I just love this place. I used to go riding there regularly ( unguided trail rides/ membership)…read moreuntil we moved away. Awesome trails. Wonderful horses. Thank you Griffin Valley Ranch for the wonderful times I had . 5 star !

Made a visit to Griffin Valley Ranch for a one hour trail ride on a beautiful Sunday afternoon…read more We were given a short lesson on how to handle the horses and then lead to the horse chosen for our specific size/weight/experience. Griffin Valley is set on some of the most beautiful property, about 15 kms outside of Cochrane. Our ride was easy and relaxing. The staff made sure to check in with everyone from time to time and chat with us or answer any questions we had. It's perfect for the person who has no riding experience, as the horses are extremely well trained. No need to worry about them getting out of hand, which lets you enjoy the scenery around you. They do let the more experienced riders take horses out for unguided trail rides as well, and offer sleigh rides in the winter. The map used to get there was from their website. DO NOT use Google maps, you will definitely get lost. The long winding road up to the Ranch is long, and you will feel like it takes forever to get there. Its worth it though!

While the property is undeniably beautiful, I'm writing to share a concerning incident from June…read more21, 2025 during a wedding I was hired to DJ at Cross Zee Ranch. The owners' dog bit me aggressively on the leg, and while the owners (Jim and Brenda) attempted first aid, their response was alarmingly unprepared--relying on alcohol wipes and gauze without proper cleaning. Thankfully, I found a nurse from the catering company who stepped in to disinfect and dress the wound correctly, noting the risk of infection (I was later prescribed antibiotics after spending a half day in urgent care). This dog has demonstrated repeated aggression: the caterers also shared that it jumped on their vehicle earlier in the week during a site visit, scratching it and trapping them inside until Jim intervened. A dog with this temperament poses a serious risk at a family-oriented venue--imagine if this had happened to a child. As a professional DJ, this injury has forced me to cancel gigs and lose significant income as I have a hard time standing let alone walking. That's besides the fact, my greater concern is the owners' lack of urgency or protocol for such incidents. The following day I did some googling on Cross Zee Ranch and I discovered a 2012 TripAdvisor review where Jim's dog was loose on the horse trail and spooked the horses, throwing a rider (luckily unharmed). The owner's response then? Avoided dealing with it. Sound familiar? Fast forward to 2025: The same owner, his dog bites me during a wedding, charged caterers' cars days earlier. This isn't bad luck it's a pattern of reckless disregard for guest safety. **For future clients**: If you're already booked at Cross Zee Ranch, DEMAND proof this dog is no longer on-site. A child won't walk away as easily as I did. Also, confirm safety measures are in place as they had zero protocol and disappeared after the incident occurred failing to file and incident report of the situation. I share this hoping the owners will reconsider housing the dog on-site, or at least implement safety protocols to protect future guests.

Just got back from a fabulous trail ride at the beautiful Cross Zee ranch in Canmore. It was…read moreeverything we had hoped and a bit more. We were a party of four with two experienced riders and two novice riders. The horses were well-kept and well behaved during the ride. Our guides Wiley and Magdalena were very knowledgeable of the area, wildlife and local history. From the moment we we walked into the ranch office were were greeted with reassuring smiles. Each horse was matched to the skills of each of us. The ride took us on a beautiful winding trail through the forest at a slow and comfortable pace, with many stops for views and pictures of the surround majestic Rocky Mountain peaks. We would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in a trail ride only minutes from Canmore, and we would go back next time we are in the area. A+!

Laura was our guide--fun, friendly, and knowledgeable. Great float saw some nice fauna. All staff…read moreare helpful and congenial.

Smooth, relaxing ride with beautiful views. As a bonus, we learned a lot about the area. Katelyn…read moredid a great job!

