Guadalupe River, New Braunfels

River Sports Tube Rentals - I will NEVER use this tubing service again. A recent trip cost us $75 for 4 of us, and 2 in the group had their own personal tubes. We were charged a "personal equipment fee" by this place for having our own tubes, which only included parking (not shuttle service), as we had to walk to the riverbank ourselves. The fees were outrageous, but then at the beginning of the float, a tube my sister had rented from them started to deflate on it's own from one of the "patched" holes. She's panicking and starting to sink, so my boyfriend had to swim across to another tube rental to get a new one. Come to find out that the new place was friendlier and WAY CHEAPER than the crap we had to put up with at River Sports. When we got back from our float, we tried to get a refund from the owner for the deflated tube. He refused. The attitude we got there, the lack of customer service, and the horrible rates (which seem to be the only things inflated over there) gave us plenty of reason to never go back to this tube rental again.

One of the most popular and fastest growing outdoor activities in Texas is “river tubing”. With summer temperatures reaching 100 plus degrees, many Texans head for the Guadalupe River to stay cool. Outfitters rent inner tubes that originally came from 18 wheeler trucks or school buses. Most Outfitters offer a choice of tubes with a tough plastic bottom or without a bottom… the tubes with bottoms provide a more comfortable ride down the river. In my travels around Texas, I came upon a section of the Guadalupe River in Canyon Lake, called the "Horseshoe Loop". The Horseshoe Loop is exactly as the name implies, it is a one-mile stretch on the Guadalupe shaped just like a Horseshoe. The "Loop" portion of the name comes into play because you can "put in" at the entry point, which I'll call the "1st Bridge" and float for approximately one hour (depending on river levels) to the "2nd Bridge". Once you exit the river at the 2nd Bridge, you are only a 5-minute walk from the starting point or 1st Bridge, thus completing the loop. This is a very unique section of the Guadalupe because you never need a shuttle ride, you simply just walk 5 minutes between entry and exit points to "tube the loop", as many times as you like! Between “entry and exit” points, are several little cafes and a convenience store, great for a lunch or snack break between floats. Some of the Outfitters have picnic tables where you can relax and take a load off your feet. The best picture of the "Horseshoe Loop" I could find is on River Sports Tubes.com at: http://www.riversportstubes.com/shortfloat.htm
Their diagram of the Horseshoe Loop shows a complete picture of both Bridges and entry and exit points. They offer very good directions to the immediate area on their Web site and a "Tubing Checklist" which I highly recommend for everyone! Alcohol is allowed on the river, but "Glass and Styrofoam" are prohibited and carry fines of up to $500 per violation, so make sure your drinks are in cans or plastic containers. Have fun "Tubing the Horseshoe Loop"!

Finally-I found a spot on the river where I can relax without too many beer swilling day trippers (only during the week) It is pretty lame to float the river by yourself and I looked for many places that were convienient and provided a river front view and a shade tree to read and daydream under. Prince Solms park has a concrete walking path along the river with a grassy embankment and plenty of trees. The further down the path you go, the less people you will encounter. This is a great spot for swimming, the current isn't too fast. If you are wanting to float, there are plenty of tube vendors across the street. The biggest attraction is the Tube Chute, an S shaped slide down Stinky Falls.

Comal River Tube Chute, in my opinion the best thing to do in New Braunfels if you are male 15-25. The Comal river is a warm spring fed river that is great for swimming and tubing. The tube chute is located at the beginning of the river, you can go down the chute with or without a tube, although only strong swimmers should go without. The river is packed in the summer months, tons of girls and tons of beer. Great Fun!

For a bit of gruesome tale. In the Guadalupe River area cannibalism thrived in the 1840s and on the nights of May 4 and 5, 1845, Tonkawa Indians apparently consumed the cooked and fried flesh of a Waco Indian. Tonkawa squaws boasted to a a number of settlers they met pounding their stomachs and grinningly saying they hoped by eating the warriors flesh their off-spring would be as brave as the Waco warrior had been.
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The Guadalupe River is in Canyon Lake Texas, a little paradise in the middle of the Texas Hill Country. It starts at Canyon Dam and flow through New Braunfels for about 18 miles. It is one of the most popular tubing rivers in Texas.

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Along the Guadalupe River is scenic River Road. Starting in downtown New Braunfels, it offers some excellent scenery.

The Guadalupe River is a great place for this popular activity. You can rent a tube and just kick back, as you slowly drift downstream.

Absolutely, one of the best times I've ever had! But, I got so sunburned ... Take Sunscreen! Love it, gotta do it again soon!