Kayak and River Rafting the Bow River Safely YYC 2022

The Bow River, a popular destination for river rafting, flows from the Rocky Mountains West of Calgary right through the middle of the city and across the downtown core. The relatively shallow depth makes it ideal for those who want to raft, kayak, or canoe down it. On a typical hot summer day you can see hundreds of people taking advantage of the cool water and floating the river. It’s not only one of the most fun activities you can do in the city, but its so much more convenient than driving to a lake near Calgary and hauling your canoe or inflatable kayaks there.

Calgary Raft Rental

There are several rafting businesses which start up every summer and offer rentals of canoe, inflatable rafts, kayaks and tubes. These businesses can be found at all of the easy and main access points to the river west of downtown. The biggest one is located by the water treatment plant and offers only large rafts, but the smaller one near Edworthy Park has a variety of boats and floats. Important to note that when on the river rafting wearing a life preserver or personal floatation device is mandatory, and you will notice that the river is patrolled frequently enforcing this law as well as keeping an eye out for anyone consuming liquor on the river rafting. If you wish to be that guy, you need to go float someplace more rural than the Bow river rafting into downtown to get away with it.

Where to Launch on the Bow River

One of the most popular launch points to start the float down the Bow River is at the new Bearspaw water treatment, just off the Metis Trail ring road, north of Olympic Park and west of Bowness. It is a little tricky to get into the place despite it being visible from the main road, the entrance is actually a bit of a twisted bit of driving to the North and East to find your way in, and also note that it isn’t very well marked by any sort of signage. Your best bet is just to follow the traffic of others who will be heading there.

This launch site is very popular due to having lots of parking and a very accessible launching ramp. Parking can be crowded so it’s good to get there early, or leave your vehicle down river and get dropped off here. You won’t have trouble finding it if you follow the cars, but you might have to park a bit of a ways from the water due to all the rafters. Keep that in mind if you have to carry large or heavy floats, tubes, or boats down to the water. You can drop them off closer and then go park your car in the lot if this is the case for you.

Edworthy Park is a common spot that river rafters stop and take a break from riding the Bow River. The shoreline just before the bridge is easy to land on and you will find many boaters stopped to suntan, eat lunch, or swim. The bridge across the river is very popular and connects one of the most popular biking path in Calgary with the River pathway system.

Exiting the River

The Peace Bridge in downtown Calgary is an iconic and notable landmark. It also marks the point at which many rafters make their exit from the water. There are several exit points just down steam of the bridge, near the Calgary Zoo, and in the Inglewood neighborhood. These are safe spots to pull ashore before reaching the weir and more dangerous part of the Bow River. Another reason this is a popular place to disembark is that there is lots of parking nearby to leave your pick up vehicle and there are also regular shuttle busses which can transport you back up river to the starting point of your kayaking adventure.

Thanks for reading, please check out another of my adventures or feel free to recommend one to me, I’m enjoying exploring everything that Calgary has to offer.

~King Calgary