Banff Horseback Riding: A 2-Hour Adventure in Canada's Oldest National Park
4.0
58 Ratings
Banff
Experience the beauty of Banff National Park on a 2-hour horseback riding adventure. Saddle up and explore the trails with a cowboy guide, reliving the pioneer days in Canada's oldest national park.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Banff Trail Riders - Stables - You’ll explore stunning sections of wilderness on this two-hour trip, providing a chance to spot wildlife that you might not get to see while on foot. Plus, our friendly, experienced guides will teach you a few cowboy tricks along the way.

Pass by natural sulphur hot springs as you make your way to one of Banff’s national historic sites: the Cave and Basin. Trek along the tranquil Bow River and take in magnificent views of the Bow Valley before pressing through thick marshes as you climb Sulphur Mountain.

You’ll then continue up to Windy Knoll where you can take striking photos of the sweeping landscape.

What's Included
  • Basic horseback riding instruction
  • Use of horse
  • Helmet (mandatory)
  • Lead and tail guides
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drink
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Banff National Park is Canada’s first and most cherished national park - an experience best relished by stepping out of your vehicle and embarking on a hike. Travel to a bygone era with a two-hour equine journey and take in the park’s serene landscape. Accompanied by your cowhand guide, mount a horse and gain an understanding of the early settler’s experiences in what used to be untamed territory.

  • All riders must arrive 30 minutes prior to their ride time.
  • Guests participating in horseback riding will need to be 8 years or over and a maximum of 230lbs. Banff Trail Riders is committed to the health of our horses and the safety of our guests, which means that the minimum age and maximum weight requirements are strictly enforced. As part of the check-in process, guests may be required to confirm their current weight on a scale and provide proof of the child’s age. In the event that these requirements are not met, the booking will be forfeited without a refund.
  • Please note that children will not be paired with an adult – they must ride their own horse.
  • For our foreign visitors we require an understanding of basic English for our horseback rides, so that you can understand simple instructions from our guides.
  • Children aged 17 years and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  • For safety purposes helmets are mandatory to be worn by all riders.
  • Riders must wear long pants and sturdy closed toed shoes enclosed to the ankle - no open toe shoes or shoes with big heels.
  • Adults must sign a waiver for all activities, and a waiver must also be completed by the parent or legal guardian of any person under the age of 18 (documentation may be required to confirm the signatory’s authority).
  • Riders must be physically capable of controlling the horse during the ride without assistance and for the health and safety of all riders we regrettably cannot accommodate any disabilities or special needs riders. We recognize that disabled riding is a unique and respected skill set that we at the barns do not have the appropriate equipment or skills to safely execute.
Location
Banff Trail Riders - Stables
Sundance Road
Banff Trail Riders Stables, find us at the end of Sundance Road in Banff. Check-in at the east barn, marked ' Banff Trail Riders Stables' & 'office.' 5 min drive or 20 min walk from downtown with free parking.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.0
(58 Ratings)
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Wendyr665
Oct 9, 2023
Fabulous afternoon! - We had a great time on this trail with Mark & Alyia. After basic instruction and an introduction to our horses (I had Taylor and my husband had Ottis) we set off for our two hour trek along the Bow River and up Windy Knoll. The guides where knowledgeable, friendly and diligent, keeping a close on on horses and riders at all times to ensure safety. The views were spectacular too! Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Smah8866
Sep 13, 2023
Highly Recommend-We loved the horse ride - So happy we booked the 2hr guided trail rideBest experience,scenery within/out of trails,awesome horses and Lockie was best guide everMust do.Looking to book longer ride next time
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brianht7695hw
Jul 10, 2023
Mountain Trail Ride - We’ve done many trail rides but this one tops them all. The views were out of post card mountain setting. The wranglers were the best! Was lucky enough to be right behind the leader, who did a fantastic job. So sorry I forgot his name but he was Australia who just arrived in Canada 6 days earlier.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kimberly_l
Jun 19, 2023
Banff Horseback Adventure - The Banff Horseback Adventure was an amazing a experience for my entire family. The guide was very professional and fun. She thoroughly explained how the ride was going to go. Nice work staff!
Review provided by Viator
Sandy_h
Oct 3, 2022
Another Side Of Banff - The staff is particularly good with people that have never been on a horse before. Both of us ride and are used to horses, but it was still a good ride for us because we got to see a side of Banff that you can’t see by hiking, biking or by tour bus - and that’s why we did it. I ride at a barn where cleanliness and maintenance of the horses is the main concern. There are a lot of horses at this stable and the horses and tack were well maintained, as well as the grounds being clean. Great job guys!
Review provided by Viator
April_k
Sep 27, 2022
Being able to go up a... - Being able to go up a mountain on a horse was excellent. The guides were knowledgeable and friendly.
Review provided by Viator
Tlinkletterr
Sep 5, 2022
Perfect intro to Banff on horseback! - I’ve gone on multiple trail rides and this has to be my all time favourite! If you love horses this is an awesome informative way to get to know Banff while on horseback! You may even see some wildlife! I know I got to see a snake!! (Don't worry if your scared, it’s apparently not a common thing!) it’s a picture perfect trip great for everyone! I highly recommend even if you just go for an hour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael
Sep 22, 2022
Great views & elk - My wife and I signed up for the 2 hour ride. This location is actually fairly close to the overall downtown area and within walking distance. I admit I wasn't a big fan of having to wear a helmet (most places it's optional), but considering some of the terrain, I can understand. They lead you out along a public walking / biking path. The views along the river are really amazing. I'm not going to lie and not say I wasn't initially disappointed by the first of the trip. NOTE: If you're not an experienced rider or this is your first time, possibly consider the 1 hour ride as this path setting is the majority if the 1st half of the ride. Once we got past the 1 hour "turn around" spot, we moved on to more challenging terrain. It was uphill quite a bit of the way. While going through the woods I heard what sounded like a bull elk calling. We also strolled past some elk laying around in the woods. We finished with a downhill decent and then down along the river again as we headed back to the stable. Our 2 guides (Andre' and I forget the other guy) were both very nice and informative.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shariq_m
Aug 10, 2022
Jayden was a little rude.... - Jayden was a little rude. She could be more polite. Overall was nice experience…….. …………………::……………..
Review provided by Viator
Thefacts_foryou
Aug 18, 2022
You want unprofessionalism & yelling - It is hard to give a place such a low rating, but here is why. The horse ride was for a birthday present for a relative. Upon their arrival, staff were yelling at each other. Staff seemed inexperienced as well. I say this because the birthday person had been on multiple previous rides with other providers. For the other person with her, they gave him a horse that was larger/fatter and told him if the saddle starts to slide, then tell the trail leader on the ride. So, of course, the saddle fell to the side. They guy at the back stopped the ride and yelled “First time rider!!” This completely embarrassed this person. Great professionalism! Even though, it was not the riders fault, but the staff who outfitted the horse….there was also issues with the stirrups. No fault assumed. Just embarrassment. Then the trail guide started yelling at people across the river about their dog. Again…what is with the yelling at your establishment??? 2 stars because of the nature. Thanks for all the yelling trail guides for their birthday! Aug 16,2022
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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