We'll be staying in Banff and Jasper and I've noticed that there seem to be whitewater trips departing from either base. Anybody have a favorite? We want moderate rapids-a thrill for beginners, but no real navigation skills required. Also, at the end of June/beginning of July-is it really warm enough to raft in the Rockies?

Stillhouse, we rafted the Kicking Horse {near Yoho}, great fun, but might be a bit wilder than you're looking for.You don't need experience, however. There was a guide in the raft with us at all times. We went in mid-July and the water was COLD, but we were given wetsuits, so this was not a problem.

The end of June and beginning of July is usually the beginning of hot summer days, so you may not mind being splashed with icy mountain water!!

The white water raft ride in Jasper is quite tame - even I went on that one. However, all depends on the depth of the water in the Athabasca River, which varies year to year depending on rainfall and amount of snowpack (and melting snow at higher elevations which "feeds" the river) from the previous winter.

For more info, check this website:

http://www.jasperrafttours.com/raft-trip-jasper.html

Our family had fun on the Kicking Horse River with Wild Water Adventures (www.wildwater.com) last August. We did the half day whitewater rafting trip and our kids, ages 12 and 15, thought it was one of the highlights of our trip. No skills were needed, because they prepped everyone with instructions and the guide does most of the work. He did the paddling while everyone else was hanging on for dear life!! Sorry, can't tell you how warm it is in June/July. In August the water was freezing cold, but as Molly says, you have wet suits on which keep you warm. The guides let you jump into the river and hold on to the raft at the end of the trip. If you are in need of something a little tamer, they offer a half day float down the river.

I think we're going to do a trip on the Kicking River. There appear to be several companies with whitewater trips departing from different sections of the river. What sections/companies have you done?

I've been trying to recall which outfitter we used. I think that we also used Wildwater Adventures.

The day started with a shuttle from Lake Louise, where we were staying. We paid a bit more for this option. We stopped at a small store/restaurant in Field to stretch or legs or take a coffee break. Upon arrival at their office, we paid and prepared for our second shuttle to the rafting site. We were advised to take only a change of clothes, and to leave watches, etc. We also brought a disposable camera. There are points where the action slows enough to for you to get some good shots.

We had to walk down a steep, pebbley road to get to the site. I wish that we'd known this, as our thin footwear made walking rather painful. We saw the first bighorn sheep on our trip on this road, and he was a beauty!

The guides were very thourough in explaining how to paddle and explaining safety rules. We had elected to do the am rafting trip followed by a riverside bbq and then an aftenoon trip. We enjoyed it so much, however, that we extended our trip even further by adding the roughest rapids of all. Everybody in our raft selected this option, and few of us were experienced {my husband and I had rafted only once before}. The guide compensates for any difficulty guests have.

The lunch was very good - bbq chicken and steak with many sides.

At one point, we were "invited" to jump in the water and swim beyond the rapids. Like a fool, I decided to try this. I would not advise this unless you're a strong swimmer, which I am not.! The water was freezing even through the wetsuits, and you need to swim hard not to get sucked out beyond the rapids {there are guides and a boat at the ready to pull in wayward swimmers}. I think that I would have preferred the volleyball game that some companies offer!

All in all, it was a terrific trip!