A big group of us (10) went on the Harper's Ferry tubing trip. Overall, we had a lot of fun and our tour guides were great, but the tubing was not very relaxing. When we boarded the bus to the river, the drivers seemed to be having a disagreement and confusion over "which river" we were going to. I have a feeling we got taken to the "white water" route instead of the calmer, flat river route. We were all expecting a fairly relaxing lazy river experience, but it actually turned out to be a bit treacherous. There were extremely rough, jagged boulders everywhere that ripped our tubes and floating coolers and badly scratched us up. There were a half dozen rapids that flipped us and our coolers over. We spent more time getting stuck than actually drifting along the river.
The $95 per person included a BBQ lunch post-tubing which was very good, and then another trip to a Virginia brewery. Though I think we all could have skipped the brewery (too tired).
Tips:
- Wear real water shoes or lace-up sneakers that are tightly secured. Our friends that wore flip flops or sandals all lost their shoes.
- DO NOT bring anything of value with you on the water. You can leave your stuff on the bus. Wear cheap sunglasses. Our group lost 3 pairs of shoes, a few shirts, an iPhone, a speaker, and 4 pairs of sunglasses. They tell you this there, but I don't think people took it seriously. Don't. Bring. Your. Phone.
- They sell ice and water shoes there, if you need them in a pinch.
- Some of the life jackets BADLY reeked of body odor, so make sure you to grab a normal-smelling one.
- Not all the tubes had cup holders, so try to find one that does.
- Listen to them when they advise against standing up in the river. The current is strong, and it will drag you and your dangling limbs over razor sharp rocks. Stay in ya tube.
All in all, we had a lot of fun as a group and would probably go again, as long as we could go on a lazier river :) read more