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    The Banff Canoe Club

    4.6 (31 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 6:30 pm

    The Banff Canoe Club Photos

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    A quiet and still Bow River as we floated back to dock.

    We booked a group canoe trip through Banff Canoe Club and couldn't have been more pleased. Our guide, Claire, took us out for an evening trip on the Bow River and she made the experience so much better than if we had just rented a canoe. She was so knowledgeable about the wildlife and the history of the area that it really elevated the experience. I highly recommend it!

    Ye J.

    Located on the Bow river just outside of downtown Banff, this is probably the most convenient and affordable rental place in Banff national park. They offer canoe and kayak rentals and tours. We rented a kayak and explored the Bow river, Echo Creek and Vermillion lakes for hours. Personally prefer this much more to waiting in long lines or crammed with other tourists at spots like Lake Louise or Moraine lake.

    Jason Z.

    It's probably the most convenient and affordable spot to rent a kayak or canoe and go on your own adventure. We rented a two person kayak and it was about $125 CAD for 3 hours; choose your adventure style. This is definitely preferable to any of their guided tour options as you will be stuck with strangers and on the planned tour routine. We got to kayak in the Bow River, Echo Creek, up and above the beaver dam, and explore the Vermillion Lakes. They provide the kayak, paddles, and life vests. Are these rental places extremely expensive for what it is? Yes. But this is the price to pay as everything in Banff touristy / outdoors related will cost you aside from the hikes.

    View from Bow River
    A D.

    This boat rental spot is a short walk from downtown Banff and offers canoe and kayak rentals. You can launch right off the dock to explore the Bow River or the Vermillion Lakes. We saw some wildlife while we were out. The water is calm and suitable for novices.

    Christine L.

    It's hard to give this place such low stars because of how beautiful the view was, but this was our first day and activity in Banff and we really did not enjoy our experience. First, it really depends on who else is in your canoe and this part is out of their control so I'm not blaming this part on them. However, the way our tour guide handled it didn't make us feel good. We shared our canoe with a group of Canadian females and it our tour guide seemed impartial to them because he was also Canadian. Throughout our tour down the river, that party yelled at the rest of us for not paddling correctly, for taking too many breaks to take pictures, or for splashing them etc. Mind you, we paddled almost the entire time and stopped only to take pictures here and there. As for the splashing, it's inevitable that this will happen. To top it all off, at the end of our tour, instead of trying to mediate, our tour guide even decided to thank everyone but especially to that party for "pulling the majority of the weight". We just felt so offended and put off by this. Secondly, because we were pressured to paddle the entire time, it was hard to take in the view and truly enjoy it. Overall, we wish we skipped this activity during our vacation. Seemed like other reviews were great, so if you're going to book this place, know you'r experience is completely dependent on the tour guide! It definitely could be a great one, but not for us.

    Amanda L.

    We had a lot of fun here! Definitely one of the more affordable places to canoe, with a gorgeous view and crisp cold water!! The staff was super friendly, and helped retrieve my sister's hat when it was sinking! The life jackets were clean, and they gave us a mini demo on how to use the canoe paddles. We canoed for an hour, which in my opinion, was enough time. We got two canoes, one with three people and one with two people. As a note--they put a lounge chair in the middle of the 3-person canoe, so the person in the middle doesn't really row as vigorously (they call it the princess chair haha). Would definitely come again!

    Big Canoe paddle up Bow River
    Kaci T.

    OMG this was so much fun! My family and I booked this short big canoe ride and it was so worth it. It lasted about 2 hours and we got the full canoeing experience. Going up Bow River, we had to paddle a bit as we were going against the wind. All along the way, we saw beautiful ice-blu water, beaver dams, opsrey nests, learned about the mountains and history of Banff. Coming back down river, the wind was at our backs, which allowed us to coast along without much paddling at all. MAX was an AMAZING tour operator. He was highly knowledgeable, chill, safe and funny. We highly recommend this tour for singletons, couples and families!

    Mountain bikes!
    Pauline M.

