Banff Horseback Riding: A 2-Hour Adventure in Canada's Oldest National Park
4.1
68 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
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. **ALL GUESTS MUST CHECK IN 30 MIN PRIOR TO THEIR RIDE START TIME. LATE ARRIVALS WILL NOT BE ACCOMMODATED**
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.1
(68 Ratings)
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397sierrat
Jun 15, 2024
Would definitely recommend!! - Probably my favorite activity we did in our week and a half trip to banff. We did the spray river ride and then had such a positive and fun experience with the staff, ride and horses that we came back a few days later to do the Sundance loop. It was so fun to meet all the different horses and learn about their quirks. The staff is very knowledgeable and funny. Would absolutely recommend to anyone! And would absolutely do this a thousand more times if I could.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F5046edsuzanned
Jun 6, 2024
Aussies on Tour - Partner had not ridden a horse before so was a wonderful experience with such quiet horses. We were very excited to have two Aussie girls as guides and to have such beautiful scenery. Would highly recommend was a unique experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_h
May 31, 2024
Fantastic - Fantastic all round 😎🇨🇦 Fantastic guides (front and back) Fantastic horses ( Leroy and Gronk) Fantastic scenery (Banff) Can’t wait till next time 😋😎
Review provided by Viator
Barbaralv489xw
May 31, 2024
If you are a rider... - ... Who doesn't appreciate a fine hack out at walk pace on a healthy well-cared horse in a beautiful scenic environment such as the Banff mountains? This is exactly what you are going to have. It's beginner friendly and the tracks are very easy. If you are acquainted with such type of tourism activity in other countries you may find it slightly overrated, but on the other hand they appear like they're using money in the right way for the horses and their people so don't hesitate and enjoy !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N8751hskathyt
May 28, 2024
Do this! - Terrific two hour ride. Guides Will and Jacob were fantastic. The horses and whole team were top nortch! Idyllic mountain vibes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S9359imvictorial
May 17, 2024
The adventure you will not forget! - I had spectacular time on the walking tour of Bow river and foothills of Sulfur mountain. Very friendly and well organised stables. Our guides were knowledgeable, good storytellers, love the area and ,surely, love their horses. The horses are all rescues, well trained for the trail rides and very well taken care of. Tack and saddles are Western and properly fit for the horses. The horses are well fed and love their job! Suitable for people with little or no experience in riding horses. Seen beautiful Banff from the horse’s back it’s a treat! Thank you, Banff Trail Riders!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melanie
May 15, 2024
Family trail ride was lots of fun!!! - I have been on several trial rides over my many years and this was by far my favorite. The horses were well behaved and the guide was informative and looked out for all of us! Since we were a small group of 5 we finished the normal trial ride quickly and the guide pivoted and took us on another trial to make sure we got our full 2 hours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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
Kf
Jun 17, 2024
Beautifully cared for horses, stunning scenery, big groups - The welfare of the horses is clearly very high on the company and staff’s agenda. A sensible (if still a little high!) weight limit reduces unbalanced riders causing issues for the horse. All the horse’s are a great weight (maybe a bit round!) and feet clearly well looked after. It was wonderful slowly wandering around the park just outside Banff and seeing some beautiful scenery. Perfect for my very out of practice husband to get back on a horse. My only reservation was around the group size. Realistically only the first three riders could hear the front rider properly and similar for the back. This means that for a “guided tour” I think a maximum of 6 guests - perhaps up to 8 is sensible. There’s no way 2 guides can communicate properly with 12+ guests. Whether this is issues communicating around how to ride the horses or talking about the environment we were in. A large amount of the 2h was spent waiting for the riders in front and behind to pull their horses up from snatching food - slightly frustrating! Neither myself nor my husband had any communication with either of the guides other than checking girths before the steep section. I appreciate that a huge number of tourists/guests come through Banff and larger groups are a cost effective way of managing the numbers required. But a slightly reduced group size would improve visitor experience I think. The horse I had “Brewster” was sound, beautifully behaved, respected when I said no to snacks and seemed to genuinely enjoy the job he was doing. Sure footed on the hills and rocky terrain. Lovely way to end our honeymoon 🥰
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rickrn6853hx
Jun 10, 2024
Tranquil trail ride - You'll enjoy this ride if you want something calm and tranquil. Most of the time was spent in the woods. If you are looking for a little adventure or excitement or epic long range mountain views, you'll be disappointed. The crew/horses/facilities were all top notch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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