Great tubing: The best inner tube floats in Pennsylvania

Outfitters across Pennsylvania, like Kittatinny Canoes on the Delaware River, offer tubing adventures for all skill and experience levels.

With enough sunscreen and sources of hydration in tow, every corner of Pennsylvania offers prime “fanny in the Susquehanny” type creek- and river-tubing adventures.

Many, many spots throughout the state are accommodating to simply parking in some pull-off and dragging your oversized inner tubes to the water.

There also are outfitters waiting to supply the gear and give your entire party a lift to the put-in spot, and from the take-out spot and back to your vehicles. That saves you the worry of finding an oversized inner tube, parking vehicles at points upstream and downstream, and leaving your vehicles unattended in some out-of-the-way location.

The outfitters also offer some specialized gear, like personal flotation devices, double tubes, tubes with back rests and cup holders, and tubes for your coolers.

Do-it-yourself or outfitter-equipped, a slow float down a Pennsylvania stream or river gets you away from the roads and into some truly wild and undeveloped countryside.

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Here are some of the waters and the outfitters that service them:

Brandywine River, Chester County – Northbrook Canoe Co., West Chester; 610-793-2279; floats of 2-3 hours.

Clarion River, Clarion and Forest counties – Pale Whale Canoe Fleet, Cooksburg; 800-680-0160; floats of 2.5-4 miles.

Codorus Creek, York County – Codorus Creek Outfitters, York; 717-309-0177; 3-hour, guided float down the Codorus.

Delaware River, Bucks County – Bucks County River Country, Point Pleasant; 215-297-5000; floats of 2-4 hours.

Delaware River (multiple locations) – Kittatinny Canoes, Milford; 800-356-2852; floats of 3 hours.

Greenville River, Mercer County – Carried Away Outfitters, Greenville; 724-343-1313; floats of 1-4 miles.

Juniata River, Juniata County – Juniata River Adventures and Buttonwood Campground, Mifflintown; 717-320-1102; floats of 3-15 miles.

Kiski River, Armstrong County – The River’s Edge Canoe and Kayak, Leechburg; 724-845-9501; floats of 4-8 miles.

Lehigh River, Carbon County – Extreme Adventure Travel Outfitters, Lehighton; 570-801-1231; floats of 2-3 hours.

Lehigh River, Carbon County – Pocono River Tubing, Lehighton; 800-424-7238; guided inflatable kayaking.

Schuylkill River, Montgomery County – Port Providence Paddle, Port Providence; 610-933-1421; floats of 2.5 miles.

Stonycreek River, Cambria County – Stonycreek River’s Coal Tubin’, Johnstown; 814-254-4393; floats of 1-3 hours.

With the rain-heavy weather and swollen waterways that Pennsylvania is experiencing this year, many of the outfitters have faced multiple float cancellations. They urge tubers – even those with reservations – to check ahead before heading to a departure point.

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Several of the outfitters require tubers under the age of 12 to wear life vests and be accompanied by a parent, and don’t allow children under a certain age or height on their floats.

According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania has no general law prohibiting launching of inner tubes or tubing on the Pennsylvania rivers, and there is no special license or permit to tube on Pennsylvania waters.

“Whether it is legal to launch or retrieve inner tubes at particular access areas depends on the regulations for those sites,” explains the commission. “Under Fish and Boat Commission regulations it is unlawful to launch or retrieve swimming aids, such as inner tubes and similar devices, from access areas managed for fishing and boating by the commission.

“As a general proposition, Commonwealth properties managed by the (Pennsylvania) Fish and Boat Commission are maintained for use by anglers and boaters for fishing and boating.

“In Pennsylvania, the Fish and Boat Commission operates on funds acquired from the sale of fishing licenses, related permits and boat registrations. It receives no general tax funding like most state agencies do. Activities, such as inner tubing, may interfere with the fishing and boating uses for which these properties were acquired and maintained. Persons who use a Fish and Boat Commission access area to park a car and launch or retrieve an inner tube may be taking up space reserved for (and paid for by) anglers and boaters. In addition, the incompatibility between swimming and use of swimming aids raises safety concerns when it occurs in close proximity to a launch ramp used by power boats. Field reports show that, in many cases, these are incompatible activities, and the Fish and Boat Commission is duty bound to prevent activities incompatible with fishing and boating at PFBC access areas.”

While there are no Pennsylvania laws or regulations about wearing a PFD while tubing, there are rules for children in similar conditions in kayaks and other small craft.

All children 12 years of age and younger on all waters must wear a life jacket while under way on any boat 20 feet in length or less and on all canoes and kayaks. “Underway” includes drifting boats.

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