    They have a 2 hour canoe and 2 hour mtn bike package, which you can use at any point in your visit (so you don't have to do both on the same day). But we did both on the same day...it was perfect and so fun! The staff was super friendly and helpful. We paddled ourselves up the river, then floated back down. The mountain views change every turn. It was truly incredible and a highlight of our trip. The mountain bike portion was a bonus, and so fun!

    Kate C.

    Amazing staff. So helpful and patient. Reasonable priced as well. Lake Louise canoeing is a joke so overpriced and congested. This was a lovely experience and we got to see beavers and a baby bear swim across river in front of us. Definitely go here if I'm area. Thank you Banff canoe club.

    Robin G.

    Sheer Awesomeness. On our first day in Banff, we hopped off our flight, drove to Banff, and pretty much jumped into a canoe from the Banff Canoe Club - we were so excited to get on the Bow River! The water is unbelievably gorgeous (and frigid). The river is plenty long and we canoed out to a large open river area with beautiful 360 degree mountain views (Vermillion Lake, I believe?). Despite it being high season and a spectacularly beautiful day, we didn't run into too many other boaters - which is nice! The staff is super friendly, and helped us get into/out of our canoe with ease. The process for renting a water vessel, is to leave your ID with the check in guys (who are the MOST friendly!), sign a waiver, and pick your boat - super simple. I believe there were dry bags and other extras you could rent, if you chose. Cute t-shirts and hats also for sale in their little boat house. The rental price includes life vests and the proper paddles for your boat. We brought along our backpacks containing water etc - they were fine in our boat! Rental price is pretty great - $40CAD per hour for the canoe/kayak rental, $20/hour after that. Looking back after renting boats in Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Lake Minnewanka - this rental was a practical steal! There's parking nearby, although somewhat limited - it's slightly further (on the river, of course!) although it is walkable from downtown Banff. A perfect afternoon with a great local company!

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    1 year ago

    The tour was amazing!! Fergus and Jesse were great guides and taught us a ton about the area. Would highly recommend!

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    3 years ago

    Rented a kayak. Friendly people and easy to find. It was so epic to paddle while enjoying most beautiful scenery.

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    Review Highlights - The Banff Canoe Club

    We went the calm route and headed toward Vermillion Lakes where the Canadian Rockies set a breathtaking backdrop!

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Columbia Icefield - So cool!!

    Columbia Icefield

    4.1(64 reviews)
    0.2 km

    Extremely Disappointing Experience - Safety Should Never Take a Back Seat…read more My family visited the Columbia Icefield this year, and I returned for my second visit after a great experience last year. Unfortunately, this visit was very different and raised serious safety concerns. Our group had 13 people. When it was time to return from the glacier, 9 family members plus five other guests were left behind on the ice by our driver, Chad, without warning. I had already told the driver that there were people who had yet to board, and as the vehicle pulled away he could see our group waving, including children aged 5 and 11, yet he continued driving. We were stranded on the glacier for 90 minutes, exposed to cold conditions with no clear communication or emergency response. During this time, we repeatedly asked other Ice Explorer drivers for help. Despite several buses having available seats, multiple drivers refused to take us, even with young children visibly cold. It appeared that strict scheduling prevented them from assisting stranded guests, even in a clear safety situation. After 90 minutes, one compassionate driver finally stopped and brought our family back. We are very grateful to that individual for preventing an even worse outcome. This raises serious concerns about procedures and training. No guests should be left on a glacier due to scheduling constraints. A simple head count, final check, or empowering drivers to assist stranded guests could prevent this from happening again. We came back because of a great prior experience, but this visit has left us questioning whether guest safety is truly the top priority--or whether operational efficiency and profit are being placed ahead of basic safety processes.

    We booked a tour with Columbia Icefield Adventures online. The process was smooth…read more On the day of our tour, we drove from Banff up to the icefield area near Jasper. The drive was a trip highlight. We did many stops along the way to enjoy the mountain views. The tour was awesome. You get on a bus which takes you to the glacier mobile and up to the glacier you go. What a unique experience. Our driver was knowledgeable and answered many questions. After you return to the bus, you are taken to the skywalk which is a glass bottom walkway over a gorge. So cool. I had almost as much fun watching people who were nervous about stepping on the platform as I did looking into the gorge. Parking at the icefield was a nightmare. We ended up parking in the RV lot or we would have missed our timeslot. It was also unfortunate that the digital tickets did not have your timestamp on them as we held up the line looking for confirmation of our timeslot.

