Family-Friendly Raft Tour in Banff National Park
One thing I wanted to make sure we experienced in Canada was spending time on the water. So when I found family-friendly rafting in Banff National Park on the Bow River, I was so excited!
Rocky Mountain Raft Tours operates multiple floats a day down the Bow River right from the town of Banff that are totally family-friendly. The floats are very docile and children from age 2 and up are welcome on board! (Seniors are also welcome!)
Thank you to Rocky Mountain Raft Tours for hosting our experience in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
The raft tours at Rocky Mountain Raft Tours are one hour long and go down the Bow River from Banff. Each raft can hold around 30 people, though our boat was only about half full.
I loved that this was something that my parents and my children could enjoy together!
All About Family-Friendly Rafting in Banff National Park
Getting to Rocky Mountain Raft Tours
Rocky Mountain Raft Tours are located just a short distance from the main part of town. It’s near the Fairmont Banff Springs and the Banff Springs Golf Course. You can view a map here.
There is a parking lot at the launch site where you can leave your car if you have one. There is also a free shuttle that you can pick up at the Banff Park Lodge in town or at the Banff Spring Hotel.
Setting Off On Your Raft Tour
Launch times vary depending on the time of year, so check times and prices here. We opted for an afternoon launch time so that it wouldn’t be quite so chilly.
Boarding the raft is easy as there are stairs going from the bank right down to the raft and the staff are very accommodating for children, seniors or anyone who needs help!
Once on the raft, everyone sits on the side of the raft. It was super sturdy and no water got in the boat so no one had wet, cold feet. There were ropes to hold onto as well in case you need a little more stability. My boys weren’t tall enough to really sit on the raft, so they just leaned against it and held on to the grownups around them.
You will spend about an hour on the raft seeing different sites along the way and learning from your tour guide. You don’t get wet, unless you sit in the very front like I did! Then you might get a little bit of a splash here and there.
Once the raft docks down river, you disembark. There will be photos of your boat (taken right after launch) for you to purchase if you choose. And then, the shuttle will take you back to either the parking lot or back to town.
Remember to bring cash to tip your tour guide!
For more to do in Banff, check out this Summer in Banff itinerary.
Sightseeing on a Family-Friendly Raft Tour in Banff National Park
My favorite thing about the rafting tour was getting such a unique view of a lot of the sites in Banff. We had a great tour guide, Matt, who shared all of the legend, lore and history of the area. We learned a lot and he recommended a lot of activities for the rest of our trip. Here are a few of my favorite sights from the raft.
Tunnel Mountain and the Sleeping Buffalo
Tunnel Mountain is one of the first sights on your float. It’s the small mountain in the center of Banff and is almost totally surrounded by the town and hotels.
Our raft guide recommended it as a great hike for views of all of Banff and we took him up on it later that afternoon. It’s a fantastic hike with views of both valleys, and you can summit in about an hour with kids (less without them!).
As you continue on down the river, Tunnel Mountain transforms shapes and ends up looking a lot like a sleeping buffalo. My boys thought this was the coolest thing!
Hoodoos
Another highlight of the raft tour is being able to see the Hoodoos from the river. We had already done the Hoodoos hike, but the view from the water is unbeatable.
The Hoodoos are made from sedimentary rock and are remnants from when a huge glacier covered the entire area. Today, the stand as columns in various parts of Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies. They are eroding though from wind and rain, and several of the ones you can see in Banff have already broken off pieces. They won’t always be there to see.
Our raft guide told us that Hoodoo was a native word that meant something along the lines of warrior turned into stone guard. But I couldn’t confirm this anywhere on the internet. So who knows! They definitely look like stone guards to me! But the name could also be a nod to some witchcraft or mystery.
Mount Rundle
Mount Rundle is the last view you get to take in before disembarking the the raft. I loved Mount Rundle. I thought it looked so majestic and I loved seeing the different striations in the rock face. There were also 6 different waterfalls that we could see from the boat. Though they were all small since it was the end of the season.
We also learned a fun fact that Rundle has it’s own rock! Rundle rock is a type of rock found in southern Alberta that was first quarried at Mount Rundle. It’s used in the construction of the iconic Banff Springs Hotel in Banff.
The Mount Rundle Summit Trail is supposed to be an awesome hike for those who are more experienced and don’t have young children with them! It’s an 11-mile hike gaining almost 2,000 feet in elevation to get to the summit. I can only imagine the views from up there though!
Don’t let Connor fool you, this tour was anything but boring! But it was gentle and soothing enough to put him to sleep after we had spent all morning hiking!
Are you interested in taking a raft tour like this one on your trip to Banff? Book your spots here!