So I really want to help fellow yelpers because this ride caused me a lot of consternation…read more A lot of reviews about not getting back your money if you are disqualified from riding. This is on their website as fair warning. But I think it's a bad policy. Weight. You can't be over 230 lbs. it's for the safety of the horse they say. A lot of folks complaining about how their weight scale is off and all. And not but just a little. Like 10+ pounds. It being on uneven ground etc. So a few days before I actually stopped eating like I normally would on vacation for fear of being disqualified. Not because I thought I actually would be over the max weight (I've never been that heavy in my entire life). But for fear their darn scale would be off. I actually had a dream the night before the ride that they disqualified me. Note they weigh everyone include kids. So the "may" be weighed in their website should probably be changed to "will" be weighed. Also note they decreased the maximum weight from 250 lbs in the past to 230 lbs currently if you read the reviews. So I guess the horses all got older? They're rescue horses though. So I think new ones coming in occasionally maybe. Who knows. Anyway the check in person and weigher denied this. But just have a look yourself on Yelp and Google Maps if you're interested. Also note YMMV on what happens if you're over. Some reviewers got slammed for being just a few pounds over. But I also saw them accept folks when I was there on site that were just a few pounds over. They were actually suggesting to those folks that they weigh without jacket etc. to hopefully make the cut. So it wasn't like they were hoping you'd fail. But if you do it goes to the unseen back office for review. And YMMV. Shoes. You must wear closed toe shoes to the ankle or face disqualification. But they didn't really check the shoes (like hey show me your shoes). I was concerned because I wore aqua shoes that are lower cut than sneakers to the ankle. Some of their notes say the shoes must be ankle height. Time. We arrived really early. You have to be there 30 minutes before the ride or else face disqualification without refund. The safety briefing doesn't start until 15 minutes before the ride. Before that they check if you've done the online waiver, weight, and helmet distribution. I read folks were turned away for not being there 30 minutes prior to the ride. Banff traffic is a B. So make sure you're early. Also there was a lot of construction on 93 and 1 when we were there. Some delays were more than an hour. Come to town early in the day and enjoy the city if you're driving in. You'll thank me later. Tips. Website says it's customary to tip. We had 3 guides. The guides said tipping isn't expected but it is appreciated. But they said it twice so I guess it is expected. They also said the tips go towards helping the cooks. So I guess it's shared and you can give it to whoever? It's confusing who to tip because there was no tip jar at the cookout and the cooks were not one of our guides. They should explain this all better. Or better yet just increase the price, pay them all more, and say tipping is not customary nor accepted as everyone is properly compensated through your generous payment for the ride. Cookout. I told our guide I was really looking forward to the steak because I heard beef is their specialty in Alberta. He gave me a timid yeah I think that might be right reply. We'll realize the steak isn't a premium cut. Event medium rare cooked to order it was chewy. The bread roll - wow that was like rock hard and dry like the Sahara. I could've played softball with it. Cole slaw looked good but lacked flavor. Mini potatoes were ok. Baked beans were meh but I suppose you gotta try them since it's a Canadian specialty I believe. The English do it better IMHO. Brownies were good. I tried to get one when we got our food but was told they'd bring it out to us. Well they called us to go and still no brownie delivered table side. Hmmm. They have gluten free rolls and brownies. Two outhouses are on site at the dinner. Also they have bug spray there. The trail. Ride back is nicer and woodsier. Ride over has more urban features like the paved road and tourists yelling at you. It's a slow pace. The guides are kinda strict compared to other rides we've been on. Lots of yelling stuff like go faster, don't talk so much, don't talk so loud, lean forward more, lean back more, lean to the right more, yada yada. The horses are rescue horses so they're special. And maybe need more TLC and attention and rules. Just consider that when booking.

We did the 4 hour trail ride thru the gorgeous Bow Valley. Lynn was our trail guide and was so…read moreknowledgeable about the horses and also about the area itself. All of the horses appear well cared for and the other trail guides were also very helpful and good with the horses as well. We had an amazing time and really enjoyed having a light lunch by the Spray River and crossing the rivers with the horses was so fun! Thank you Lynn, my daughter and I had an amazing time. This was the hi-light of our trip.

5 stars for Gabriel who was our evening Wildlife tour guide. He was so awesome, knowledgeable and…read morefun and we saw lots of wildlife local to the area. Highly recommended, with several choices on where to pick up/drop off before and after. My family and I really enjoyed the entire evening!

