Lazy river tubing on the Northeast rivers
If you're looking to escape the heat and humidity and are getting bored with the beach, a relaxing tubing trip down the river might be just what the doctor ordered. There are plenty of options for day or overnight tubing trips around the Northeast that are well worth the drive.
All tour prices include tubes and life jackets, guides along the river and, when applicable, bus transportation.
Here are a few options for those seeking a leisurely trip down the river:
Along the Ausable in the Adirondacks
Tubers enjoy the lazy river on an excursion with Ausable Chasm Tubing in New York. Credit: /Ausable Chasm
Though they have their own campgrounds, tubers don’t need to stay at Ausable Chasm to float down the Ausable River.
"It’s open to everybody," says Caleb Nappi, general manager of Ausable Chasm in the northern Adirondacks. "You don’t need reservations. We don’t presell tickets just because of the volume of guests that we have and the changing river conditions."
Ausable Chasm offers a "classic tour" which includes access to 5 miles of hiking trails and a tube ride, where the water is rather calm except for one small section of rapids, notes Nappi.
Thrill-seekers go lazy river tubing with Ausable Chasm Tubing in the Adirondacks. Credit: Ausable Chasm
"We tell people you want to be comfortable in the water and be able to swim at least a little bit, just in case you do fall out of your tube and need to get back in it."
Guides patrol the river on kayaks around the rapids and everyone gets a safety briefing beforehand, where participants learn the "whitewater float" if they fall out of the tube: point your toes down river and cross your arms and just float.
- COST $49.95, $39.95 ages 13 and younger. Participants must be at least 4 and a half feet tall (518-834-7454, ausablechasm.com)
- WHERE TO STAY Guests staying two nights or more at Ausable Chasm’s campgrounds in Keeseville, get a $5 discount ($2 for kids) off the tubing package price. Campsites for tents start at $35 per night; RV sites start at $50; cabins, $95 (518-834-9990, ausablechasm.com). Or try Valcour Inn & Boathouse (3714 State Rte. 9, Peru, 518-566-4077, valcourinn.com), which has nine rooms and a cottage. Rooms start at $195 per night.
On the Hudson in Lake George
Tubers float along the river on a lazy river excursion with Adirondack Adventure Center. Credit: /Adirondack Tubing Adventures
Through Adirondack Adventure Center, you can take a two-and-a-half to three-hour lazy tubing trip down the upper Hudson River.
"The average depth of the water is about 2 to 4 feet," says Dane Morton, manager. "Our main base is about five minutes from Lake George village."
Tubers take a bus from the adventure center in Lake Luzerne to Stony Creek, where they get on the river and are picked up and brought back to the base.
"We offer, during the week, four trips a day," says Morton. "On weekends we do six trips a day. If you want to do it more than once you get $10 off your second time."
Children 2 and up are welcome to take part in Adirondack Adventure Center’s tubing adventures.
"So, it’s a really good kind of family inclusive activity," Morton says.
- COST $39, $34 ages 12 and under. Add $6 for a tube with a backrest and a cupholder. Reservations in advance are recommended; walk-ins accepted (518-696-6133, adktubing.com).
Deeming itself "The Original Lazy River Tubing Adventure," Tubby Tubes River Co. is owned by the same family that owns Adirondack Extreme Adventure Course, which offers treetop and zip line adventures. Manager Jaime Rozell recommends doing both in one day, with a break for lunch in between.
"You can't beat the relaxing and scenic float down the pristine Hudson River on a warm summer day. It's the perfect combination of fun in the sun," says Rozell.
Two-hour tubing trips start at Lake Luzerneand are geared for ages 2 and up.
- COST $40 , $35 ages 2 to 12 and groups of 10 or more; (518-696-7222, tubbytube.com) online reservations are recommended
- WHERE TO STAY In and around Lake George, there are dozens of hotels and motels including the Admiral Motel (401 Canada St., 518-668-2097, admiralmotel.com), with 27 rooms, many suitable for families of four. Rates start at $109 per night.
On the Delaware
Sit back and relax on a Lander's River Trips lazy river excursion. Credit: /Lander's River Trips
Through Lander's River Trips, explorers can tube down Skinner's Falls.
"Or you can take the tube and go all the way down to Narrowsburg, which is a four-and-a-half-mile trip. And then we bring them back up from there," says owner Rick Lander.
Adventure seekers staying at Skinner's Falls can tube and relax at the beach for as long as they want.
"We open up at 8 a.m. and the tubes have to be in by 6 p.m.," says Lander, adding that going down the river can take anywhere from 2.5 to 4.5 hours, depending on the river height.
- COST Skinner’s Falls: $16; Skinner's Falls to Narrowsburg: $39.
- WHERE TO STAY Skinner’s Falls and Narrowsburg campground, both owned by Lander’s, charge $25, $12.50 ages 7-12 per night. Or try the Blue Fox Motel (5670 Rte. 97 in Narrowsburg, 845-252-5200, bluefoxmotel.com), a boutique motel with 11 rooms, four suites, three cabins and a five -bedroom guesthouse. Rooms start at $179 per night.
