Canmore and Kananaskis: Just Outside Banff National Park

As of early October 2026, the river season around Canmore is over. Canadian Rockies Rafting, which runs the whitewater trip on this page, has posted “That’s a wrap on the 2026 season!” and says bookings for 2027 will open soon; its FAQ puts the usual season between the start of May and the end of September. The Bow River floats in town are summer trips as well.

The helicopters keep flying: Banff & Lake Louise Tourism’s listing for Alpine Helicopters’ Canmore flights marks every month as open, and the small-group day into Banff National Park on this page had October dates on sale when we checked. The Kananaskis Nordic Spa, for adults only (18+), is closed from 13 to 27 October.

Outside the park, next to it

Canmore is a town of 15,990 people (2021 Census), 22 km east of Banff on the Trans-Canada Highway and 1,309 m above sea level at its centre, by Tourism Canmore Kananaskis’s figures. The East Gate of Banff National Park is about 5 km away (Parks Canada).

Being outside the park changes what you pay. The tourism office says: “No, a National Park Pass is not required for Canmore or Kananaskis.” You need one as soon as you stop anywhere in Banff National Park, at CA$12.25 an adult a day in 2026, valid until 4 pm on the day after you buy it.

Kananaskis Country is the provincial side of the map: more than 4,000 km² of parks and public land run by Alberta Parks, officially dedicated by Premier Peter Lougheed in 1978. Parking at its sites, Grassi Lakes on the edge of Canmore included, needs a Kananaskis Conservation Pass: CA$15 a day for one vehicle or CA$90 a year for up to three. You do not need it in the Canmore townsite, to drop someone off, if you arrive without a vehicle, or on the first Wednesday of any month, when it is free.

The triple peak above the town is The Three Sisters, its official name in Canada’s Geographical Names Database. Tourism Canmore Kananaskis says Albert Rogers named the peaks the Three Nuns in 1883 and George Dawson renamed them in 1886.

Floats or whitewater

Canmore’s rivers sell two different trips. The Bow runs through the town, and the trips on it are scenic floats: Canmore River Adventures gives about an hour on the water and calls its float suitable for all ages, and Canmore Raft Tours takes children from age 3.

The Kananaskis River is the whitewater. The listing for the trip on this page grades it Class 2-3, and Canadian Rockies Rafting says the river is dam-controlled, so it “stays consistent all season long”. The bigger water is the Bow’s Horseshoe Canyon, which Chinook Rafting grades Class 3-4 for ages 12 and up; no Horseshoe Canyon trip is listed on this site.

banff-rafting.com compares the Kananaskis whitewater with the Bow River floats in more detail, including the season and rafting with children.

Helicopters fly from outside the park

Federal regulations ban helicopter take-offs and landings anywhere in Banff National Park; they say nothing about flying over it, so the flights start outside. Alpine Helicopters flies from the Canmore Municipal Heliport, its base through the winter, and in summer also from Stoney Nakoda near Morley, a base that was closed from 14 October 2025 to 1 May 2026 and has not posted its 2026-27 dates. Rockies Heli Canada flies from Cline River near Abraham Lake, not from Canmore. Only one of Alpine’s tours lands, outside the park and in summer; the 25-minute Three Sisters flight on this page stays in the air.

Getting here without a car

No passenger train runs from Calgary. From Calgary International Airport, Banff Airporter runs a daily scheduled shuttle to Canmore (CA$88.56 an adult one way, checked October 2026; GST extra and fuel surcharges may apply), about 1 hour 20 minutes by its estimate, and Brewster Express and the Banff Explorer® shuttle on the Calgary page stop in Canmore too. The seasonal On-It bus from Calgary did not run in 2026.

Between Canmore and Banff, Roam Transit’s Route 3 runs every day: CA$6 an adult one way or CA$15 for a day pass in 2026, with a new fare system due in November. For the rafting River Base, drive, or book the operator’s shuttle.

If Moraine Lake is the reason for the trip, Banff is the simpler base without a car: in 2026 Roam’s only service to the lake, the Super Pass, started there. Several commercial shuttles on the Moraine Lake page collect in Canmore, in a season that ends on 12 October this year.

Who Canmore suits

Canmore suits a Banff trip on a tighter budget, and anyone who came for the rivers, a flight or Kananaskis. Lonely Planet’s Banff guide says you can save on accommodation by staying in “the mountain town of Canmore”, which “has more budget accommodations than Banff, including a smattering of hostels, motels and apartments”. Condé Nast Traveler calls it “an adventure hub that has similar offerings and is just 10 minutes outside the park gates”, which “usually means fewer crowds and a more local vibe”.

It suits less well a short, car-free trip built around Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, 55 km west of Banff (Parks Canada) and further still from Canmore; for that, stay in Banff or at Lake Louise.

No authority sets a length of stay; as a stop of its own, we would give Canmore a day for a river trip and the town, and another for Grassi Lakes or Kananaskis. Grassi Lakes needs only the parking pass: Alberta Parks lists two routes of 1.9 km each with 125 m of climb, the steeper Interpretive trail closes in winter because of ice, and a bear warning has been in force in the surrounding provincial park since 10 June 2026.

The tours here

The trip on this page is Canadian Rockies Rafting’s Kananaskis River whitewater tour, from US$92 as of October 2026 and rated 4.9 from 442 reviews. Despite the “Banff” in its title, it starts at the operator’s River Base by the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino; a shuttle from Canmore can be pre-booked with the operator at extra cost. The price covers the river gear, a guide, the bus between the base and the river and a drink afterwards. Photos and tips are extra, and cancellation is free up to 2 days before.

If you want rapids rather than a float, can be on the river between May and September, and are happy to drive to the base, this is the trip to book.

Check the whitewater dates →

Discover Banff Tours’ afternoon Kananaskis trip (from US$106, 4.8 from 315 reviews) runs the same river from the Nakoda Lakeside Lodge on Highway 1A between Exshaw and Morley, about 45 minutes’ drive from Banff or Calgary, with no transport included. It gives 1.5 to 2 hours on the water, includes the river fee, online photos and a snack, runs from mid-May to mid-September and needs 8 people to go ahead; its calendar reopens in May 2027.

Canmore River Adventures’ Bow River float (from US$42, 4.9 from 487) meets at the Canmore Public Boat Launch, Bridge Road and Rundle Drive, 15 minutes early (the listing stresses: not the Banff boat launch), and its calendar opens on 1 May 2027. Canmore Raft Tours’ float (from US$39, 4.8 from 296) uses the launch’s paid lot and brings you back by bus; its own site gives its season as May to September, so check any later date with it before you book.

Alpine Helicopters’ Three Sisters flight (from US$251, 4.9 from 15 reviews) checks in at its log building in Canmore and flies 25 minutes over the Bow River, through Three Sisters Pass and over the Spray Valley. It needs two passengers, so a single traveller may join another flight; hotel transfers are not included.

Banff DayTrips’ day in Banff National Park (from US$75, 4.8 from 223) collects from select Calgary and Canmore hotels, takes 12 guests at most, includes park access and gives up to 90 minutes at Lake Louise in winter or 120 in summer, then Banff, Bow Falls, Two Jack Lake and Lake Minnewanka. Meals are extra; not for children under 4.