Discover Grizzly Bears from Banff

Recommended by 92% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Banff, Canada

10 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Pursue the elusive Canadian Grizzly Bear on this day trip through Yoho National Park, perfect for animal- and nature-lovers alike. First, head to Yoho National Park to view Takakkaw Falls, then take a chairlift ride up at Kicking Horse to the world’s largest enclosed and protected grizzly bear habitat to see Boo the resident bear rescued as a cub. Stop at Emerald Lake before returning to Banff.

Enjoy a convenient and combo day trip to grizzly country from Banff
Visit Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park
Take an open chairlift for panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains
Meet Boo at the Grizzly Bear Refuge at Kicking Horse Resort

What's Included

Professional guide
Gondola ride at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (Not available until 2026)
Chairlift ride
Visit to a grizzly bear refuge
Return transport from Banff
Small group size (up to 24 guests per guide)
Golden Skybridge — A suspension bridge 130 metres (426 feet) high (Only available for 2025)

Optional gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Every pickup point has a unique pickup time. Guests must be ready at their selected pickup point 5 minutes prior. Banff Rocky Mountain Resort at 7:55 AM Canalta Lodge at 8:00 AM Banff Caribou Lodge at 8:01 AM Fox Hotel & Suites at 8:02 AM Red Carpet Inn at 8:03 AM Douglas Fir at 8:06 AM Banff Ptarmigan Inn at 8:10 AM Mount Royal Hotel (Public Bus Parking behind hotel) at 8:12 Am Rimrock Resort at 8:20 AM Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (Motorcoach Entrance) at 8:30 AM Banff Train Station at 8:30 AM Juniper Hotel at 8:35 AM If no pickup is selected, your pick up will be defaulted to meet at the public bus parking behind the Mount Royal Hotel at 8:12 AM.

Operating hours
.8:30 am

Itinerary

Get up close and personal with the world of the Grizzly bear on this day trip tour from Banff, created with animal lovers in mind. Explore the dramatic natural landscape the Grizzly Bear calls home with stops at gorgeous Takakkaw Falls (the second highest waterfall in Canada) and stunning Emerald Lake.

You will head to the grizzly’s home turf for a chairlift ride up Kicking Horse Mountain. On the way up, be on the lookout for potential grizzlies in the area below, and take in the fantastic scenery.

From there, your tour continues to the Grizzly Bear Refuge for an intimate encounter with Boo, an orphaned bear that calls the refuge home. Observe the behaviors of this magnificent animal at close range as it roams and plays in the refuge’s natural grizzly habitat.

The day also includes a chance to visit some of the Banff area’s most spectacular natural wonders, including Emerald Lake and Takkakaw Falls, offering more opportunities to further explore the Grizzly Bear’s one-of-a-kind habitat. End your trip with a return to Banff.

Please note: this tour is seasonal and only operates from June through September. Early and late season bookings may be subject to itinerary changes.

Takakkaw Falls

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Emerald Lake

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate

Early and late season bookings may be subject to itinerary changes, the Takakkaw Falls Road typically opens late June. Alternative stops are usually the Spiral Tunnels and Natural Bridge..
Infant rates do not include food.
Group bookings of 9 or more guests have a 7 day cancellation period.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Natalie_H

Would recommend this trip. Brianna was a very good tour guide! Amazing trip. We were fortunate on our trip to see black bears. We also saw Boo the grizzly bear at the Kicking Horse. The weather was really good which also adds to the experience. As an advisory the Golden Skybridge had a lot of uneven terrain and steep areas which can make it difficult for those with mobility issues.

Reviews

4.6

based on 145 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Loved it

Terra_L, Jul 2025

It was a great tour and we did get to see Boo, it was a brief sighting but still awesome. The sanctuary is beautiful with plenty of area for that beautiful bear to roam. It was cold and wet but we were literally up in the clouds. Great trip.

Amazing trip!!!

Natalie_H, Jul 2025

Grizzly tour

Elizabeth_M, Jun 2025

Roz was a brilliant guide, full of local knowledge which made the drive interesting and nothing was too much trouble for her. Emerald lake was beautiful and the change in schedule to Golden was very good. Lots of activities to do there. Disappointed that we didn’t get to see Boo at Kicking Horse reserve but we did get to see a black bear and her cubs on the way up to the resort. Roz carefully positioned the vehicle to allow us to watch the trio for some time which was fantastic and made up for not seeing Boo. I would recommend this tour but perhaps a little later in the season as it was opening week at the sanctuary when we went.

