My kids are avid swimmers, so we find ourselves drawn to water activities. We had talked about going tubing for a couple years, and decided to check out Adirondack Tubing Adventures this summer.
We had never been tubing before, and to be honest, I’m not a big fan of water, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. We reserved a spot online ahead of time, and also filled out our online waivers before heading out.
We had no problem finding Adirondack Tubing Adventures, which is less than 10 minutes from Lake George, located right on Lake Avenue / Route 9N. You can’t miss the school busses and heaps of brightly colored tubes right off the main road.
The website recommends getting there a half hour before your tubing session starts, and I would definitely make sure you get there at least a half hour in advance. The parking lot was already full when we arrived, and we ended up parking on the road, which was not ideal, especially with kids on a busy road. However, I was happy the road is wide enough that I could make a U-turn, and there was an ample shoulder for parking.
Getting there early also gives you time to sign in, make sure you are all set with your rentals or adding anything on, trips to the bathroom, changing, getting sunscreen on, etc. There are only a few bathrooms and it was pretty crazy when we were there, and I wanted to make sure the kids went to the bathroom before we got on the bus, so in the future I would arrive just that much earlier. There are also only two changing rooms.
We got our life jackets and got on the bus promptly at our start time (2:45pm). The bus is about a 10 minute ride up the Hudson river, and you get out right along the shore where you put in your tubes. The guides gave us instructions, and we got ready in the water, facing the shore and ready to sit in our tubes – and then with their go ahead, we were off!
The guides provide ropes if you want to tie your rafts together (we had brought an extra in case). This is definitely helpful if you have kids with you, and we also rented a mini raft for our cooler. I also recommend bringing a dry bag if you bring anything along (I brought a few hats, sunglasses, rash guards, etc for the kids). We also went with two regular tubes (the orange ones) and two upgraded tubes (the blue ones, which have a built-in headrest). I preferred the blue raft by far, but my daughter didn’t like it (I think because of her size, she was more falling in the center).
About 1/3 of the way, there were photographers waiting along the shore to take our photos, which came out nice (but cost extra).
We stopped about halfway at an island, where you can hang out. We checked out the island, went swimming, and relaxed.
The kids found a young frog that still had a tadpole tail, and also saw fish, crayfish, snails and geese. They brought their goggles so they could go for a swim and see what is in the water.
The tubing trip was very well done. The guides gave us clear directions, and kayaked along with everyone during the trip to help direct people and offer assistance when needed. When we got separated, a guide was right there to push us back together, and another time when we drifted too far to one side of the river, the guide pulled us back to where we needed to be.
I definitely enjoyed this tubing trip. It was fun and relaxing, and nice to try something new. We look forward to going back with friends!
My recommendations:
- Get there early (at least the 30 minute recommended time).
- Be prepared with reservations and gear
What to bring:
- Swimwear
- Water shoes / sandals that can go in the water
- Suncreen
- Drinks
- Food – everyone seemed to be snacking at our halfway stop and we wished we had brought some food!
- Waterproof camera or phone with a waterproof case
- Dry bag
- Cooler
That sounds like so much fun! We have a condo up in New Hampshire and tube on the river in our back yard sometimes -the kids LOVE it.
That looks like it was a ton of fun. I can’t believe how HUGE that tadpole was! Massive!
I don’t know if I could do this or not. I would be totally afraid of seeing a snake in the water!
I have never been up that way but have always wanted to go! This would be such a blast to do! I have done one where I live before and we had SUCH a fun time!
We live on the mighty Mississippi River and tubing is a way of life in the summer time. Everyone should experience the fun of going tubing at least once in their life.
That sounds like SO MUCH fun. Honestly, I don’t know if I could handle wading through the people before I got to the water though lol. I am sure it is totally worth it once you get out there. I love nature and water!
This is something my family hasn’t tried, yet. It looks super fun. I have to include this in our summer must do’s.
That is such a fun activity! You can learn much from nature and relax at the same time. How I wish there is something like that near our place.
My kids love adventures in the water during the summer. This rubing activity looks like so much fun and I know my kids would love to visit this place one day.
I have never tried tubing before but it looks so much fun. This is a lot safer than white water rafting.
My daughter loves tubing. This looks like the perfect place for her!
What a great way to spend an afternoon! When I was a kid we did things like this all of the time. So many great memories floating down the river with sunshine on my shoulders and not a care in the world! x
Tubing is so much fun. I would love to do this sometime soon. I know my whole family would enjoy this as well.
I love tubing of all kinds, but when you add in the extra nature discoveries this trip sounds awesome! You even found a polliwog … what’s not to love?
I have always wanted to go tubing. It sounds very relaxing to go floating down the river. It sounds like your family had a blast and I can’t wait to hear about your next adventure.
What a blast! We did some tubing over the weekend. It can be pretty dang relaxing.
What an awesome adventure! I would love to take my kids there for vacation someday.!
Sounds like a great adventure for the family! We’ll try this soon!
This sounds like a lot of fun. I love tubing in the snow, but I’ve never really done tubing during the summer. I can’t swim, but this is my kind of fun.
Wow that looks like so much fun!! That is awesome!!
This looks like so much fun! When I lived in WA we used to tube the river all the time. Now I am in CO and it is all about river rafting!
I’ve heard so much great stuff about tubing, but I haven’t tried it yet. Like you, I’m not a big fan of water either, but it would be fun to try it one of these days with my boys.
This looks like such an amazing blast! I love to go tubing and I am sure the kids would love this. I may need to book a trip for my family!
This looks like such an amazing adventure! I have always wanted to go tubing, we need something like this where I live.
I’ve never been “tubing” before except for the lazy rivers are water parks. It’s on my bucket list for sure.
We have a river here and I love it! I can’t wait to go again!
I am both a tubing virgin and an Adirondacks Virgin! I need to get on that, like literally! LOL (see what I did there? Cheeky Right? LOL) 🙂
Your tubing trip looked and sound awesome! Ours didn’t have assistant from the tubing company while in the water, we were out there on our own.
What a fun trip for the family. I would love to go someday.
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