Adirondack Tubing Adventures

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.

Adirondack Tubing Adventures

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.

Adirondack Tubing Adventures

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!

Adirondack Tubing Adventures

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).

Adirondack Tubing Adventures

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.

Adirondack Tubing Adventures

Adirondack Tubing Adventures

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.

Adirondack Tubing Adventures

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!

Adirondack Tubing Adventures

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