FAQ
We get this question every year, and we completely understand why you’d ask! We would love to accommodate everyone’s individual requests, but with up to five groups joining each tour, it can be a little more complicated than it may seem.
Our tours are carefully planned around our guides, landowners, and the sites we visit. If one group requests a change, we would need to try to make that same change work for all of the groups booked that day. Depending on the request, this could also affect the cost of the tour.
Because of this, we’re not able to offer individual itinerary changes unless everyone booked on that day agrees to the change and any additional costs.
That said, we really encourage you to come along and enjoy the whole experience! We’ve chosen our stops because each one offers something special, and our guides love sharing the stories, history, and information that make the day memorable.
You’ve traveled all this way — why not make a day of it? Sit back, enjoy the scenery, take it all in, and let us show you everything the tour has to offer. We think you’ll be glad you did!
Our tours are fairly accessible, with vehicles able to drive right up to most sites. You’ll typically exit your vehicle to explore, take photos and hear more about the area.
The most challenging walking is between Cave 1 and Cave 2, which involves a short uphill section over uneven terrain. If you’re unable to make the walk, our guide will make sure you still receive all the information.
Walking around Castle Butte is also an option, but not mandatory. Total distance 1/4 mile around the base
YES! As long as your dog is friendly, on a leash, and cleaned up after. Our guides have no issues with your fur baby being on tour!
Big Beaver General Store- Washroom
Paisley Brook School House- Outhouse
Sam Kelly Outlaw Caves- Port-a-potty
Buffalo Effigy- Port-a-potty
No matter which tour you take, please expect to drive a roundtrip distance of approximately 180km
Our prices help cover employee wages and related costs (WCB, EI, CPP, etc.), contracted tour guide fees, landowner fees for private properties, and the ongoing maintenance of our sites and Visitor Centre.
As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on additional funding and community support to keep our prices as affordable as possible. While we understand that a price per vehicle may seem more appealing, it simply isn’t sustainable when only one vehicle is booked for a tour.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has booked with us and continues to support Big Muddy Tours. Your support helps keep these experiences available for everyone to enjoy!
Our online booking system has a 2-person minimum to guarantee a guide and cover the costs of running the tour.
Travelling solo? Give us a call! We’ll do our best to fit you into a tour that is already booked. If your dates aren’t flexible and there are no other vehicles going out, 2 adult tickets will be required.
Call us and we’ll do our best to accommodate you!
Unfortunately, no. Due to trespassing laws and our agreements with landowners, access to sites located on private property is only permitted with a Big Muddy Tours guide. This helps protect the safety and security of visitors, landowners, livestock and wildlife.
The only sites currently open to the public without a guide are Castle Butte (June 1-October 31) and the Big Beaver General Store.
Unfortunately, no. You must book one of our tours to visit the caves. The caves are located on private property, so a guide is required to be present.
Our guide is contracted at a set rate each time a tour goes out, and we book tours daily. Because of this, we cannot always accommodate special requests for cave visits outside of a scheduled tour.
The good news? The minimum cost gets you a tour—not just access to the caves! You’ll get the full experience, stories and history from our guide while exploring the Big Muddy.
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate motorcycles on our tour, however, we do try to acquire a van for biker groups if arranged in advance. keep in mind our rates do go up when renting a van. RV's can take part in the tour but should keep in mind the roads go from highway to dirt trails, with some steep hills. It's important to remember that our guide gets into the vehicle with you, which cannot be done on a motorcycle and most RV's.
Due to our privacy policies, we are unable to provide any personal information regarding landowners, employees, or board members.
Our tours take narrow highway, grid roads, and dirt trails. In the event we have had too much rain, these roads can become too slick and muddy for travel. Coronach Tourism will make the call whether to cancel the tour as soon as possible, but please keep your eye on the weather in the Big Beaver area ahead of travelling.
Extreme heat may also cause us to cancel our tours for everyone's safety.
In the event Coronach Tourism cancels your tour, you will NOT be charged a cancellation fee.
If taking a tour after a recent rain, please bring approriate footwear.