Snowshoeing Tour to the Paint Pots: A Perfect Introduction to Snowshoeing in Kootenay National Park
4.8
44 Ratings
Banff
Experience the beauty of Kootenay National Park on a snowshoeing tour to the Paint Pots. Discover the historical site, try tobogganing, and indulge in hot maple taffy. Book now!
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Kootenay National Park - You’ll hike on an easy trail along a bridge across the frozen Vermilion River and and along the snowy path winding through a forest of pine trees to the fascinating Paint Pots, which are mineral deposits once used by First Nations people for rock painting. Along the way you will hear stories from your friendly guide of Banff’s indigenous people, explorers and fur traders who lived in and traveled through the Rockies.
After having a go at the crazy carpet slide down the hill (if you wish!) your guide will share hot chocolate and make a sweet frozen dessert in the snow for you to try - delicious maple taffy.
This three-kilometer (1.86 miles) afternoon tour is an excellent trip for beginners as it covers a mainly flat terrain with minimal elevation gain, and also suits anyone wanting a pleasant activity outdoors in the majesty of Kootenay National Park.
What's Included
- Exclusive small group experience, limited to 12 guests per guide
- Expert guidance by a professional guide
- Indulge in hot chocolate and a sweet maple taffy treat
- Convenient return transportation from Banff
- Snowshoes provided for trekking
- Easy pick-up from the public bus parking behind Mount Royal Hotel
- Hiking pole included for additional support
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
This easy 3-kilometre trail through Kootenay National Park to see the historical Paint Pots is the perfect introduction to snowshoeing. You’ll hike along a snowy forest path to the Paint Pots, a cultural treasure, with an option to try tobogganing on a crazy carpet slide. This small-group tour includes round-trip transportation from Banff, snowshoes, hot chocolate and a uniquely Canadian treat - hot maple taffy made in the snow by your guide.
- Minimum age is 8 years.
- Guests should dress in ski wear for this trip including a winter jacket, ski pants, hats, mittens, and warm winter boots.
- All children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied by someone 18 years and older.
- All adults must sign a waiver prior to the tour. A waiver must also be completed by the parent or guardian of any child under the age of 18.
Location
Mount Royal Hotel
Banff Avenue
All guests must wait at the public bus parking located behind the Mount Royal Hotel at 138 Banff Ave.
You must be ready 5 minutes prior to the 1:12pm departure time.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(44 Ratings)
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Angela
Mar 15, 2024
Snowshoeing trip with Emma - It was our first time in Banff and we decided to go on the snowshoeing trip.
There was only two of us on the trip so Emma was like our personal guide, she was very informative and made it fun, getting us to walk in new untrodden snow and towards the end, to walk in snow with no snowshoes. My husband enjoyed the sliding down the slope while she started getting to make maple taffy and hot chocolate.
Definitely recommend it as a trip to get out of the town and do something different.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
746ceria
Feb 12, 2024
Snowshoeing to Paint Pots - Emma, our guide, was great. She had a lot of knowledge and she made the tour fun - she even got me to agree to toboggan down a hill! The scenery was stunning and it was a lovely sunny day (although sadly too warm to make maple taffy in the snow). Being a small group (something this tour company specialises in) made it more enjoyable and I would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kytraveler79
Feb 8, 2024
Great tour! - This was a wonderful tour! The drive wasn't too far out of central Banff. It was warmer than usual in Banff but the location of our tour had fresh snow. The hike was beautiful and not too challenging, mostly flat. Very informative with great tour guides. Also had a great group of people on our tour. Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rohan
Jan 27, 2024
Great Winter Activity and Skills - It is hard to compete with the other great activities my family had pursued in Jasper and Banff, but this might have been the best—with some useful skills learned, as well. This was the third time we had been snow-shoeing on our Canada tour, and undoubtedly the best.
The other two times had really just been dabbling, and we learned little about snow-shoeing.
This walk was set at just the right level, for the group, with instruction on how to fit and walk in the shoes, an interesting destination, varied terrain, off-track walking to gauge the effectiveness of the shoes in deep soft snow, and enough distance and pace to work up some body heat. Having done it, I’d feel confident to pursue the sport during winters at home. Another distinguishing feature was the guides’ deep knowledge of the Banff National Park, and broad wilderness / outdoor-sport experience outside Alberta.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stevew1250
Jan 12, 2024
An experience we’ll never forget - For something a little bit off the beaten track, we couldn’t recommend this more.
After a demonstration from our tour guide, Bastian, on how to put on the snow shoes, we set of on a trek up to the famous Paint Pot, taking in a great many sights along the way. You could hear a pin drop - it was astounding to be in such isolation.
As an added bonus, we were allowed to sample some maple taffee and drink some hot chocolate, which were great pick-me-ups after all the walking.
All in all, it was a great trip, with amazing scenery and a good tour guide in Bastian.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Extraordinary614829
Dec 29, 2023
Paints and pots snowshoe - Absolutely loved this tour! Anik made it so fun with the snowshoe race and crazy carpet. The trail wasn’t crowded at all and the views are absolutely breathtaking. Would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Veronica1875
Dec 20, 2023
Great family fun 😁 - The two Australian ladies that guided and entertained us were amazing. Everything was memorable. They even gave us restaurant recommendations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
435ettas
Feb 13, 2023
Wonderful outdoor adventure - We had a great time on our snowshoe tour. Our guide Heidi made sure we had a wonderful outdoor adventure. She shared her knowledge about the area — the history, wildlife and tips for safe snowshoeing. I enjoyed the views and the opportunity to play in the snow. The hot chocolate and maple taffy was a nice treat. I left wanting more, and will look for more opportunities to snowshoe.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
572marleneh
Jan 14, 2024
Nice hike - I had never snowshoed in my life. I was actually thinking the snowshoes were how the used to be in the olden days , like rackets. But they are now made out of fibre glass. It was fun and the hike was nice. But personally, I was ok experiencing after 10 min. I would have preferred to hike without the snowshoes. Too bad we didn't see any wildlife, but I did some sliding down the hill and Emma made some maple taffy in the snow, with hot chocolate. She is a really good guide and answers all your questions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peterh581
Jan 31, 2023
Overcharged , rude and dishonest - Poor customer service , overcharged and when we noticed DBT where not interested.
We were charged 11 dollars more than the advertised price on their website. When we challenged the price , we were given four different reasons for the overcharge.
1 , the website pricing is wrong
2. The overcharge is a booking fee
3. The overcharge is a credit card payment fee
4. They are experimenting with variable pricing.
When we tried to query the overcharge we were told to leave the downtown office. The booking agent refused to escalate the issue and refused to give us a contact detail for a manager.
Sorry Discover Banff, we gave you plenty of opportunity to resolve this issue. In my opinion you operate as if you own all the tours in Banff and can do what you want.
To sum up my experience with your company , i would say you have acted in a dishonest way and don’t care about your customers .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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