We had a terrible experience with Discover Banff Tours and would never book through them again…read more We booked a dog sledding excursion for 6 people, including our family and our friends visiting from San Diego. We paid nearly $1,400 in full for 2 sleds, submitted all required guest information right away (weights, ages, etc.), and even received an email confirming that everything had been received and that we were fully confirmed for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Then on Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the excursion, they called asking for the same information all over again. We told them we had already submitted it and had the confirmation email to prove it. After putting us on hold, they came back and admitted there had been a miscommunication on their end and that the person who handled our booking failed to enter our information properly. Because of their mistake, our reservation was given away to someone else. So after taking our money, confirming our booking, and making us think everything was locked in, they left us with no dog sledding tour and no real solution on the only day that worked for our group. They did offer us Friday, but that did absolutely nothing for us because we leave Thursday and our friends fly home Wednesday. That is exactly why we booked this in advance the previous Friday. The kids were already excited for this experience, and we were left scrambling at the last minute trying to find another company because of their mistake. The only thing they could really offer was a refund or to push other excursions we had no interest in. That's not customer service -- that's damage control after they failed to do their job correctly. This was extremely unprofessional, careless, and a huge inconvenience during a family trip. Avoid the middleman and book directly with the actual dog sledding companies.

Such an amazing experience! Syd and the team showed such hospitality and professionalism on our two…read morehour horse tour. The horses were healthy and happy, the facility charming and location ideal. I love that it is a local family business. they were so sweet to take pictures of us and answer all our questions. Thank you Timberline :)

What an incredible way to explore Lake Louise and make the trek to one of the tea houses! The…read morestable is off the main road going to Lake Louise. The property is a little cluttered but don't let that turn you away. We were initially greeted by several small and excited dogs. The guides then selected the horses for our builds and age. They are knowledgeable and helpful the entire trip. They assign guides and tours based on who is signed up and make the trip especially for your group and other parties interested in the same tour as you. The initial part of the trail is quite muddy with underlying rocks - I was concerned about the horses footing but they did fine. They're quite strong and led us well - they certainly all have their own personalities! We very much enjoyed our time and can't wait to go back and try more of their tours.

Luxor Corrals is an excellent way to experience the Kootenay River Valley. The bar has both Mules…read moreand Horses to ride and the owner sets you up with one based on your experience and how long your going to ride. It was an amazing experience. I rode a mule named Dreamwalker, who was very sweet. Riding a mule wasn't so different from riding a horse. The only difference I found was that he had a huge drive to eat. No matter how much I tried to pull his head up, he would resist and bring his head down for his favorite snack, alfalfa. The terrain wasn't too rough for an hour ride. It was actually very scenic! Wild flowers were everywhere and the view down to the river valley was gorgeous. At a few points I did feel a little nervous because the trail was a little too narrow and the drop did seem a little treacherous; but, I would do it all over again if I could.

Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours exceeded my expectations and provided me with a bucket-list experience…read morethat will be a lasting memory. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Motorhead (retired sled dog). He was so friendly, sweet, and engaging. The shop space is open and offers a slue of gift shop items and rentable gear (snow boots and snow pants are a must!). Clean bathrooms are available because once you get to the top of the mountain, there are only porta-potties. I loved my dog team (Ghost, Poblano, Ivar, Mayday, Gomez, and Kannicky). They are definitely professionals and they commit to running. However, when we had some breaks, they were very sweet and enjoyed positive affirmation and pets. Driving the sled is more physically intense than I expected. You will need to do some running up the hill with the dogs. However, the thrill of the experience, wind in your hair, and breathtaking views is beyond words. In my experience, Snowy Owl treats their dogs well. I appreciate their use of colored collars to signal whether the dogs are shy or overly friendly. One of my tour guides for another excursion affirmed this sentiment as well and spoke of them in high regards. This is a must-do experience (expensive, but well worth it). Also, 2 printed photos available at the end for $50 canadian dollars. They will also transfer a digital file and I found this to be well worth it.

This was SO MUCH fun. Unbelievable scenery. The guides were totally fantastic. The dogs are super…read morecute and loveable.