies are fair. We have to maintain this policy as our guides and rafts are already rigged and at the river. So when you call us after the scheduled arrival time, there is really not much we can do. If you would have even phoned the evening prior, we could have done something about it. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with our Company.
Written June 23, 2011
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
RTAMidwest
Wisconsin104 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
We did the rafting trip on the Kicking Horse River and while it was a fun trip, If I return to the area, I think I would try a different company. My trip with Alpine was the 5th time I've done a whitewater trip, all of my other trips have been on different rivers and with different companies, and while my experience with Alpine was ok, it was a distinct step down from my previous experiences.
The Kicking Horse itself is a fun river. The float that was in the first half of the trip had a few more rapids than I was expecting, but the lower half was also a little tamer than I was expecting for class III-IV, still a very good day on the water though.
My problems with Alpine largely stem from their professionalism. First of all, we were put in a raft with 9 people, instead of the usual 8, which means at all times, there was one person who didn't/couldn't paddle. I've never seen this before, especially when there were several rafts on the trip with more than 8 in a boat. When I sign up for a whitewater trip, I don't want to just go along for a ride, and it wasn't like they were asking for volunteers at the beginning to see if there were people who didn't want to paddle.
Additionally, on the water, it seems as if the guides are far less trained and far less concerned with safety than with other companies I've used. Several of the things the guides did on the water seemed quite questionable, and for rapids that were mostly class II and III, I saw more people who were thrown from their rafts than I ever have before. That's probably the biggest reason I would choose another company next time.
The lunch provided was very average. Despite promises of steak in the advertising, we were told when we arrived that Burgers were the only beef option. I ended up with the salmon, which was ok, but while the cookout has often been a real highlight, I found the meal to be pretty unimpressive.
Finally, the one thing that made me consider dropping this rating from Average to Below Average is their so-called camping option. They offer "free" rustic camping on land they own along the river. What they don't tell you is that the camping is essentially in a field of garbage and human feces. I'm 90% certain that several of the other "campers" were homeless. They do admit there are no toilet or other facilities, but if your visitors clearly don't understand the concept of burying their waste, and you're not going to be bothered to clean/patrol the area, perhaps you should invest in a port a potty. We planned to stay for 2 nights, but only stayed for one, and even that was because we arrived late and there really weren't any other options by the time we arrived. The camping is deserving of zero stars.
The Kicking Horse itself is a fun river. The float that was in the first half of the trip had a few more rapids than I was expecting, but the lower half was also a little tamer than I was expecting for class III-IV, still a very good day on the water though.
My problems with Alpine largely stem from their professionalism. First of all, we were put in a raft with 9 people, instead of the usual 8, which means at all times, there was one person who didn't/couldn't paddle. I've never seen this before, especially when there were several rafts on the trip with more than 8 in a boat. When I sign up for a whitewater trip, I don't want to just go along for a ride, and it wasn't like they were asking for volunteers at the beginning to see if there were people who didn't want to paddle.
Additionally, on the water, it seems as if the guides are far less trained and far less concerned with safety than with other companies I've used. Several of the things the guides did on the water seemed quite questionable, and for rapids that were mostly class II and III, I saw more people who were thrown from their rafts than I ever have before. That's probably the biggest reason I would choose another company next time.
The lunch provided was very average. Despite promises of steak in the advertising, we were told when we arrived that Burgers were the only beef option. I ended up with the salmon, which was ok, but while the cookout has often been a real highlight, I found the meal to be pretty unimpressive.
Finally, the one thing that made me consider dropping this rating from Average to Below Average is their so-called camping option. They offer "free" rustic camping on land they own along the river. What they don't tell you is that the camping is essentially in a field of garbage and human feces. I'm 90% certain that several of the other "campers" were homeless. They do admit there are no toilet or other facilities, but if your visitors clearly don't understand the concept of burying their waste, and you're not going to be bothered to clean/patrol the area, perhaps you should invest in a port a potty. We planned to stay for 2 nights, but only stayed for one, and even that was because we arrived late and there really weren't any other options by the time we arrived. The camping is deserving of zero stars.
Written August 18, 2016
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.
mokamercury
canada44 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
I booked a family whitewater rafting trip on july 4th for august 9th and had everything confirmed. Well while I was on vacation I luckily checked my emails and discovered they cancelled my trip. They sent that that email on August 7th at 1336h.This quite frankly pisses me off for more than one reason. First of all they have a 72 hour cancellation policy which they obviously do not follow. Secondly not even a phone call just a email "cowards" and what would of happened if I showed up Saturday morning not knowing. This is 18 hours from my house Really a phone call helps. And thirdly I called once I read the email that I will copy below and the manager was not in but was suppose to call me back that night or in morning (this was on Thursday). Well surprise no phone call back so I called again in morning on Friday and the manager was not in so they said they would get her to call me back. She finally did and my wife got a hold of her on the phone. Well long nasty conversation later and alpine rafting paid for our family trip that I booked with wet and wild after discovering this email and not being able to get a hold of manager. POOR POOR corporate policies here and would never book with them again. And REMEMBER if can happen to me could happen to you to. See cancellation email below. By the way the manager said she told the girl that answers the phone when we call back that they could make the trip happen by some miracle. This was not related to us because I believe it to be false.
