Horshoebend and Kananaskis White Water Rafting by Inside Out Experience
As far as adrenaline rushes go, white water river rafting is at least a seven out of ten. So of course, I had to give it a go when I was traveling near Calgary. Lucky for me, I got to experience not one, but two rivers on my excursion—Horseshoe Bend and Kananaskis.
The Rivers
There are two rivers you can raft with Inside Out Experience. Both rivers are controlled by a dam, so one is available in the morning and one in the afternoon. You can pick just one or the other, but of course my friend Anya and I decided to do both.
We started our adventure with Horseshoe Bend River. This is where they filmed the movie Revenant. I always enjoy making memories on movie sets, and this was certainly one of the most fun! We spent an entire two hours in the river, dodging whirlpools, riding rapids, and struggling to see through the raging foam that swirled all around us! What I loved most about it was that you can do a 30 meter cliff jump into the glacial waters of the running river. I was more afraid of the cold than the height. The water was cold—and I mean COLD— but I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t jump. After all, thrill-seeking is my thing. I ended up jumping off three times to encourage other people to try it! I was so proud of my friend Anya, She didn’t want to jump, but because she watched me do it, she had the courage to go for it. It actually wasn’t as bad as I anticipated—you definitely feel the freezing cold water when you land, but as soon as you get out you start to warm up. Also, the staff pulls you back into the boat. The current caught meat first, but they roped me like a runaway steer and dragged me back. It’s actually pretty safe.
Afterwards, we took on Kananaskis River. It wasn’t as rough as Horseshoe Bend River, but it was still awesome. For one thing, the group I was with was crazy awesome. They knew how to do fun! For another, our guide was senior guide. He let us have more thrills than you usually get on a tour. He let the boat surf on the waves a bunch of times! He taught us how to do tricks with the boat on command, like paddle backward to turn the boat this way or that. It was hard work to paddle back, but we wanted the thrill, so it was worth it!
The Prep
Inside Out provides you with all the equipment you need to do river rafting: a dry suit, booties, and life vest. Before you get in the water, they safety test every bit of it. They also explain everything, like what to do when you fall out, how to rescue a team member, and various command. Make sure you know the commands before they put you in, or you be in for some embarrassment or worse!
The Experience
Our guides were awesome. They spent some time introducing the various flora and fauna in the area, so we knew what we were seeing. The view was absolutely spectacular. There is an obstacle course in the river, too!
Something I loved about Inside Out is that they don’t overload their boats with people, so I felt like had space to move around. They also encourage you to have fun with other boats. In the part of the river with no rapids, we were all cruising along together. We started a huge water war, and all the boats were splashing at each other and competing to see who could make the biggest waves! I’m pretty sure we created our own class 4 rapids.
Inside Out is an awesome company go to rafting with! It was well worth the time to try out both rivers. I hope I’ll get to come back again someday and do it all over again.
White water rafting is so much fun. It is an adrenaline rush and a good workout. I haven’t been in a long time, but after reading this post I’ve feeling the itch to try it again.
I feel like I’ve rafted in quite a few places and somehow I still like doing it 🙂
My husband and sons used to go white water rafting when the boys were teens. It was their most looked forward to activity.
Someday, when I get kids of my own, I want to raft with the family too.
This has to be one of the best things you can do if you’re looking for something that’s adventurous and challenging. I’ve tried white water rafting once and it was one of the most fun things I’ve done so far! I’d love to do it again!
I thought I would only doing rafting once, but once I tried it—- This has been my 10th or more rafting experience.
Wow, what a fun experienced! I would love to go there and have some fun too.
You should, you would love it. Have you ever rafted before?
Oh, this looks like a very fun activity, I want to experience this, what a lovely place too!
This is a fun adventure. When I was young, I want to go on a white water rafting.
Looks like a fun water activity. I don’t think my son will like this but maybe in the future.
Oooooo how fun!!!! I have always wanted to go rafting!!! Looks like you had a blast!!!
I’ve always wanted to try white water rafting! It looks like so much fun!
That has been one awesome adventure for you! I have to try that some time. I am glad that the guides of Inside Out made sure you had a fun time!
Looks like a ton of fun. Ive never been. Maybe ill get the courage to one day.
This looks like a ton of fun! We have a place similar to this! I’m going to have to plan a fun outing with the kids now!
Definitely a rush! Looks like you had an awesome time whitewater rafting. It makes all the difference when you go with a good tour company.
inside and out sounds like they do a really good job preparing you for what to come. I’ve only been rafting once and I loved it but not as intense as the one you were one. It’s nice to have choices so it sounds like this would be a great place. Can you tell me where they are located?
Lovely to see you are still out and about, Karla! I’ve tried white water rafting in the Philippines (CDO) and I totally agree that the adrenaline rush is 7/10!
I just went rafting for the first time (Class 2 rapids, for beginners!) and had so much fun. Now that I know what that level even means, I know I’m definitely up for more the next time around. One of our fellow rafters talked about multi-day trips which sound amazing too!
This looks like so much fun! Great post 🙂
This is such a beautiful place to go rafting. I bet there’s some fantastic camping and hiking around the area too.
This looks so fun!! I went white water rafting years ago in Bali and have been wanting to do it again for a while now. I like how you had two options with this company. Thanks for the information!
That is fun. A lot depends on the guide how they take us through the rapids.
I did a grade 3 rapid recently for the first time, I am now keen to do a 4. 🙂