River of Golden Dreams Canoe Tour in Whistler
Description
The River of Golden Dreams is a summertime classic. Our guides will teach you paddling skills and techniques as you begin your adventure paddling across the historic Alta Lake. You will paddle through flowing lilies and around bends of overhanging greenery as you learn about Whistler's history, flora and fauna. Water levels are always changing and this tour is always an adventure, be it fast moving water in the spring or obstacles like beaver dams and a portage in late summer. Duration: 3 Hours round trip Ability: Moderate level of fitness required. Must be able to swim. Minimum age to participate: 6+
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Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- All children (under 19) must be accompanied by an adult. Minimum age to participate is 6 years of age.
- ALL participants must be able to swim.
- Operates in all weather conditions. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather conditions. Swimsuit and activewear are recommended. Waterproof layers such as a shell jacket and pant in the event of inclement weather.
- Wear footwear you don't mind getting wet; you will be in and out of the water. A short portage may be required depending on water levels.
- We also recommend a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, a bottle of water and insect repellant.
- It is mandatory for all tour participants to sign a Release of Liability and Waiver Form. Any participants under the age of 19 must have a parent or legal guardian present to sign on their behalf.
- Language: To participate in canoe tours, there must be one adult per group who can speak a conversational level of english.
- 2 capable and strong paddlers required for each canoe. Please contact us if you would like to be in a canoe with a guide.
Reviews(176)
We had a fantastic time. I've been coming to Whistler to Mt bike for over 30 years and never did this tour until now. We loved it! The scenery is great and the staff were amazing. I highly recommend this tour. We did the self-guided and it was great.
We had a great paddle and Scott was a wonderful, helpful and friendly guide. Beautiful day and the river was a lot of fun to navigate even with the obstacles due to the water being low!
Overall, the workers were very helpful to a point. I’d listed my son’s birth date, and apparently he was too young to have a kayak. I rec’d an email asking if I wanted him to have a canoe or kayak, and I responded kayak. Their response was ok. Then they called me the morning of event; nothing was said about his age. When I chk’d in, I was asked his birth date, and again, the person didn’t mention he was too young to have a kayak. When the group got out to the launch site, my son was asked how old he was, THEN he was told he’s too young to have a kayak. Very disappointed bc it messed up our family grouping—who was going with who.
Hello, We apologize for the confusion with your son's age and not being able to be in a kayak by himself. I believe the confusion stemmed from multiple bookings being made separately on a third party platform and his booking appeared to be for 1 single adult. Our tour is a canoe tour and we only offer kayaks to single people who book, as 2 capable paddlers are required for a canoe. Our guides decide who is sharing a boat based on ages and paddling experience for safety reasons. Your family was still all grouped in pairs in canoes. Thank you, Jessica In-Resort Sales and Guest Services Manager | Canadian Wilderness Adventures
Peaceful -saw a bear! Loved the canals, guides nice, would love to do it again. Beaver dams fun navigating through them
Georgia and Tom were super friendly, positive and patient with our family of four, all of us inexperienced. Perfect sunny day so we got lucky with calm conditions. Some technical twists and turns so expect to find yourself in the bushes. All part of the fun. Thank you Georgia : )
This was an incredible expedition trip! Hannah was a fantastic guide - she was really patient despite our poor technique and losing a paddle in the lake - she immediately provided a new one! By the end we had learnt some decent canoe paddle techniques from Hannah. The scenery was fantastic - we had a lake paddle first followed by the amazing picturesque river. Half way down the river we saw a black bear just a few metres away right by the river eating berries. We had two teenage children who really enjoyed it - this is an active trip with great exercise and we’d had a good workout by the end! A highlight of our Canada holiday and a great way to see the country
We enjoyed the 'float' with Georgia (and driver Jim) a lot: beautiful scenery, water is completely transparant, excellent tour guide giving clear instructions. Nothing but fun and remaining with great memories! Thank you!
To begin, Hanna and Phil made our experience! Hanna is so knowledgeable, not only about canoeing, and technique. but the lake and river as well. Safety was of upmost importance and we discussed a variety of scenarios and how to handle anything unforeseen. The lake and river are stunningly beautiful. Would do it again with this company!
Breathtaking views. Georgia did a great job teaching paddling techniques. Charlotte was an awesome cheerleader and Jim kicked the adventure off on the “party bus.” We really enjoyed our afternoon.
Excellent experience from start to finish. Our guide and driver collected us from the pick up point and then took us to the canoe launch area in a comfortable minibus. Our guide Hannah gave an overview of what to expect, briefed us on how to use different paddle strokes and then gave us buoyancy aids, gloves and waterproof jackets (it was raining). Once on our trip we did a little but of paddling on the lake until we could enter the lagoon to practice the different paddle strokes, very useful for the challenged to come. Once our guide was happy with our proficiency we set off along the small river trails, through spectacular lily pads and reeds, over a small portage weir, through some beaver dams which felt like little rapids, but nothing too challenging or dangerous, then we twisted and turned onwards as the river path meandered and we were able to see ducks, geese, paths where land dwelling animals came for drinks and feel at one with nature. After about 2 hours of paddling we then met Andy our driver who had a warm van and blankets ready for us in case we were cold. Hannah and Andy put the canoes on to the trailer and took us back to Whistler Village. The hole experience was magical, fun, good exercise and we would definitely do it again.
