21 Lazy Rivers to Float This Summer
Beat the heat this summer by floating down these gentle rivers across the U.S. (with a cooler in tow, of course).
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Snake River, Idaho
Salt River, Arizona
Boulder Creek, Colorado
Merced River, California
Chattahoochee River, Georgia
Trinity River, Texas
James River, Virginia
Go from the river to the vineyard in Virginia, where you can float the James River in the morning and drink local wine in the afternoon. Take a two- to four-hour tube trip from James River Runners in Scottsville, then explore wineries there and in the Charlottesville area, home of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Further into the Blue Ridge Mountains, tube with Twin River Outfitters in Buchanan then hit the Wine Trail to Botetourt County.
Root River, Minnesota
Portneuf River, Idaho
Arkansas River, Colorado
Sinking Creek, Missouri
Yakima River, Washington
French Broad River, North Carolina
Portage River, Alaska
Shenandoah River, Virginia
Russian River, California
Frio River, Texas
Farmington River, Connecticut
Snake River, Wyoming
Kennebec River, Maine
Maine's Kennebec River is well-known for its whitewater rafting, but you'll find fairly gentle rapids here, too, and they'll keep your tube trip interesting. For 6.5 miles of floating with a few Class I and II rapids, grab a tube and a shuttle from Three Rivers Whitewater in West Forks.