Deerfield River Tubing
Sometimes I think we take for granted just how great it is to live in Massachusetts and be a part of New England. From fast-paced big cities, to rugged mountains, and beautiful beaches , New England seems to have it all!
We have been asked many times this summer where we would be taking our traveling adventures to next. Unfortunately, one of our dogs is almost 17 and we’re just not comfortable going away in the event that something would happen to him. I promised Jessica that we would have a fun summer regardless and tubing in Deerfield was a great adventure to check off our summer to do list.
We had seen people tubing on the Deerfield River several years ago when we were up North zip lining and it looked like a blast! /
We are so happy that our friends, and fellow Spooners, Bryan and Lauren were up to floating the day away with us.
With coolers packed, sunscreen, and dry clothes in tow, we got up early ( yes , I know …WHAT?…) and were on the road at 9:00am to head North. Deerfield is approximately a 2 1/2 hour ride for us and our reservation was for 12 so I wanted to allow a little time for pit stops, traffic etc.
We arrived right around 11:30 and checked in. The check-in location is actually a large farm where you’re picked up and taken to the area from which you enter the river. They do have 2 port-a-potties which were a welcome sight after the long ride. 🙃
After checking in and making sure our waiver of liability was signed, we jumped into the passenger van with other river dwellers and we were on our way. The conversation was flowing as easy as the river, but if I were to guess I would say it was about a 20 minute ride to the drop off point.
Upon arrival the staff jumped out of the van to assist us in securing our coolers to a tube and making sure we had a tube that fit. Fun side note: Bryan is a tall drink of water and his tube looked rather small sitting around him….oh boy this was going to be fun!
There is a bit of a downhill hike to the opening of the river which is why they suggest that river riders wear old sneakers. I wouldn’t call it an expert hike but it is fairly steep and slippery so you’re going to take that into consideration when decided to book a trip.
Two Girls Tip: Bring a waterproof bag or a bag to put in your cooler and change out of your sneakers before you get into your tube. You can go barefoot down the hill but I don’t suggest it. You will also want something on your feet for the hike back up… TRUST ME!
We all got into our tubes and I must be honest, putting my cheeks ( yes, those cheeks) into the water was a bit of a shock….but alas we were off to travel the river. Without much in the way of rain, the river was slow moving and a very smooth ride. With that said, every now and then we would hit a “rapid” area where the water was moving faster and somewhat unpredictable given that there were large rocks popping up in those areas. It took a bit of trial and error to realize that we needed to get our “Asses up” (phrase of the day) to avoid taking a hit to the rear end….LOL!
The ride was quiet but that quiet was interrupted by the laughter as we were trying to make our way through those rapid areas. I laughed a good amount of day! I should note that there are places along the river to stop and have lunch.
Due to the lower level of the water, it took us 2 1/2 hours to get to the halfway point of the ride. At this point there is a staff member that asks you if you would like to continue to the end or get off at the halfway point. We were having a lot of fun but it was going to take us another 2 1/2 hours to get to the end of the river so we opted to get off.
Now…here’s where it gets a bit hairy. If you get off at the halfway point, there is a fairly significant hike to get back up to the vans. It is a thigh burning, lung screaming, slippery hike back ! Let’s just say this….it was NOT pretty!! I do want to say that Eric ( one of the staff members) was a complete beast and took both our large coolers up the hike and made it look easy. Ahhhh to be 19 again! Not that I could have done that at 19, but still….ahhhhhhh LOL!
As first timers, I will say that we will be back! The staff was beyond impressive! Other than having to jump into our tubes they did everything for us. This adventure was well worth the cost if $75.00 per person. You must have reservations, and you can book online. We consider this a MUST DO on everyone’s summer list. Click here for information and to make your reservation https://drportage.com/
Just remember “asses up” and tell them Two Girls Spooning sent ya! 🙂
HAVE FUN!
Sara and Jessica 🙂