Grizzly bear tour

Kimberly_L, Sep 2024

Cameron was a great guide, so knowledgeable about the area and shared lots of tips and information to make the drive and the stops enjoyable. Offered to take pictures of us at each stop and really welcomed us to Banff! This was our first tour of our vacation and a great way to start the trip. Boo the grizzly Bear was our favorite.

Great Excursion

Dawn_M, Aug 2024

We really enjoyed everything. Brook was very knowledgeable and made it so nice for all of us. The Bear exhibit was amazing and the Gondola views were so magestic

Highly recommended wildlife/scenery tour

Tracy_B, Jul 2024

A great tour guide & we were a lucky enough to have a small group this day..spectacular scenery, great information as we drove around to various locations whilst watching out for local wildlife,which we found.A nice quick lunch ready for us as the top of the chair lift at KickingHorse .Highly recommended.

Half of the time in the bus

Paolo_A, Jul 2024

the guide Cameron was very good, explained and showed a lot. the negative thing about this tour: we started in Banff, of the planned 10 hours we sat in the bus for 5 of them.

False Advertising

Donna_G, Jun 2024

Let me begin by sharing THIS IS A 11 HOUR BUS experience. This trip is NOT explained well on aviator, nor was the pickup location correct and they swapped out our lunch at the highest lookout point to the bottom of a ski resort! There is NO hiking, you could do this in sandals. The guide was wonderful and very informative about bears and Canada.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback regarding your recent Grizzly Bear Tour with us. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment you experienced during the tour. We understand that the tour duration and activities were not clearly communicated, and we regret any confusion this may have caused. The Grizzly Bear Tour is indeed a full-day experience, lasting approximately 10 hours, which includes various stops and activities such as the gondola ride to the top of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, the chairlift ride to visit Boo the grizzly bear, and stops at Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake. Regarding the lunch, we regret that it had to be relocated from the Eagle's Eye Restaurant at the top of the mountain to the Black Diamond Restaurant at the base of the ski resort. This change was due to capacity issues at the resort, and we understand it may have impacted your overall experience. We appreciate your kind words about our guide. Our team is dedicated to providing informative and enjoyable experiences, and we are glad to hear that the guide met your expectations in this regard. Thank you once again for your valuable feedback. Best Regards DBT team

Bear Necessities.

Terence_S, Jun 2024

Nice trip, Great to see Boo the Bear who came and said hello. Meal supplied was very enjoyable. (Beef Burger & Fries)

Brilliant - best tour of our trip !!

Dudsy, Sep 2023

The whole trip was excellent - our guide was knowledgeable and obviously enjoyed his job - the lunch that was included was unexpected and again more than we could have hoped for. Great pics of Boo 🐻

Discover Grizzly Bears

Liz_L, Aug 2023

We were able to see the bear. Due to a storm that rolled in, our time was extended on top of mountain, but restaurant provided additional hot chocolate & coffee. Knowledgeable staff, Jake, tour guide was courteous & fun!

Must do

Frazer_W, Aug 2023

Fabulous day, would recommend this to anyone. All 3 stops - Takakkaw falls, Emerald Lake and the resort in Golden were all magnificent. Ollie was a great guide for the day as well.

Fabulous way to spend a day

claire_b, Jul 2023

Travelled to Banff for my husbands 50th and he has always been fascinated by bears so a must do trip for us. Bobby the guide was fantastic and really made everyone feel so welcome. Boo of course was the star of the show and put on a brilliant display.

Brilliant

christine_l, Jul 2023

Seeing boo and hearing his story. There should be more boo places in Canada to protect bears like him

Discover the Trans Canada Highway

Katrien_D, Jul 2022

This tour should be called discover the TC highway. All we did was driving. The bear refuge was only 20 min and no decent explanation for the group. Just some random stories. The tour guide did explain about the Rockies but please don’t call this a grizzly experience!!! It’s all about the geology, which he knew well but not what we signed up for.

Great trip

Dan_M, Jun 2022

Jeff the guide was awesome. Lots of knowledge and engaging stories. Scenery was spectacular. Saw lots of wildlife. Highly recommend this

Must do !

Brian_K, Aug 2021

Great experience and totally worth it !! You must plan this in your next trip to Banff !! Lots to see and discover ..

Fantastic day.

