San Marcos
River

The closest river tubing near Austin Texas is the San Marcos River. It's about a 45 minute drive south and located in an old German college town. If you're driving from Austin, you'll head 30 miles south on IH35. The river float itself is about 3.5-4 hours, so worth the drive. We offer all-inclusive trips including roundtrip transportation from Austin, ice, coolers, tubes, and cooler tubes if you don't want to worry about the logistics. Just BYOB! 

 

During the summer, it's quite common to have 100 degree days here. We are pretty lucky that the San Marcos river stays 72 degree all year around and really is the best way to beat the heat. Keep notice of the nature out there. Its easy to have a few too many beers, but check out the massive roots on the cypress trees. They are over 300 years old it'll put you in a mediation state. If you get down there early enough, you'll run into heaps of turtles basking in the sun. It's so cool that we can share the river with the animals.

 

Drinking alcohol is allowed down at the San Marcos River and cans are still allowed on the portion of river we float. Glass and styrofoam are NOT allowed on the San Marcos River. Please pack out your trash. We always provide onion bags down there for trash that y'all can use.

 

There are two ways to get to the San Marcos River. You can drive down there yourself and rent tubes on arrival or book a ride with us. If you decide to drive down there, pick one of the several different rental outfitters and just show up. No reservations are needed.  Once you park, rent a tube and most outfitters down there include a shuttle back up to the parking lot. Bring your cooler ready with ice.

 

If you're not looking to drive from Austin, skip the need for a DD and come with us! We offer roundtrip transportation plus from the Austin Visitors Center. We recommend catching a ride if you don't have a designated driver. This trip is great for locals and visitors alike. All trips with us from Austin skip all lines down at the river as well, perfect for those 100 degree days where the entrance line gets long.

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Some things to take out there are hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and water. You could probably get away with no water shoes but if you do bring them, cooler tubes are a great spot to store them while floating. Sun shirts have come in handy and watches are nice to keep time. People lose phones often, so be careful!