Ahhh.. tubing. With the scorching weather in DC, it’s a perfect time to grab a swimsuit and a six-pack and hit the river. Here’s our guide to where to go — Butt’s Tubes, River Riders and Front Royal Canoe — and what to drink.
Tubing Reviews:
Butt’s Tubes – If you want a big dose of drunken revelry with your tubing, try Butt’s Tubes. The company caters to rowdy groups and their cooler tubes brimming with Natty Light. Located right outside of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, it’s about 1.5 hours northwest (take 270 north and hang a left after Frederick) of DC.
Pros:
-The scenery is beautiful. You’ll float by rolling mountains and craggy cliffs.
-Harper’s Ferry is a nice place to grab some food before or after your voyage.
-There are rapids and mini waterfalls throughout the river, which adds a little excitement.
Cons:
-Butt’s Tube must give discounts to Greek organizations, because beer swilling, frat boys overrun their trips.
-It’s pricey. A tube for yourself and an additional “cooler tube” costs $45.
River Riders: Also in Harpers Ferry, WV, this tubing company is the anti-Butts Tubes. It caters to families and offers a “flat water” (read: good for children) option.
Pros:
-It offers a full day trip that breaks the ride into two parts — a flat water cruise in the morning followed by lunch and a float down the rockier part of the river. You also can do the first or second part only. The second is the same section that Butts follows.
- At $29 for a weekend trip, it’s cheaper than Butts.
Cons:
- You still have to share the river with the Butts partiers. But now you are also cruising along with little kids and vacationing families.
- Neither half of the full day ride seems long enough. Just as you are getting into the drift of the river, it’s time to haul your tube back onto dry land.
Front Royal Canoe: Front Royal Canoe is located at the Western end of route 66 in Front Royal, Virginia. It is also about 1.5 hours from DC. This option is the cheapest of the three: one tube plus a cooler tube costs $16.
Pros:
-The clientele is generally pretty low-key, making for a very relaxing day of tubing.
- It’s cheap.
Cons:
-There’s no rapids or waterfalls. The creek is maddeningly slow. In August last year, the water lever was so low that we spent half the trip banging our butts on the algae covered stones at the bottom.
The Best Beer for the Trip
River tubing is not complete without beer. The problem is most good beers comes in bottles, which you definitely don’t want to bring. Bottles take up too much room. Mainly, though, they are heavy and the can shatter into hundreds of foot-cutting, tube-slashing pieces.
The answer is Oskar Blues. This brewery, based in Boulder Colorado, packages all of its beers in cans. I recommend Dale’s Pale Ale or Mama’s Little Yella Pills. Both beers are flavorful and light, perfect options for a hot, humid summer day. Here is a list of stores that carry Oskar Blues beer.
3 Comments
I read on the tubing site that alcohol is prohibited — is it or is it more of a don’t ask don’t tell policy?
It’s more don’t ask don’t tell. At least in Harper’s Ferry, the land is part of a park, and alcohol is forbidden there. Tubers were allowed to drink — but only in the river. And there was plenty of drinking.
I am trying to find public access points for tubing instead of paying. Do you know a website I can go to that would give me this information?