Summer is here, and it’s hot!  And there are few ways to better enjoy the beauty of the New River Valley than plopping down in an inflated tube and drifting lazily – with your beverages of choice – down the New River.

Which is exactly what Natalie and I did on Sunday.

We hadn’t done it in years, and it was a lot of fun.  And judging by the responses I got on Twitter and Facebook, it sounds like a lot of other people are interested in doing it as well.

New River Junction – this is probably the most popular of the groups that organize river floats.  Located down in McCoy, the folks at New River Junction have a whole compound set up, with grills, and picnic tables, and of course tubing.  There’s a fair amount of “different” water – little riffles, and some stronger water that’ll give you a fun ride – but they update the water status on their website, and on their Facebook page.  Cost is as little as $7 per adult.

Tangent Outfitters – the folks at Tangent Outfitters organize river floats in their Radford location.  This is the one we did on Sunday – it’s a much quieter float, but unlike New River Junction, where the water can get pretty low, the water level here assured a much more peaceful time.  The entire trip took about two hours, and a bus picks you up and takes you back to the Tangent parking lot.  Cost is $10 per adult.

Both places allow you to float all day, so feel free to make it an all day event.  And have fun!