Illecillewaet Whitewater

Embark on an unforgettable adventure on the Illecillewaet River. Nestled in the heart of the majestic Selkirk Mountains, this tributary of the Columbia River is fed by the Illecillewaet Glacier in Glacier National Park.

Trip Length

Half Day / 26km / 4 hours*

Classification

2-3+ (4 in High Water)

River

Illecillewaet River

Minimum Age

8 years old+

Ride the Rapids

Our 4-hour round trip excursion includes 2.5 hours of thrilling whitewater rafting on 26 km of glacial fed grandeur. As you float past Mt. Revelstoke National Park, you’ll be awestruck by the contrasting snowcapped peaks and lush cedar and hemlock groves. Keep an eye out for black bears, mountain goats, moose, elk, beavers, bald eagles, and a variety of waterfowl.

The river’s flow changes throughout the season, providing a wild ride for rafters of all abilities. With 30+ years of experience as Revelstoke’s longest-running river rafting company, you can rest assured that you’re in good hands with our expert guides and time tested safety measures.

*Round-trip and on-river times are approximate. Expect trips to be up to 30 minutes shorter during high flows and up to 30 minutes longer during low flows.

Looking to save? See our deals and packages.

Pricing

Adult (Aged 17+) $165

Youth (Aged 13-16) $140

Child (Aged 8-12) $120

All prices include land use and booking fees. 5% GST added at checkout. Rates are in Canadian Dollars with no sneaky (snakey) hidden charges at checkout.

Trip Departures

May 17 to June 20 One Trip per day at 1:00pm
June 21 to Aug 26 Two Trips per day at 9:00am & 1:00pm
Aug 27 to Sept 8 One Trip per day at 1:00pm

Our seasonal office is at the historic Regent Hotel in downtown Revelstoke, 112 First St. East.
Get directions.

Happy children rafting with Apex Rafting

White water rafting in Revelstoke with Apex rafting

White water rafting with Apex Rafting on Illecillewaet River

Why Choose Apex Rafting?

With over 30 years on the river, Apex Rafting is Revelstoke’s most experienced and trusted whitewater outfitter. We focus on safety, professionalism, and unforgettable fun—making sure every trip is something to remember.

FAQs

Got questions? We’ve answered the most common ones about safety, gear, transportation, and what to expect on the river.

Safety & Risk Awareness

Yes! It is a requirement that everyone must read and agree to sign a waiver prior to participating in our river rafting trip. By signing, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the waiver. You can also download and print the waiver for review.

Rapids are rated on a scale of 1–6. Class 1: fast moving water, Class 2: Splashy waves, Class 3: waves or holes big enough to swamp an open canoe, Class 4: numerous big waves or holes with obstacles to avoid, Class 5: Large chance of raft flipping, Class 6: un-navigable in any raft, not available commercially (think Niagara Falls)!

The rapids which we navigate are rated at a Class 2 and 3, with a couple 4’s in spring’s high water.

The Illecillewaet River is rated as Class 3-4 whitewater. This is not a laid-back float. There are waves, splashes and fun paddling. Later in the season with the low water, the rating drops down to Class 2-3. This allows us to take younger families and first timers.

You don’t need to be a confident swimmer, but should be comfortable around water. All rafters are equipped with whitewater lifejackets chosen for their high floatation. Therefore, we do not require participants to know how to swim. Please inform your guide if you have any concerns regarding your swimming abilities so we can assist you to our fullest.

Booking

Not at all! In fact, many of our rafters are first timers. Our guides will demonstrate proper paddle techniques and commands. You will have time to get comfortable in the raft and ask lots of questions.

The minimum requirement is 8 years old AND weigh 50lbs/23kgs.

General guidelines: Typically, June/early July is our high water season. This is usually restricted to 16 years and older. Over July, the water drops, so 10-15 years are typical here. August and September are usually good for everyone. We can take right down to 8 years old AND 50lbs minimum.

Our minimum age varies with current river conditions. In high water levels, the minimum age to raft is 16 years. As the summer progresses, the river will gradually have less water and can be suitable for younger children. Unfortunately, water levels can change significantly, even overnight, due to extreme weather conditions. When booking a trip in advance, we do our best by basing the minimum age on typical water levels for the date of your trip.

