Rafting in Canada

The Ottawa forms the border between Ontario and Quebec, and the rapids around Beachburg, north of Pembroke, are where most Canadians first raft. The river is wide and high-volume, with big waves and holes separated by calm pools, so you can swim between rapids in warm summer water. The main channel holds the hardest rapids, class IV and V in spring, and operators run gentler middle-channel trips and family floats on the same river. Several companies have riverside resorts with camping, cabins, meals and evening entertainment, and they run day trips, two-day packages and kayak schools.

Water is highest in May and June, when the rapids are biggest; from July to September the river drops and warms up, and the trips suit families and first-timers. Beachburg is about 90 minutes from Ottawa and four to five hours from Toronto or Montreal.

The Kicking Horse River runs west from Kicking Horse Pass past Field and down to the town of Golden, fed by glaciers in Yoho National Park. Trips from Golden run several canyon sections, class III to IV, with cold, fast, continuous rapids and steep canyon walls. Since access to the Lower Canyon across the railway tracks was lost, some operators reach it by helicopter on full-day trips. The season runs from about June to late August, with the biggest water in June and July. Golden is about three hours from Calgary and an hour west of Lake Louise.

Near Jasper, the Athabasca River below Athabasca Falls is an easy class II float with views of the peaks and a chance of wildlife on the banks, while the Sunwapta River adds livelier class II to III rapids. In Alberta, the Kananaskis River, a short drive from Canmore in the Kananaskis valley, is dam-controlled, so it runs at reliable levels through the summer, with class II to III rapids suited to families. The Red Deer River west of Red Deer also has day trips.

The Thompson River, below Kamloops, has some of the biggest commercially rafted rapids in the west. Day trips from Spences Bridge and Lytton run through dry sagebrush canyons to big-volume rapids with names like the Frog and the Jaws of Death before the river joins the Fraser. It stays high into summer and is warmer than mountain rivers, so trips run from about June to September. Further down, Hells Gate in the Fraser Canyon is too dangerous to raft and is seen from a tram instead.

Closer to Vancouver, the Chilliwack River near Chilliwack is the city’s local whitewater, class II to IV and easy as a day trip, and the Elaho and Squamish rivers near Squamish add a glacial run with views of the Coast Mountains. Inland, the Clearwater River in Wells Gray Provincial Park has class III to IV canyon rafting and a reputation for big summer water.

Northern rivers are wild trips through roadless parks, run by a small number of licensed outfitters, and are booked months ahead. The Tatshenshini, starting in the Yukon and flowing through Tatshenshini-Alsek Park in BC to the sea in Alaska, is one of the world’s great river journeys: about 10 to 12 days past glaciers and grizzly country, part of the Kluane and Tatshenshini-Alsek World Heritage site. The Alsek is a harder sister trip. Most expeditions start from Whitehorse.

The South Nahanni in Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories is reached by float plane, and trips usually start below Virginia Falls, twice the height of Niagara, and run for one to three weeks through deep canyons. The Firth River in Ivvavik National Park crosses the far north of the Yukon to the Arctic Ocean, with caribou and wolves along the banks. All three need park registration and fees.

A half-day trip on the Kananaskis or the Athabasca costs from about CA$100 (75 USD), and a full day on the Ottawa, the Kicking Horse or the Thompson about CA$150 to 250 (110 to 180 USD) with lunch and gear. Northern expeditions run to several thousand dollars. Prices vary by operator and season, so check current rates when you book.

Canadian rivers are cold. Glacier-fed water in the Rockies and BC can be close to freezing even in July, so operators supply wetsuits, splash jackets and booties: wear them. Choose a licensed operator with certified guides, a guide in every raft and safety kayakers on harder runs, and listen to the briefing on how to swim a rapid. Minimum ages vary by operator, often in the early to mid teens for the big-water runs and younger for family floats. Bring a change of warm clothes, and check that your travel insurance covers rafting.