Tubing the Yampa River

Thing To Do Tubing the Yampa River
Floating the river is always a Steamboat favorite! Tubing the river is pretty unique to Steamboat. Other Colorado towns may try to emulate the experience, heck, Disney even tries to emulate the experience! Rest assured, there is no substitute for the real thing.


We recommend renting tubes from our friends at Backdoor Sports. As their name indicates, you hop in your tube right outside their backdoor. They’ll even rent you a dry bag for belongings you don’t want to get wet.. After you’ve floated the Yampa for a stretch, their private shuttles whisk you back to their shop where your dry clothes await. Trust us, this is much easier than buying and inflating your own tubes, riding a public bus in your bathing suit or shuttling cars to two different locations (with limited parking).

Stop off at various riverside restaurants along the ride or just soak up the sun on an outdoor deck after your tubing trip is over.

Tubing season usually begins in June and goes through August, however, conditions are reliant on snow-melt and rainfall. Too high or too low water levels means that the river will be closed to tubers.

Tubing lasts 1-3 hours depending on river flow and where you are entering and exiting. It’s a great idea for cooling off in the midday sun or float in the early evening for a serene and scenic ride.

And, of course, to guarantee that your Steamboat tubing adventures go swimmingly, pair them with a perfect chalet from Moving Mountains. Most of our chalets come equipped with hot tubs, several of our properties have heated outdoor pools, and all come with our insider knowledge and recommendations on the best ways to make the most of your Steamboat family vacation. Start your search for the perfect Steamboat summer vacation rental right here.