Rafting in Canmore on the Horseshoe River

Rafting in Canmore on the Horseshoe River

It was a beautiful clear warm day. The nicest weather of the trip.

We signed our waivers, loaded into the van and drove about ten minutes to where we would start our rafting trip. The Mirage Rafting Tours are an efficient operation.

Waiting at our arrival point were a crew and the equipment. Blue tarps were staked out to the ground to keep our feet clean as we stripped to our swimsuits to put on wetsuits, booties, dry jackets, life vests and helmets. Each team member worked efficiently to hand out appropriate sized equipment to the patrons.

After suiting up, we walked down to the Horseshoe River for a quick safety instruction and rescue instructions. Our guide was Bill and he did his best to show us a good time.

The river was very low and the whitewater was minimal. It really wasn't much more than a float rip. The guide would put us through the spray sideways trying to make it a little more thrilling. After the first rapid, they beached the rafts and offered cliff jumping for those who cared to take the plunge. Most the group really enjoyed the jumps. We spent another 45 minutes floating down river occasionally moving the rafts into areas of the river where they would not move forward or back but allowed the rushing water to move around the raft. This they called surfing.

In no time we were at our endpoint. We picked up the raft and hauled it up a hill where our efficiency team was waiting with a trailer and the van to take us back. Once again clean blue tarps were staked for us to step onto as we removed our muddy booties and placed them in the appropriate receptacle. Cold soft drinks were furnished and photo sessions took place. We loaded up and drove back to Canmore.