    Photos
    Columbia Icefield
    Columbia Icefield - A glacial portrait, Sep 2024.

    A glacial portrait, Sep 2024.

    Columbia Icefield - Columbia Icefield - Shoulder of Mt. Andromeda

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    Columbia Icefield - Shoulder of Mt. Andromeda

    White Mountain Adventures

    White Mountain Adventures

    5.0(1 review)
    0.3 km

    The Fairmont concierge recommended the ebike to Johnston Canyon with White Mountain Adventures…read more I've never been on an ebike and always wanted to try one so I was game. There were 6 members of our group and we meet at the White Mountain Adventures office in town. Four of us started off on the ebikes while the other 2 drove to Johnston Canyon and hiked first...and then rode the bikes home. Luke from Australia was the guide for the 4 of us who started off on the ebikes. We did a little test run around a nearby parking lot to make sure we could handle the bikes, although he assured us if we could ride a bike we could be OK. At first i found it a little tricky because it was a little scary how the bike would just take off, but as the ride went on I got more comfortable. I found myself lagging behind the group at first and Luke would nicely come join me. Once I asked what gear everyone was on (6) and adjusted min to be the same I was keeping up with no issues. I actually loved the bike ride. You definitely don't get as much exercise as you do on a normal bike, but i think this 15 mile hilly trip would have been too much for me on normal bike...and it was perfectly enjoyable on a ebike. We also stopped about every 10-15 minutes to take in the beautiful scenery and get some pics. It took about 90 minutes to get to Johnston Canyon and I was a little bummed when the ebike adventure was over. My husband and I were such fans that we talked about buying them for our annual vacations in Sun Valley, Idaho- another place where it is so fun to bike, but can be difficult with all the hilly terrain. The hike itself was probably my least favorite hike that we did in Lake Louise and Banff. Luke was a great guide and the canyon itself was beautiful, but it was sooo crowded which made it less enjoyable. It was also pretty easy in comparison to some of the other hikes we did on the trip (tunnel mountain, agnes tea house). But if you're looking for an easy hike with little incline and don't mind the crowds this is recommended. I don't recommend parking though since it's super crowded so rent a ebike to get there! We were lucky enough to be with White Mountain Adventures so they had a van waiting for us after our hike to get us back to town. I would have loved to e-bike back, but we had our next adventure waiting (a trip up the gondola) so driving back was super convenient. While we could have easily rented an ebike on our own I do think it was helpful to have Luke get us there safely, especially since we were riding along the highway for quite a bit of it. It was also great to hear about Luke's adventures living in Banff and learn a little more about the area from him. While I didn't love the hike itself I thought the company did a great job and it was one of my favorite activities of our trip.

    From the owner: With over 30 years of experience, White Mountain Adventures is Banff’s premier guided outdoor…read moreadventure specialist. We provide our clients with lasting connection to nature through innovative, tailored active-adventure experiences. White Mountain Adventures offers activities in Banff, Lake Louise, Canmore/Kananaskis and beyond, including guided public and private hiking, larch hiking, heli-hiking, guided e-bike tours, multiday hiking programs, snowshoeing activities, nature tours, walking tours, as well as custom events for individuals, families, and corporate groups. If you are looking for things to do in Banff, give us a call!

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    White Mountain Adventures
    White Mountain Adventures
    White Mountain Adventures

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    Open Top Touring - Bighorn Sheep

    Open Top Touring

    4.2(13 reviews)
    0.2 km

    Fred was hands down the best tour guide we've ever had! He…read morereally made our first day in Banff special and unforgettable. We loved his enthusiasm and the super interesting way he conveyed the history of the incredible sights we saw on this tour. We also loved the authentic dress, jazz music, and whole atmosphere. I can't say enough good things about Fred, please give that man a raise!

