Need help planning your whitewater vacation? We’ve put together this short rafting checklist of things to bring and suggestions to make sure you come prepared for a great time with us!
What to Bring Rafting
Recommended Gear for Rafting
Our river shop carries all of the items listed below.
Required Gear:
• Shoes with a back strap that stay securely on your feet
* You cannot wear flip flops, crocs or have bare feet while rafting!
Bring for Rafting:
• Bathing suit / swim shorts
• Sunscreen
• Rashguard / sun protection shirt
• Towel and dry change of clothes
• A small duffel bag or backpack
• Optional: A buff or bandana
• Tent & sleeping pads
• Sleeping bag and pillow
• Towels & Toiletries
• Flashlight
If you are staying in a CABIN:
• Sleeping bag or blankets
• Pillows & Sheets
• Towels & Toiletries
• Flashlight
If you are staying in a CABANA:
• Towels & Toiletries
• Flashlight
If you are staying in a GLAMPING TENT:
• Towels & Toiletries
• Flashlight
Check-in & Check-out times
Check In
Day Trips:
The briefing begins at your scheduled trip time – please arrive 15-30 minutes before to complete your check-in.
One Night:
If rafting on a 7:15am or 8:30am trip you are welcome to check in any time after 5:00pm the evening before your trip.
If rafting on a 11:30am or 1:30pm please sign in at the trip time.
Two Night Packages:
You are welcome to check in any time after 5:00pm the evening prior to your first day of activity.
Check Out
All overnight packages that include cabin upgrades or tent rental have a check out time of 11:00 a.m. If you are rafting this day, you will need to check out prior to departing for your rafting trip. We have change rooms and showers available for your use after your rafting trip.
OWL Resort
Our waterfront resort is a beautiful space to spend the evening.
Cafe OWL
Stop by Cafe OWL to treat yourself to a warm beverage, or baked good to enjoy by the water’s edge. * Taking a drink to-go? Bring your own thermos or mug!
Fire Pit
Enjoy the cozy fire at water’s edge while taking in the sunset.
Sandy Beach
Enjoy our SUPs, kayaks, and canoes to cruise over to our floating dock.
*Unsupervised beach
Frisbee Golf Course
Play our 9-hole Frisbee Golf Course using our disks and score sheets.
Beach Volleyball
Enjoy our waterfront beach volleyball with professional nets.
Within 30 days of the trip date, a cancellation fee of $50 per person per day is applied. Outside of 30 days of the trip date a full refund is given. No transfers or refunds for cancellations within 7 days of the trip date.
All prices, excluding accommodations are per person and subject to a $15/person per day river access fee.
Minimum rafting numbers: OWL Rafting reserves the right to cancel rafting trips that have fewer then 20 rafters enrolled. OWL Rafting will contact rafters with at least 3 days notice if a rafting trip is cancelled due to low enrollment. OWL Rafting will first offer a transfer to another rafting date. In the case that an alternate rafting date is not possible OWL Rafting will cancel the rafting trip with a refund to the original payment method.
Girls trip 2025 (A trip to remember) This was an experience of a lifetime something to tick off the bucket list ! We went with family and friends i believe 16-18 of us (Rentner Group). You guys are an amazing bunch from everyone to store front, kitchen, cooks, pontoon crew and of course the raft guides.
The first Day my group had Alex he was a great start for my virgin rafting blood he eased me into it and was absolutely great !! Then came KC well let's just say she was an absolute powerhouse surfing the rapids for as long as we did i hauling my *** out of the water, she was an absolute riot and could not have asked for a better 2nd day guide tell her pinky says hi! .
The food was absolutely great you never went hungry !
I could not say enough great things about OWL and their staff. Would highly reccomend and trust me you won't be disappointed! Great job guys !!!!
Pinky!!!
Sherpa10676418127
10/05/2025
The best experience! Lucas guided us through the extreme white water rafting experience. He was super knowledgeable and made the day super enjoyable for all of us on the raft. Our day was filled with laughter and lots of rapids. He went the extra mile to ensure we all had a good experience.
