We will meet you at your school or community for indoor programs. Outdoor program options are available in the Calgary region, Kananaskis, and the Pincher Creek region, including Beauvais Lake and Castle Provincial Parks. Please check individual program pages for its specific location offerings. Visit our Hike Locations page to find directions to each available trail.

Important Note on Back-Up Locations:

We have now set-up back-up locations for all our hiking trails in case of trail closures or local, inclement weather. This will allow us to pivot to a nearby trail without having to cancel your booking. Please confirm the back-up plan with your bus company and school board, as required. Include the specific trail information (booked trail and back-up trail) under the destination field of your trip proposal to your school board. The location pairings are as follows:

Yes! We are pleased to work with you to accommodate your groups' needs.

Please inform us at the time of booking how we can collaborate with you to meet the needs of your group.

Thanks to Adaptable Outdoors , anyone living with mobility challenges who would like to participate in a CPAWS hike is able to do so at Castle or Beauvais Lake Provincial Parks. Adaptable Outdoors provides opportunities for people living with disabilities to experience the benefits of outdoor recreation. By using adaptive equipment, experiences in nature become accessible to people of all abilities.

Contact CPAWS at education@cpaws.org for more information.

In-class experiences include two 1-hour visits. Community walks are up to 2 hours and hikes and winter walks are 3 to 4 hours. Bussing is not included. A non-refundable 15% deposit is required to book. If you want to book multiple programs for your school or group, then we offer multi-class discounts:

We don’t want your class or group to feel excluded by fees! Please contact us at education@cpaws.org for flexible payment options.

A class/group is defined as max 34 people (including adults). This is applicable for both indoor and outdoor programs. For an outdoor program, you will need to ensure the following student to adult ratios are followed:

• Gr. 1-3: 1 adult per 8 students


• Gr. 4-6: 1 adult per 10 students


• Gr. 7-9: 1 adult per 12 students


•  Gr. 10-12: 1 adult per 15 students

For workshops and virtual programs, we can usually accommodate you with 1 month notice. For outdoor programs, we suggest you follow this timeline for booking:

As our programs are in high demand, it is our expectation that you will make every effort to maintain your bookings.

If extenuating circumstances warrant cancellation of a program (like extreme weather, road closures, family emergency, etc.) we will reschedule programs rather than cancel.

We encourage all facilitators to inform us of any circumstances that may prevent the delivery of a program with as much notice as possible. Our cancellation policy is as follows:

• 1 month prior to booking: 85% refund - there is a 15% non-refundable deposit at the time of booking

• 29 to 14 days prior to booking: 50% refund

• Less than 2 weeks prior to booking: no refund

We have a robust risk management and emergency response plan. Please refer to our hiking information for details.

It is our intention to continue the program rain or shine! Participants must be prepared for all weather conditions. Appropriate footwear, raingear, sunscreen, and hats and mitts are recommended. It is your responsibility to ensure all participants are prepared for the weather prior to leaving (check them as they board the bus). Guides will refuse service to participants that are ill-prepared for the day.

In the event of weather conditions that affect participant safety, the trip will be rescheduled and/or stopped (if the group is already onsite).

Our wilderness trips do occur in bear habitat. Bear safety is paramount. Wild bears typically fear humans. Participants will learn how to safely recreate in bear country during the program.

No, you need to arrange for your own transportation. If you book a bus for wilderness trips outside of Calgary, the bus AND bus driver must remain on site. The bus driver cannot hike/snowshoe with the group. Please confirm this at the time of booking the bus, to ensure the bus will remain on site and the bus driver is prepared to remain with the bus for the day.

Important Note:

We have now set-up back-up locations for all our hiking trails in case of trail closures or local, inclement weather. This will allow us to pivot to a nearby trail without having to cancel your booking. Please confirm the back-up plan with your bus company. The location pairings are as follows:

• • • Ribbon Creek (Coal Mine Scar, Troll Falls) <–-> Yamnuska
    • Foran Grade <–-> Brown Lowery
    • Fish Creek <–-> Nose Hill

(i.e., if you are booked at Yamnuska and the trail closes for your hike day, we would move the program to Ribbon Creek and vice versa.)

Please contact education@cpaws.org if you still have questions.