If you seek a little adventure but don’t want to overexert yourself, a relaxing river tubing trip may be just what you are looking for.
River Riders is located within about an hour of Harrisonburg. It offers a traditional tubing experience on the Shenandoah River and features one of the area’s only whitewater tubing locations.
Depending on the water level, this section of the Potomac River, right before it meets the Shenandoah, contains Class I to Class III level rapids. The trip lasts almost two-and-a-half hours.
After being fitted with a life jacket, tubers watch a safety video and fill out waivers. River Riders buses tubers to the river in the C&O Canal National Park and later picks them up at a designated take-out location.
“Tubing was something fun and different to do away from JMU,” says senior Christy Nagel. “The weather, water and company were great. Plus I liked splashing everyone and falling off my tube.”
River Riders even offers special tubes to carry coolers for $7, or you can rent a floating cooler for $10.
Alcohol and glass bottles are not permitted on the river. Protective footwear is necessary, as the rocks on the bottom of the river are slippery and jagged.
Web site: www.riverriders.com
Cost: $19 if booked online
Directions: Merge onto I-81 N toward Winchester. Take exit 315 toward Berryville. Turn left onto VA-7 E/Berryville Pike. Take the US-340 S/US-340 N ramp toward Charles Town/Berryville. Take the US-340 ramp. Turn left onto US-340 N/N Buckmarsh Street. Continue to follow US-340 N, crossing into West Virginia. Merge onto US-340 N toward Harpers Ferry. Turn right onto Millville Road. Turn left onto Allstadts Hill Road.