Carrie_M, Jul 2021

What a great day from start to finish. Jeff our tour guide was fantastic. Lots of info and great stories. From the waterfalls to the restaurant and boo the bear. Lunch was really good and the views were unbelievable. Boo put on a great show for us. Would highly recommend this tour. Picked us up at the hotel and when we were dropped off we were greeted by some white tailed deer. 😊

Great tour

Purplexo02, Aug 2019

Great tour, staff were friendly and knowledgeable ,very clean bus. In all it was a fantastic day. Would recommend this to everyone

Exceeded our expectations

Roy_M, Jul 2019

Two of us experienced the Discover Grizzly Bear Tour from Banff on July 22, 2019 with Ronnie as our excellent guide. Warning, it is a 10+ hour tour, that includes a total of 3 additional stops to and from the Grizzly Bear Sanctuary in Golden. We were fortunate to travel on a beautiful sunny day and saw many wildlife such as a Black Bear, Marmot and a mama Grizzly Bear along with her two cubs. At Golden, we took the Gondola to the top of the mountain for a fantastic view and delicious lunch. Then rode up a chairlift to observe Boo the rescued Grizzly Bear. He was very active that day and we got many up close pictures. The amazing scenic stops were at Takaka Falls, Emerald Lake and Natural Bridges. Ronnie took good care of us and entertained/educated us with stories and facts throughout the day. Overall a great experience. Highly recommend.

Great discovery

Bram_S, Jun 2019

Besides the fact that we actually have seen Boo, in refuge, we saw quite a lot other wildlife during our trip from Banff to Golden as well. Great guidance from Becca who was very enthousiastic and customer friendly. The fact that we actually left Banff and went all the way to Golden was disappointing.

Thumbs up!

EmiLiana_G, Sep 2018

We joined this tour to meet and spend time with Boo, the Grizzly bear, which we accomplished successfully, Our tour guide, Niel, was very knowledgeable and engaged us throughout the tour; the tour guide at the Bear’s Refuge area was very informative too, We learned a lot about bear and Banff surroundings. The view of Emerald Lake took our breaths away, Lunch was delicious, overall thumbs up for this tour! We are glad we took it.

Grizzly Bear Refuge, Golden, British Columbia

Bob_W, Aug 2018

The purpose of the trip was to see a grizzly bear in a 20 acre refuge on Kicking Horse Resort in Golden, BC, Canada. Our guide Hugh picked us up at our hotel in Banff in a comfortable air conditioned bus, which filled up with 24 guests from various parts of the world. This was a 10 hour day which included scenic spots along the way. Hugh is very knowledgeable about bears, so he gave us excellent commentary while enroute. Upon arriving at Kicking Horse Resort we boarded a gondola which took us up the mountain to a ski resort restaurant for a good lunch. After lunch we rode the gondola back to base and then road a chair lift back up the mountain to the bear refuge to see Boo, a 600 lb Grizzly. The refuge is forested, so there is a chance the bear may not appear in the open, but this was a very hot day, so Boo gave us a good show by cooling off in a natural pool of water in his fenced in enclosure. The price of gondola tickets, lunch and chair lift tickets is included in the package. Long day but an excellent trip worth the money. Bob

A grizzly bear at close range! How...

Jennifer E, Oct 2017

A grizzly bear at close range! How could this trip be anything less than 5 stars? So amazing. The tour guide at the refuge was fantastic, and Neal Neil? E. was a wonderful guide for the day with a lot of knowledge. Several stops to and from the refuge were beautiful, and the gondola ride/chair lift ride were added bonuses.

This was a really enjoyable tour...

Alexander_H, Sep 2017

This was a really enjoyable tour with a very informative guide. The stops at Takakka falls and emerald lake were wonderful. Also really liked the gondola ride to the top of the kicking horse mountain and had a very nice lunch at the eagles eye restaurant. Then we rode the chair lift to the grizzly bear refuge which was a very lovely experience but sadly we didn't see Boo as he was hiding that day but that can't be helped. We had to meet at the parking lot behind the mount royal hotel and it would have been good if we had been told before hand that parking was not in the lot but had to find a space on the street

This was an excellent day tour...

Bette G, Sep 2017

This was an excellent day tour! Chris was a fun, knowledgable and caring guide. He was a pretty amazing driver too. My sister and I enjoyed the smaller bus. Our noon meal and restaurant were a nice additon.

Ed our tour guide was great . The...

Nicola D, Aug 2017

Ed our tour guide was great . The tour was well organised and he was very informative . We had a great view if boo the grizzly and takkakaw falls was amazing !

This was a great tour. The tour...

Mary T, Sep 2016

This was a great tour. The tour guide was wonderful and very informative. The scenery was beautiful and Boo the grizzly bear was very cooperative. I would definitely recommend taking this tour!

Marvelous trip with tour guide Mike who...

Qinghua L, Aug 2016

Marvelous trip with tour guide Mike who is humorous and knowledgeable and from Australia!

Pam was an excellent tour guide. She...

Irma S, Aug 2016

Pam was an excellent tour guide. She was very informative and had a great personality. The scenery was beautiful. It was one of best tours I have been on.