Yes there is park fee. Just check the weather. I went there oct and nov last yr.

Hi! I've seen people paddle board on it. The Bow River doesn't wind (but it is a meandering river), but there are places where the current does pick up - I'm thinking it might be very difficult to paddle board its entire length in Calgary. It is also very subject to seasonal variations. It usually runs too fast in the spring to be on it (even in a watercraft) safely. In the fall, it runs much slower, but that means there are more rocks and narrow spots... If you're a visitor, people who rent paddle boards might be able to give you better advice when / where to paddle board. People do raft down it quite a bit in the warm summer, and that might be a good way to scope out good spots... Cheers!

There are Rocky Mountain centres in many main attraction sites of Alberta for your guidance, Then there are Travel Alberta centres and websites that can help you plan your trip [mimicking if their plan doesn't suite your energy level or idea of vacation ;)]. [Check their website] You can plan your similar trips if you can gather enough and safe party. Remeber, Alberta Rockies is Cold mountain wilderness, and need a good safe gathering (e.g. 7 people), and some fitness, to make the most of it. You might also want to check Meet up, BnB and Couchsurfing members who would love to share their experiences, give you caution tips, and some might even let you join their group (if their timeline, social limits and safety concerns aren't conflicting). And you might find some life long Canadian friends. If you trip is short (less than 12 days), and a bit relaxed budget; you might consider buying these trip companies' packages like travel Alberta e.t.c. Few of their experiences would be well-planned, exciting, and worry free. But off course a business needs to make money and save business time. If you have enough time you can plan a relaxed trip, pick from few commercial tours and do your own tour on public transportation and with travel enthusiasts across the vast Rockies, than can take you minimum of 7 day just stopping by main attractions, (few days of hiking, climbing and relax staying), starting from Banff till Jasper [Check websites with top attractions of Alberta] If you're more Canada curious, you can continue hopping to our beautiful neighbour province British Columbia. [Check websites with top attractions of British Columbia]

The Bow River starts in the Rockies and goes through the north part of downtown Calgary. In the summer, you'll see many people in the city floating down the river in inner tubes and little rafts.