Every organization we link to: local tourism offices, the state and federal agencies that manage the land, the nonprofits and clubs that keep access open, and the universities doing the research.
West Virginia has roughly 1.5 million acres of public land and a handful of places that carry almost all of the attention. The consequence is that a great deal of very good ground sits nearly empty, usually for one of three reasons: nobody has heard of it, the road in is gated or rough, or it is undeveloped and has nothing to advertise. Those are the places below — of them across regions.
Almost Heaven Swings
River tubing in West Virginia
Floating a river on a tube is one of the most popular ways to spend a hot afternoon in West Virginia, and one of the cheapest: warm, slow-moving water, a tube, and a ride back to where you parked. This page lists the floats worth knowing by region, the outfitters that rent tubes and run shuttles, and the stretches of river where tubing is a bad idea.
More West Virginians spend a summer afternoon on a tube than in a raft, but tubing is much harder to find good information about.
Rafting companies publish schedules and prices. Tubing mostly happens without any of that — two cars, a cooler and somebody's own tubes — and the outfitters that do rent tubes and run shuttles tend to be small, seasonal and slow to update a website. Where we could not confirm that a business is still open, we say so. Call ahead before you drive.
Floats by region
Greenbrier River — Fort Spring to Alderson
The best tubing river in the state, and one of the quietest. Wide, shallow, warm and slow, running through farmland and limestone bluffs with the Greenbrier River Trail on the bank beside you.
Late summer means walking the shallows. Check the gauge for minimum floatable flow before you drive.
Greenbrier River — Caldwell to Ronceverte
The stretch below Caldwell is the local float: gravel bars, swimming holes and easy current, with WVDNR-published access points and mileages the whole way down.
No commercial tube shuttle on this reach — you need two cars or a bike on the rail-trail.
Cacapon River — above Largent to Stoney Creek
The other good tubing river, and much quieter. Clear water through Morgan and Hampshire counties with very little commercial traffic and long unhurried pools.
A long float — start early and take more water than you think you need.
Shenandoah River — Millville Dam to Harpers Ferry
The flatwater float at Harpers Ferry and the most developed tubing operation in the state. Self-guided, coolers allowed, shuttle included, with the town and the heights rising ahead of you.
Two-person minimum on a reservation. Season passes run Thursday to Sunday, 10:30 to 2:30, Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Potomac River — Bakerton Road to Potomac Wayside
The whitewater tube float: five miles through the Potomac Water Gap and the White Horse rapids, with life jackets mandatory and a safety briefing before you launch.
This is moving whitewater in a tube, not a lazy river. It crosses into Maryland and Virginia water.
If anyone in the group is nervous, put them on the Shenandoah flatwater float instead.
Cheat headwaters at Parsons
A short, cold, clear float where the Black Fork, Shavers Fork and Dry Fork come together at Parsons. Shuttle up, drift back to the outpost.
Tubing on the Cheat happens at Parsons, not at Albright — the Albright reach is serious whitewater.
Headwater water stays cold well into July. Bring a layer for afterwards.
Middle Fork at Audra State Park
The swimming-hole reach below Audra's rock ledges, long a local tubing spot with a park store that historically rented tubes for a few dollars a day.
The park's tube rental could not be confirmed as still operating. Call Audra State Park before you count on renting there.
Alum Cave Trail and the boardwalk under the rock overhang are worth the walk while you are there.
South Branch Potomac — the Trough
Beautiful float water through a steep-walled gorge with no road access, watched over by bald eagles and paralleled by the Potomac Eagle excursion train.
No tubing operator here could be confirmed as currently in business. Treat this as a bring-your-own float and arrange your own shuttle.
WVDNR publishes put-in to take-out mileages for the whole South Branch — plan off those, not off a map estimate.
New River near Hinton and Sandstone
Wide, warm and slow above the gorge, and a genuinely pleasant float in a canoe or on a raft.
Float it, do not tube it. WVDNR warns about this reach specifically — the current is stronger than it looks and Sandstone Falls is downstream.
If you want New River water in a tube, use the flatwater at Bluestone Lake instead.
Coal River — Tornado to St Albans
The family float river closest to Charleston, with a marked water trail, cleaned-up access points and a volunteer group that rents canoes and kayaks.
Rentals here are paddle craft only — no tubes. Season dates shift, so confirm before driving out.
Best of the metro-area floats if you want a river day without leaving the Kanawha Valley.
Elk River below Sutton
Cold tailwater below Sutton Dam that turns into pleasant summer float water further down, through some of the emptiest country in the state.
Commercial support is thin to nonexistent. Self-supported only, and dam releases change the river fast.
This is trophy trout water up top — expect anglers and give them room.
Middle Island Creek
The longest creek in the state, looping through Doddridge and Tyler counties in enormous slow bends. Almost nobody floats it, so you will usually have it to yourself.
Low water in late summer turns it into a wade. Early summer is the window.
Before you get on the water
Water temperature sets the season
Most West Virginia rivers are comfortable from June into August. Highland headwaters such as the Cheat at Parsons stay cold well into July, and by late August many reaches are too low to float without walking.
Levels decide the day
Tubing needs a minimum floatable flow. Check the USGS gauge for your reach before you drive — a river that was perfect last weekend can be a gravel walk this one.
Glass is out
Glass and disposable containers are prohibited or discouraged on most managed sections. Rules vary between state parks, federal water and private land.
Getting a shuttle is the hard part
Only a handful of West Virginia rivers have a commercial tube shuttle. Everywhere else you need two vehicles, a bike, or a very patient friend.
Outfitters, shuttles and campgrounds
Placement for tube rental, shuttle services and riverside camping.
List your business here