    It was fine. Just not what I expected and I don't understand why the seating was assigned the way…read moreit was. ‍ I think I just had higher expectations. So, my experience. ~2 Families of 3 in 2 rows of 4 seats, 1 couple in the back row of 4 seats, someone reviewing our driver took up 3 seats in the back by herself, while 4 adults, 2 couples, not together, were all crammed in one seating area that seats 4. So I guess it could have been worse and the vehicle completely booked, but at least then the seating would have made sense. There was also a couple open seats in the front but who knows maybe due to the broken window and or safety laws they are not used. Idk. ~The photos and reviews I've seen, I expected to be standing up and or out of the vehicle more. We mostly just drove by places. If you are on the right, you can roll down your window and try to take pictures, most of what they point out is on the right. If you're on the left, your window doesn't go down and if you're packed in, you can't really move around too much. ~I believe we were able to stand up 2 times. ~We got out of the vehicle once, we're treated to champagne glasses of a local sparkling water. ~I was looking forward to the view of the Fairmont Hotel but we drove by so fast it wasn't worth trying to get my camera ready so be prepared for that photo if you're looking forward to it. ~Listening to the history of the area was nice but it would probably be more comfortable on a bus tour. If you just want to cruise around in a cool open top vehicle, you're good! Enjoy!

    Photos
    Open Top Touring - Coreen

    Coreen

    Open Top Touring
    Open Top Touring - Mountain views

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    Mountain views

    Banff Adventures - Horseback riding

    Banff Adventures

    3.1(23 reviews)
    0.3 km

    I searched around to find the best price on ski and snowboard rentals for our week in Banff and…read morethis was the best price. The quality did not disappoint either as they used a third party to fulfill our rental. We were unaware of this so went to the Banff Adventures office at first, and then was directed to the shop just down the street. I was happy that we were allowed to get fitted the day before our rental started and that they delivered the gear to our hotel free of charge. They also picked it up from our hotel when we were done. The third party was very reputable and I wrote a separate review for them. I would use Banff Adventures again for my rentals!

    My friend and I bought the "Best of Banff" adventure package well in advance of our trip. The price…read morewas so reasonable for all that we were able to do. We were so excited to ride the Banff Gondola, Horseback ride along the Bow River and Kayak on the Bow river as well. The first issue we encountered was when my friend's flight was delayed on her way to Canada and we had to push all of our scheduled activities back a day. The service at Banff adventures was excellent- we had to call a few different times to move things around but each time the attendant was patient and super helpful in helping us to reschedule our experiences. The day of our experiences, we were able to pick the times of our Gondola ride and the kayak but the Horseback riding was the only activity with a hard time. We chose to ride the Gondola first and it was so easy to check-in and ride up the Gondola. The view was spectacular and so peaceful. At the top there was a super cute cafe, which was a nice touch. We didn't eat there but it was nice to know it was there. Next we headed to our Horseback riding appointment. We arrived early so we had time to sign our waivers, get weighed and fitted for our helmets before the safety speech was given. We were each assigned a horse and given a few minutes to get acquainted with our steed. This wasn't my first rodeo, so I was ready to get on the trail right away. Once we were on the trail, it was smooth riding. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and we were given opportunities for photos with our horses at the end of the ride. Finally, we went over to the Canoe place for our kayaks. It was easy to sign in and get our kayaks. We were given our life jackets and a quick lesson in kayaking. The weather was sunny and warm which made for a perfect day out on the water. The Bow river was especially calm on this day so we really enjoyed our float up river. Overall, each activity was the perfect little adventure. Everything was within a 10-20 minute car ride of each point so it was easy to navigate. We had an amazing day. We would absolutely buy this tour again.

    Photos
    Banff Adventures - Lake Minnewanka

    Lake Minnewanka

    Banff Adventures - Bike rental at Vermilion lake

    Bike rental at Vermilion lake

    Banff Adventures - Big Canoe Tours

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    Big Canoe Tours

    The Banff Canoe Club - rafting - Updated September 2026

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