Cross River Wilderness Centre

We are the first and only wilderness centre in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, devoted to all aspects of the interrelationships between humans, culture, and the natural world. Welcome to our home in our remote setting in the heart of the Canadian Rockies' main ranges.

The contiguous Canadian Rocky Mountain national parks, including Banff, Jasper, Waterton, Yoho, and Kootenay, together are the second-largest UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world. They were given this amazing honor because the unique and rugged geology, abundant and healthy waterways, and majestic and diverse environment here are some of the best in, and most important to, the world. This world heritage site is what surrounds us here at the Cross River Wilderness Centre and inspires us everyday.

At Cross River Wilderness Centre, our way of life is to continually engage, acknowledge, grow with, and honor this incredible land, and you are invited to join us for however long you can spare. We have access to each of the above world-famous national parks in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but as we are located in a secluded area, back off the main highways, we have the privilege of enjoying these areas without the crowds of millions of visitors that the national parks draw on the "highway-side" of the mountains each day. Simply-put, there are hikes we do that we ourselves have made, and on which we have never seen another single person in the almost 20 years we've been hiking around our region.

We are a family-operated organization, and so as this is truly our way of life out here, and not simply our "job" or "work," your experience at Cross River Wilderness Centre can involve many aspects of your own life as you inter-participate with ours in Western Canada, including our history, culture, nature, learning process, challenges, and relationships, all which relate in some way to this grand land we are a part of. As such, the opportunity for you to return home with much more than memories that fade over time is very real and achievable; many guests keep in touch years later, become good friends, or indeed have their lives touched in ways deeper than a photograph alone can often do.

Through our own lives, the relationships we have built have enabled us to provide diverse possibilities for you to choose from for your stay here with us. These include: remote Canadian Rocky Mountain hiking and backpacking; secluded lodge-based adventure trips, including day-hiking, river rafting, canoeing, and backpacking; mountain retreats, such as wilderness yoga, tai chi, painting, and traditional arts and crafts; nature-based education programs, including interpretive hiking about traditional plant foods and medicines, traditional community activities, and wilderness skills; interactive community campfires; inter-cultural sharing and lifeways experiences, including participatory experiences with aboriginal elders and communities; and remote and environmentally-friendly mountain accommodation in heritage cabins or teepees.

The Cross River Wilderness Centre head office is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and the Wilderness Centre itself is located approximately 1.5 hours south of Banff and Lake Louise, and 35 minutes north of Radium Hot Springs, BC.

We accommodate and facilitate private, small group, schools, corporate retreat, and tailor-made wilderness experiences, journeys, expeditions and adventures that focus on depth and quality of experience, rather than merely on quantity of sights. You decide how you want to engage with the wilderness and when - we do the rest.