It All Started In 1995...
Canyon Raft Company
Pioneered by Blair Craig and Lynn Muller...
Incorporated April 20th 1995, Canyon has been running the Elk and Bull Rivers ever since, and they remain just as wild and remote as when we first fell in love with them.
We provide the highest quality equipment and professional guides, all licensed with the BCROA, who maintain the highest standards of safety in the country. We are trained in first aid and swift water rescue, and also have extensive knowledge of the Fernie area rivers, their geology and the history of our backyard.
What really sets Canyon Raft Company apart? Our staff being known for their passionate and fun approach to river running! We enjoy sharing our love of the river with our clients and feel privileged to be out on the river every day!
The Evolution of a Legacy...
In the Spring of 2025 it was time to pass the torch to one of Canyon’s own, Adam Howie.
The impact that Canyon Raft has had on Fernie’s community is nothing short of a Legacy, Adam knew he had big shoes to fill coming into this, and boy are we excited to share with you the evolution of Canyon Raft!
With a new river base attached to Mountain View RV Park just outside of Fernie, we have polished off an already amazing river experience for our customers, and we’re really excited to show off our new digs to new and past guests alike, sharing all our passion for the river and the beauty of the Canadian wilderness with everyone, carrying on the legacy of two true legends, Blair and Lynn.
Adam has taken up the reigns of Blair’s one man wrecking crew role, driving the bus, leading the raft trips down the river with a huge smile and passionate attitude, as well as plugging away at all the background happens of a rafting business, taking free time to play amongst the waves with all the passionate guides at Canyon Raft.
Having been a career raft guide since 2006, he started in the Bow Valley, then working all over the world on some incredible rivers in some breathtaking locales. Living and breathing his passion for the flow of the river, his love for splashing and playing in the world’s river waters never wanes.
Adam relishes training and mentoring new and old guides alike and takes his professionalism and river safety skills as a badge of honour, sharing his undying passion for the wild places and whitewater with everyone.
The B-man is our chief.
He leads the trip, drives the bus, does the dishes and the laundry. Most notably he is the pioneer of commercial rafting on the Elk River. Originally from Saskatchewan, Blair moved west for the mountain lifestyle early in life. Originally guiding on the Kicking Horse River in Golden, he first rafted the Elk in ’85. Ten years later in 1995 he started the Canyon Raft Company with his partner in crime, Lynn Muller. Blair fills his winter skiing and working at Fernie Alpine Resort. Blair likes roller blading, hockey, and the Flames of course!
Lynn started Canyon Raft Company in 1995. With her partner, Blair she moved from rafting on the Kicking Horse river to the Elk river and embraced life in Fernie. You can meet Lynn most Sundays at the market in Rotary park throughout the summer. Lynn’s fitness is an inspiration. She keeps active year round, biking, swimming, hiking, paddling, cross country skiing, and alpine skiing. Her spirit animal is the hummingbird.
Lynn’s excitement is contagious, and she is well known around town for always being excited about everything, but especially anything to do with the river. If you get lucky enough to be in Lynn’s raft for the day, don’t forget to ask her about her part in the 1994 hit movie, The River Wild.
Raised in a rafting family on the Ottawa River, Ethan is our combination of Guide/Photographer/Safety Kayaker/Story Teller and anything else we can get him to do. If there’s one thing he’s always good for, it’s another adventure to create said stories as he’s mostly lost in the mountains on another mission. With more experience than you can shake a paddle at, it will be up to you to decide which of the stories are true, or, well, river tales.
Legend has it, Max is a long lost Zealot from the Highland. Reaking havoc to all of Scotlands foes, he returned peace to the region and decided a retirement of fly fishing in the west was proper. Nowadays, he rafts and fishes the Elk River with his fair maiden singing glory songs of the days of old. He also Knighted Ethan as the Auga Man of the Elk. If you are lucky enough to join this legend on a float you won’t be disappointed with the new found world that he will paint as you explore the river.
A local Jaffray boy and dear friend to Adam, Kris is our in-house engineer/Jr. Guide that is always on standby to problem solve, or support in anyway that Canyon Raft needs. Making Canyon Raft history, Kris was the designer of our beloved winch system that changed the way we access the put-in commercially.
One of the top in his class, Brad left the bustle of North Van after getting sick of his dress-shop modelling career to dominate the exciting MAST Program. Known for his skills on the ice, hockey wasn’t the only thing he excelled in… Paddling in Ontario, driving snow cats at FAR, coastal ski patrol, and now a Raft Guide here at Canyon Raft. With his bubbly attitude and love of the mountains, he’s sure to bring a smile on your face.
Retired River Manager gone Party Shirt Commander… Dan mastered the waters of the Ottawa Valley and fled to the west to share the passion of fashion that is a river guide. If you find yourself at any festival, the best looking guy there is Dan. With a lifetime of river experience, he’s sure there for a good time.
Escaping the prairies for less flat winters, Logan made his way onto the Cat Crew with Blair at Fernie Alpine Resort. A fellow Saskatchewan boy, he soon joined us in the summers first as a shuttle driver, and now as a guide. With a classic mountain man beard, Logan will have you convinced he’s been on these waters since the beginning of time, and it will be up to you to figure out when he’s smiling under it all.
(Hint, it’s almost always)
Tall Paul comes to us from Coaldale, Alberta. Before he joined the Canyon Raft family, Paul was studying civil engineering and working as a land surveyor. He now spends his winters playing in the snow with explosives, (a.k.a. as a Ski Patroller here in Fernie,) and his off season working part-time as a carpenter. Paul enjoys rock climbing, mountain biking, playing drums, and skiing. Try to find your tallest friend, (preferably a Paul,) to claim his title as tallest one on the river!