Hi Robert,
I hope you are doing well. We have you booked on the Family Whitewater trip at 9 AM on Saturday August 9th. Unfortunately due to staffing and numbers we are no longer able to offer a Family trip on that date. We apologize for any inconvenience and would like to offer you 50% off the Family trip on the Sunday August 10th or Friday August 8th. I really hope that one of the alternative times works for you and your family, and we apologize again for the inconvenience! If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to book either the Friday or Sunday please feel free to give us a call at 1.888.599.5299.
Kindly,
Val
This week we are giving away some great stuff on our Facebook Fan Page
Hi Robert,
I hope you are doing well. We have you booked on the Family Whitewater trip at 9 AM on Saturday August 9th. Unfortunately due to staffing and numbers we are no longer able to offer a Family trip on that date. We apologize for any inconvenience and would like to offer you 50% off the Family trip on the Sunday August 10th or Friday August 8th. I really hope that one of the alternative times works for you and your family, and we apologize again for the inconvenience! If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to book either the Friday or Sunday please feel free to give us a call at 1.888.599.5299.
Kindly,
Val
This week we are giving away some great stuff on our Facebook Fan Page
Written August 17, 2014
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.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for taking the time to place a review about your experience. I was the one your wife spoke to on the phone, and I see you have both separately placed a review on here, although you did not participate in a trip with us.
What was left out is that I did offer you a trip on the original date and time you wanted to raft, but you declined. Also, I apologized profusely and paid for your family of four to raft with another rafting company. I think that was very fair of us and I am disappointed that you did not mention that I did that for you all. I hope you had a great time and enjoyed the rest of your holiday.
Thanks Robert
Kindly,
Jim & Val Pleym
Written August 19, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
juppt2015
Yeovil, UK13 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
So glad we booked Alpine Rafting for our first experience of white water rafting, Booking on line was easy. Organisation was excellent and we felt in safe hands. Our guide for the day was Kennan who did a great job keeping us safe but giving us an awesome experience. Would definitely recommend.
Written August 4, 2018
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.
We are delighted you had a wonderful first rafting experience with us! Kennan is an amazing guide and a lot of fun, we are lucky to have him. Thank you from the Alpine team for your review and recommendation!
Written August 5, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Y5e05
Driftwood, TX13 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
Everything related to the people and equipment was great.
However, the 'full day' rafting is actually only about 3.5 hours. There is a full 1 hour break right in the middle, and lots of equipment setup/return time. Alpine provides free photos of the trip since you can't take your camera, however there was a 'technical issue' and no photos to be had by anyone in our group.
However, the 'full day' rafting is actually only about 3.5 hours. There is a full 1 hour break right in the middle, and lots of equipment setup/return time. Alpine provides free photos of the trip since you can't take your camera, however there was a 'technical issue' and no photos to be had by anyone in our group.
Written July 25, 2018
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.
Thank you for taking the time to review us! We are glad you had a great day on the river with us. As you mentioned, there is a lot more to rafting than just paddling - it does take time for us to get you geared up, have a safety talk, and get to and from the office. We also take pride in our delicious BBQ lunch and I'm sure you understand that it takes a bit of time to get everyone off the rafts, fed, and ready for the afternoon trip.
As for the photos, it was a genuine technical issue with the memory card on the camera. We provide all of our guests with complimentary photos of their trip, and were very disappointed that we weren't able to get them off the camera the day that you were here. We hope that you understand that this was not something that was foreseeable, and that if it had been we would've had an alternative way to capture your trip memories. We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope that this doesn't leave you with any sort of bad impression.
We hope that you can raft with us again in the future - and get those photos after all!
Written July 26, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sgeesaman33
Hershey, PA11 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
For someone who had never ranted, is 57 and scared of water, it was a great trip. Peter took the time and really explained everything and made sure our ride was safe and fun and I was so happy never to get thrown overboard. We did the full day which gave me a chance to get used to the ride and we had a great tasty lunch and the second half was the class 4 rafting. Everyone had a great time. I highly recommend it!
Written September 11, 2017
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.
Hi there,
I just want to know if you run tours through September? We would like to book for Monday 17 September 2018, 2 people for a half day tour.
Many thanks,
Ella
Written August 24, 2018
Hello! Our 2018 season will come to an end on September 9th. After that, the water is too low to safely navigate the rapids.
Cheers,
Andrea
Written August 25, 2018
Hey Oliver. Actually, Wild Water Adventures start at the same place as Alpine does, so they are not, in fact, the "only" company to start there. Wild Water was there before Alpine, actually...just so as you know the truth. Thanks!
Written June 19, 2017
Hi Oliver! Every company that rafts on the Kicking Horse starts in a different location along the Kicking Horse River. We are lucky enough to be the only company that starts our morning trip in Yoho National Park - further up river from everyone else. If you have any other questions, please call us anytime at 1-888-599-5299.
Written June 28, 2017
We have booked a rafting tour with you for 8 June, I noticed that on one of the reviews they mentioned free camping. We will be travelling in a motorhome, will the camping facilities on your site be suitable or should we arrange to stay somewhere else?
Written January 15, 2015
We had planned on camping there last summer, but changed our mind at the last minute. We got a hotel because we were on a stag party, it was raining, and the camp site was supposed to be very rustic. However, for someone with a motorhome, it should suit you perfectly. I believe it is right on the river, and is essentially a big gravel parking lot. I don't believe there are any hookups.
Written January 16, 2015
Showing results 1-3 of 3
*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.