Take a tubing adventure down the Esopus Creek

Tuesday July 10, 2012 12:24 PM By Taylor Bacic

Photo credit: Handout | A woman tubes down the Esopus Creek with Town Tinker Tube Rental in Phoenicia.

Looking to take a water adventure? Try tubing down the Hudson Valley's Esopus Creek, which provides both stunning views of the Catskill Mountains and white-water fun.

F&S Adventures (29 Main St., Phoenicia; 845-688-7633; fstuberental.com) and Town Tinker Tube Rental (10 Bridge St., Phoenicia; 845-688-5553; towntinker.com) offer tubing packages for couples, families and large groups through September.

Tubing down the Esopus is a longstanding summer tradition for local residents, explained F&S Adventures owner Cheryl Formont, recalling her own childhood in the early ‘70s.

“I did this as a kid,” Formont said. “We painted up our tubes and everything. A lot of local kids would just take to the stream.”

The Esopus Creek, which has Class 2 white water, will likely satisfy both kids (age 12 and up) and adults looking for an adrenaline rush.

“This is not a lazy river," said Heather Jameson, a manager at Town Tinker. "It’s definitely adventurous."

Both companies rent inner tubes, life jackets, wetsuits, helmets, sneakers and anything else you could need for a tubing experience, which lasts from one and a half to two hours.

F&S Adventures is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the final trip leaving at 4 p.m. A basic tubing package, which includes a tube rental, life jacket and ride in the "Green Machine Tube Taxi" after the trip, is $16 per person. Rentals of wet suits, sneakers and helmets are extra.

Town Tinker Tube Rental is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m with the final rentals made at 4 p.m. Tube rental is $15 per person, with additional fees for life jackets ($5), helmets ($3), wetsuits ($15) and tube taxi transportation ($5 per trip). Packages are $25 to $35 per day.

Both companies offer discounted group rates. Call for more information.

Tags: Esopus Creek , tubing , summer , Phoenicia , Ulster , Hudson Valley , waterside