Deep Creek (Bryson City) offers a rustic tubing experience: You walk up a trail alongside the river with your tube and float back down to your campground or the tube rental location. The Broad River (Lake Lure) is a lazy river that is popular with families with children or people wanting to take a picnic lunch or a pet with them. The French Broad River (Brevard) is diverse with both long, calm stretches and churning rapids. Both the New River (Crumpler) and Dan River (Danbury) offer some of the longest floats–up to 4 hours in length–with forest and mountain scenery and water appropriate for both beginners and intermediate tubers.
Loose-fitting sandals will likely get lost in the river, so tubing participants should wear old tennis shoes or snug water shoes. Tubing on the river for hours means that participants should wear plenty of sunscreen, as well as a hat that will shade them from the sun. You should also drink lots of water before and after tubing.
Keep a dry towel and a change of clothes in the car, as well as some food and water. If you don’t check your car key with the tubing company, you’ll want a deep pocket in your clothes or a safe way to secure your key (don’t take the kind of key with a battery inside, as it could get damaged in the water).
If you want to take a cooler for a picnic lunch, you should plan your route along a lazy river without rapids and take or rent an extra tube with webbing in the middle to carry the food. You’ll also need a tube with webbing if you want to take your pet. You might also want to bring a life jacket and a waterproof camera.
Nearly all of the rivers in western North Carolina have multiple tube rental companies. Expect to pay from $5 to $15 per person, as of 2010, which includes a tube and optionally a life jacket and shuttle service. The companies with shuttle buses will take you upstream to your starting point, and you will float back down to where you rented the tube. You will wade into the river at a shallow spot and simply sit on your tube and start floating.
Some people choose to tie their child’s or pet’s tube to their own, but only on a quiet stretch of the river. Companies with shuttle services usually allow you to float the river just once, while those without shuttle services (like those at Deep Creek) allow you to go as many times as you like in one day. All companies allow you to go at your own speed, stopping as often as you like, as long as you return the tube by their closing hour.
All popular tubing rivers in the North Carolina mountains are rated Class I and Class II in terms of white water, which are the most calm ratings possible. All rivers have sections appropriate for people with no experience, although life jackets are a necessity for children and non-swimmers. All rivers also have some rapids that will give you a thrill, so inquire at the rental companies for the sections of river that are most appropriate for your skill level.
The mountains of western North Carolina are a popular vacation spot, and those planning to go tubing may want to set aside some time before or after tubing to enjoy the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closest to Deep Creek, as is Nantahala National Forest and the historic Cherokee Nation. Transylvania County (home to Brevard and the French Broad River) is famous for some of the most incredible waterfalls in the East. Both Hanging Rock State Park (near the Dan River) and Chimney Rock State Park (near the Broad River) are atural wonders. The Blue Ridge Parkway meanders throughout the region, offering views of the mountains and forests. Fishermen will not be disappointed to explore the deep pools and eddies in any one of western North Carolina’s rivers and streams.