Kristy W
9/09/2025
An Awesome Experience!! We had a fantastic time! We camped overnight the night before to ensure we were there on time for the morning orientation and rafting. This included a great breakfast. The staff was both professional, focused on safety, and a lot of fun! You can tell they all love what they are doing. Colin - our guide on the river - was great he knew everything about every rapid and told us stories about past times down the river that kept it all fun. all the while focusing on ensuring we had the information needed for safety. Wrap it all up with lunch on the pontoon boat. My daughter and I had a second to none memorable experience. Thanks to all the staff at OWL Rafting for making our experience awesome!!
(Note - this is a resubmitted review - the first time the website incorrectly marked this as a one star in error, resubmitting to ensure it is a 5 star as we had a great time!)
Lorne T
9/01/2025
Fun Experience!!! Overall, the white water rafting experience was enjoyable, and I would highly recommend those who have an interest in rafting to go for it! You won't be disappointed.
We booked the two night glamping package ( which included breakfast, lunch, and dinner and breakfast the morning prior to check out) with one full day of the medium rafting excursion. The glamping tent was very basic and was quite a walk away from the washrooms. Therefore, we decided to upgrade to the log cabin, which was a much better choice, and there was only $10 in the difference of the cost. The cabins were very clean, close to the amenities, and it also had an electrical outlet so we could easily charge our phones. It poured rain the night before we left, so I'm glad we chose the cabin!
In all honesty, the food was not great. All meals served were bland, cold, and with limited options. They did have a licensed bar where you could purchase alcoholic beverages. However, I can not speak to the quality of the drinks as we did not drink. The resort also had paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, a sand volleyball court, a corn maze, and a sauna for all campers to use during their stay. Unfortunately, there was a fire ban in place, and therefore, we were not able to use the fire pit.
The staff were welcoming and friendly throughout the stay. The rafting guide (Lucas) was absolutely fabulous! He was knowledgeable and personable and did a great job outlining what the riders could expect during the rafting trip. The safety of his riders was his first priority, which was certainly comforting for us first-timers, lol.
Thanks to all the staff at Owl who contributed to such a fun experience.
Bonnie S
8/31/2025
An exhilarating white water rafting experience for all An absolutely fantastic exhilarating whitewater adventure provided by OWL rafting.
From the moment we arrived we were greeted with enthusiastic, friendly staff who registered us quickly and smoothly as well as presenting a humorous ( yet serious) prep talk putting us all at ease and clearly explaining the format of the day.
We were a family of 4 ( 2 twenty somethings and 2 sixty somethings!)
The younger did the medium intensity day and the oldies did the low intensity but we all met up at various stages down the Ottawa river!
What a superb experience we all had, including rapid surfing, river swimming, cliff jumping, at least 8-10 rapids to traverse and a final bbq pontoon cruise back to base in the late afternoon.
There was a person ( in a canoe) videoing and photographing the whole day which you could buy- great photos of all participants and a WOW videoing!
We could then stay at the site to enjoy the beach, bar, more food at our own leisure. Camping and cabana accomodation can be booked if needed but we travelled onwards.
Totally would recommend this company and the experience.
S3571FWkatherinec
8/25/2025
Great experience We had an amazing time, and Archie was excellent. The whole day made a great family adventure. Can't wait to come back to do this again.
Annette N
8/19/2025
SO MUCH FUN! Was a perfect day with #OwlRafting. A great company that we trusted explicitly and implicitly and they certainly delivered! Camping facilities were clean and lovely. We had a trailer + 2 tents and camped in RV parking. Was perfect for all. And the full day of adventure rafting was SO MUCH FUN! our guide, a lovely young man named Luke, could not have been more exciting. All in all, Owl delivered in every way! Even food was good and so was the coffee!
131susannec
8/18/2025
Fun, Wild, Fun. Like an overnight camp experience Had fantastic time rafting with Colin. Fantastic Guide, lots of fun and great people in our raft.
Food is amazing and grounds are wonderful.
Would highly recommend and we’ll be back!!
All staff are amazing!!!
Danielle P
8/12/2025
Rafting down the Ottawa river in the extreme mode? Honestly could not have had a better time! The staff is friendly, excited and you can tell they’re doing everything they can to give you the best experience.
The food was amazing. Also had an off the chain steak dinner Saturday night that was on point with any restaurant. Again, the staff was very friendly and accommodating.
Mike J
8/11/2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Need more information? We have put together a list of answers we often need to provide for clients. Give us a call if you still need help!
