Delve deep into the Banff National Park and admire the scenery from the water on this canoe adventure. Paddle along the pretty Bow River and listen as your guide sheds light on centuries of Canadian history and heritage. Watch the riverbanks for sightings of native wildlife, then finish your canoe tour with light refreshments.

Canoe tour in the Banff National Park
Paddle through the Banff National Park by canoe with your guide
Keep watch for sightings of native animal and bird life
Gain insight into Banff’s rich native history

What's Included

Guide
Light refreshments
GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Departure & Return

Departure Point

Banff Canoe Club, Corner of Bow Ave and, Wolf St, Banff, AB T1L 1A8, Canada
Located on the Corner of Bow Avenue & Wolf Street, Banff

Return Details

This activity will end right where it started.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers

Operated by Hydra River Guides

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

It was a great tour and I highly recommend it to anyone and especially for families.

Reviews

5.0

48 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers

Showing 1-10 of 48 reviews

Great idea, tough weather

Sally_R, Jun 2022

The river was beautiful and our guide, Corey, was excellent. We saw a great osprey nest and a few osprey, which was neat, and seeing Banff from the river is another great way to take in the landscape. Our only problems were weather and the other passengers. It was very cold and very windy, so the river was moving very fast. We needed everyone in the canoe to paddle, but half of the canoe did not so we were never able to actually get up the river, instead turning around halfway. The canoe trip is a great idea and has real possibilities, but you should know going into it that you do have to paddle for the first 30-45 minutes, and at times paddle with a lot of force. If you just want to sit and take photos, do a float trip instead of the canoe trip, which we also did and was very relaxing and required no work from the passengers. Also, the trip is really not for kids who are not old enough to paddle continuously. There was a child age 4 or 5 on board who got a paddle and just dragged it thru the water and splashed people, which was not fun for the other passengers. All in all, a neat idea that we would try again, but with hopefully better weather conditions and a full canoe of people willing to paddle.

Can you canoe? Absolutely!

Penny_C, Jun 2022

Alex was our guide and he was fantastic! He is articulate and has a very pleasing manner. He gave us the choice of turning the canoe ourselves or having him turn it, and we chose US because his very clear directions made us feel safe. Thanks so much, Alec!

Canoe Fun

Jenny_W, Jun 2022

Our guide, Mark was very knowledgeable and helpful. In spite of the wind, we completed the trip. Lots of fun!

Becky

JAMES_U, Jun 2022

Having Becky as our guide was a great asset. She was very knowledgeable and friendly. Did not see any animals…but was still fun.

Do not pass up this adventure

RAYMOND_B, Jun 2022

This a adventure that no one should miss. Mark our guide was so knowledgeable and helpful to everyone

Amazing experience

Zaid_K, Sep 2021

Austin was a great guide. Very informative and fun. The canoe ride had beautiful views and was very informative. No strength or physical assertion required. Will definitely return in the future

Bow River Big Canoe Tour

Pat_P, Sep 2021

I enjoyed meeting Mitch M, our guide and learning from him. The river was such a beautiful colour and lovely to paddle in. An excellent day with great service.

fun family vacation

Alannah_M, Sep 2021

The guide was knowlegeable and entertaining. Lovely day, sunny and the water was amazing teal color.

Superbe and worth it.

Denise_T, Jul 2021

The view was amazing and the staff was really friendly and had great knowledge of the area and the animals.

First visit to Banff

Edward_L, Aug 2019

Highlight of the day!!! Amazing experience!!! Instructors were very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend to include this activity in your trip!!!

Great service

Wander45168963701, Jun 2019

The staff members were very positive and upbeat. They had lots of information to share. The scenery was beautiful. Lucy did a great job!!

Canoe tour

Robyn_K, Jun 2019

Paddled up and back down a part of the bow River at Banff while being entertained by guide Mark with interesting snippets about animals, culture, the alpine environment and First Nation People. Prior to the trip Mark gave a little presentation on the.First Nation's people, a.very good safety lesson on canoeing and the beginnings of Banff.

Amazing and fun Canoe Ride on Bow...

Giuseppe_L, Aug 2018

Amazing and fun Canoe Ride on Bow Rider with excellent Guide Lucy Congrea. Lucy was not only very knowledgeable about the river, the animals and all things Banff but her enthusiasm was what made the tour great. We went as a family with 2 kids a 10 year old and a 5 year old and both were equally entertained and had a great fun time. She made my son who is 5 sit in front and called him Captain which we had to call him for the rest of the day. We also got to see 2 elk with a baby elk, and they even crossed the river which was cool to see. We also saw a muskrat. It was a great tour and I highly recommend it to anyone and especially for families. Ask for Lucy!

We had a lot of fun on our canoe...

Courtney G, Sep 2017

We had a lot of fun on our canoe tour! We went as part of our honeymoon trip. Lucy was our guide and she was excellent. She shared so much local knowledge with us!

1 traveler found this review helpful

It was a nice change of pace being...

Maureen_O, Oct 2016

It was a nice change of pace being on the river. There wasn't anything earth shattering about the tour. You row up river for 30 minutes or so, pull over and look at a few things our guide pointed out and then float back to the start. It was a beautiful day and the trip was fun. Be sure to dress warmer than you think you should as once we turned around the wind was in our faces and I was glad I brought an extra jacket.

Questions?

Product code: 2914P3

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Banff National Park Big Canoe Tour

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