Itinerary
Exploring the River of Golden Dreams is the must do activity here. The river has remained one of Whistler’s unspoiled jewels. Little to no development has occurred on its riverbanks, lending a great opportunity for resort guests to see how Whistler balances its human development while preserving nature.
The river is alive with fish and critters such as beaver and mink and sometimes bears playing in the water. The riverbanks are lined with wildflowers and birds that burst off the water in front of your boat and dart across your path from tree to tree. If you look up you’re likely to see an osprey or bald eagle soaring high overhead with the glacier-capped mountain peaks in the background....but watch where your going or you'll miss the next corner.
Ask any local about the river they'll "yes do it"!. Not to hard, not to easy, definitely a giggles and kicks trip. Backroads Whistler is the only river specialty company in the valley. We have the right gear, river orientations and go with the flow down the river our free shuttle brings you back. You can to Guided or Unguided
See Availability.
3375 Lakeside Rd, Whistler, BC V0N 1B3, Canada
3 hours(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 21 travelers
Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Posted By : Danielle R
Had a great time and all the staff were friendly and accommodating to our 1 year old. We got the canoe for ease with a toddler. It’s a beautiful location and very peaceful with an amazing view of the mountains. We were the first rental of the season and because of that they said we would get a free rental the next time we wanted to visit. As we’re tourists, we wouldn’t be returning any time soon so they gave us this rental for free!!
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Posted On : 2024-05-11
Posted By : Thomas_B
The River of Golden Dreams, an awesome adventure and a quiet good organisation Form the wohle team! Yy
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Posted On : 2023-09-12
Posted By : cyberkimbo2017
Our group of 2 adults and a 12 yo and 8yo had to abort 1/3 of the way through our trip (of course, with no refund) as the canoe was too hard to manoeuvre against the current and through the reeds and bends. We could tell that the rest of the trip would be more of a trial than a fun holiday trip so decided to call it quits whilst we could.
Whilst a test of our teamwork and physical strength, we feel we could have been better advised and put into a double kayak (for our 8yo) and two single kayaks, given how hard the canoe was to manage vs the kayak, which we are used to using. I am a slight 5ft nothing and my husband a normal 5ft 10 so perhaps this made it trickier.
So be cautious and question / judge yourself carefully rather than expecting that staff will advise you appropriately.
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Posted On : 2023-08-29
Posted By : Drew_S
Alta Lake is really beautiful and the first part of the canoe (or kayak if you chose) ride goes through the lake. Then you get to the river. Due to low water levels and beaver dams, you have to portage (pickup your boat and push it on a dolly for 1/4 miles to the next point with more water) and then continue on. Due to 12-15 beaver dams, you have to stand on the beaver dams and pickup your boat and get to the other side. We didn’t mind this because we are a young and adventurous family, but I could imagine this would be tedious for people who are less able bodied or looking for a relaxing boat ride. Overall we liked it and even encountered a male black bear!
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Posted On : 2023-08-28
Posted By : Demisha_V
It was such a great experience! The views were beautiful and it was adventurous without being too challenging. We went in early august so the river is very low and shallow which made it a little more difficult but it was still fun!
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Posted On : 2023-08-05
Posted By : Juergen_K
The trip was an exciting challenge - first finding a common rhythm, engaging with each other, and when we had that down pat, we encountered a bear, first bathing and then perched above us in a tree. We can recommend this trip to everyone, it was unique and our first canoe trip together. Anytime again...
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Posted On : 2023-07-26
Posted By : Ashish_N
The lake stretch of the self guided tour is calm and serene. The river stretch can become fast with some currents, but wasn’t too bad. My wife and I did the canoe with our younger son. Canoes were harder to control for us since it requires close coordination and subtle and early adjustments to keep the boat centered with the stream. We ended up hitting pretty much every bush on the river, lol. But made it out just fine. Water levels play an important part on how fast you go - we were slower since it was fairly low, I imagine things get faster with rising water levels.
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Posted On : 2023-06-28
Posted By : helen123BB
We were a little anxious about this trip as we had not kayaked for years!
But we did not need to worry, we had the most enjoyable time. The guys from Backroad were really kind and helpful….fully explained to us what we should expect and helped us in and out of the water.
We had perfect weather, the scenery was beautiful and the water level was just right for our ability.
You do have to get out of the boat a couple of times to get over the beaver dams but it’s not difficult, just causes lots of laughs!
Would highly recommend, definitely take your water shoes!
Thank you again guys….
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Posted On : 2022-09-17
Posted By : T1343AQmikem
Stay away 10 - 15 beaver dams you must drag your canoe over extremely dangerous this time of year. We are 60÷ were not informed by the employees the extremely dangerous conditions. When I told the driver what happened he just got in the return bus crank up the radio ask him to trunk radio down he said no I looked at the other customers and they also were like what is going on. Poor trained in customer service. We left are keys for the rental car at there office for safety the employe sped off. Went to the office and found that it was closed. Had to take taxi back to hotel. A compete nightmare. We did contact after hours phone number and reteved the keys and another taxi ride back. Lack of training is obvious. This was the worst possible experience.....
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Posted On : 2022-09-12
Posted By : Vicki_R
Amazing views and helpful and friendly staff. Beautiful scenery. Perfect in summer when the river is nice and calm.
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Posted On : 2022-08-20
