Because I simply can’t get enough white water rafting, I had to run the Kicking Horse River near Lake Louise one more time before the 2009 summer transforms and disappears into the cold, dark night towards the Arctic…
Fret not adventure seekers, the Canadian Rockies summer is expected to stretch deep into September, and my friends at WildWater Adventures can provide you your white water fix.
The Kicking Horse River is born from the Wapta Lake in Alberta and runs southwest into British Columbia and eventually picks up speed with the Yoho River. It continues towards the town of Golden where it takes a hair-pin turn and flows northwest.
The River reaches its apex in beauty and girth at Wapta Falls, one of Canada’s largest falls, over 500 feet wide! So I was hoping we could drop that in a rubber raft, but the guides at Wild Water told me otherwise.
The Kicking Horse, due to its wide variability, can provide serious class III and IV rapids or gentle calmness for the entire family. For vacationers staying in Banff, the Kicking Horse is a great way to see the wonderful valleys of the Rockies, as well as a good way to be part of Mother Nature.
Just head over to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise to book the trip. The actual put-in for the river experience is at Wild Water’s “RiverBase Daylodge” about 40 minutes west of Lake Louise and 1hr 20 minutes from Banff.
When I asked why it was called the Kicking Horse, the guide said horses in these parts play a lot of soccer. And I thought hockey was big in Canada.