There is always the possibility that we may have to raise the minimum age on the actual day of the trip if river conditions have changed enough to unreasonably compromise the safety of younger participants. If that happens, there will be no charge for anyone in your party who no longer can/wishes to join the trip.

Rafters 18 and younger must have a parent or guardian co-sign waiver prior to raft departure.

It depends on the river and your personal preferences. The Illecillewaet River offers higher water levels, with fast-paced action from June through early July. As the water levels drop, so does our minimum age. We usually restrict high water times to around 16 years old, depending on conditions. However, July and August’s lower river levels allow us to take more families with younger children down to about 8 years old.

Your Experience

All safety gear (helmet, life jacket, wetsuit, splash jacket, and more)
Shuttle transportation to and from the river
Free photo package – yours to keep and share

We include a free photo package with every trip. A professional photographer captures the action, and your photos will be emailed to you via Pixieset. Click here for an example of what you will receive.

Waiver Required:
Rafters will need to sign a Waiver for the day of your trip.
You can also download and print the waiver for review here.

Weather conditions vary from month to month, however, river attire generally does not. We’ll provide you with a wetsuit, wetsuit socks, and a spray jacket. We also have fleece tops for cooler days.

For under the wetsuit: Wear a bathing suit or shorts and a t-shirt. Please try to avoid wearing cotton as it tends to be cold once it gets wet.

For your feet: We supply wetsuit socks, but you need shoes to wear over them. A pair of running shoes or strap-on sandals work, but they will get wet! We have a supply of “experienced rafting footwear” on hand for guests who want to keep their shoes dry or don’t have anything appropriate.

Glasses can be worn at your own risk and should be fastened with a strap. Contact lenses are very rarely a problem and are worn by many professional guides.

Absolutely! We have a change room that is kept locked from start to finish of your rafting adventure so it is a secure place to keep your phone, wallet, keys etc. while you are on the water.

RV and bus parking is available on the Victoria Road shoulder across from the Revelstoke Visitor Centre.

Oversized vehicle parking is located kitty-corner to the Regent Hotel at the corner of 1st Street East and McArthur Ave.

Small cars can use the Regent Hotel parking lot or adjacent street parking.

IMG 1230 scaled

It is always possible! However, the vast majority of our guests have managed to keep themselves in the raft, so your odds are pretty good that you’ll stay on board. There are ropes on every boat to hold onto if you feel unsteady or off balance. If you do fall out, you are likely to stay very close to your raft and can be hauled back in fairly quickly. Every guide has a rescue line to throw your way if you drift out of arms reach. The guides will also give more detailed safety instructions before the trip starts.

Check out our Reviews

Excellent

Based on 437 reviews

Super fun experience - highly recommend Apex Rafting! I loved that it was also an informative tour, learning about the mountain ranges and local flora from Nick, who was a fantastic guide. The small details such as feeling safe with entertaining yet professional guides, snacks on the bus ride back town, and the great customer service from Debbie and Alexi in the office all added up to a 5 star experience.

Michael H.

Enjoyed an amazing whitewater rafting trip today and everything from start to finish was super fun and professionally executed. I have done some rafting trips around Canada before which break up the rafting portion with pointless stops to make it seem longer but with Apex it’s all about the rafting. Over 25kms of level 3+ rapids with our guide Nick who was extremely entertaining and very informative about the river and surrounding areas which made the experience even more enjoyable. After all the fun and excitement we even got some delicious baked snacks to enjoy on the bus trip back into town. Highly recommend Apex rafting if you’re thinking of a doing a rafting trip in Canada and if you’re lucky, Nick will be your guide! (The other boat’s guide Cade and Steve the bus driver/photographer were also super entertaining and professional).

Harpreet S.

We came in for river rafting today and had one of the most thrilling experiences of our lives. We had Nick as rafting guide and he was amazing to say the least. He is highly knowledgeable and very skilled. We would love to come back with more of our friends soon. Highly recommended:)

More reviews