Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing
Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
About
OPEN: May - Labor Day
Smoky Mountain River Rat has offered Tubing adventures on the Little River since 1995! River Rat is the closest and highest-rated Tubing Outpost to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Knoxville in the Peaceful Side of The Smokies. Tube once or all day long down two tubing routes. Riverside Cabana Rentals also available. Ages include 3+ years old. Open 7 days (May-Labor Day). **Reservations Required Before Arrival**
Want more PADDLE, SPLASH & PLAY? Our River Rat Whitewater Rafting Outpost offers unforgettable guided expeditions for the whole family - from Extreme to Serene. Our adventures are on the Pigeon River in Hartford, TN - near Gatlinburg and conveniently located off I-40 at the TN/NC border. We are the closest rafting outpost to Gatlinburg, Knoxville and Pigeon Forge. The most fun you will ever have on the water awaits you on the Pigeon River. All experience levels welcome!
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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4.5
1,414 reviews
Excellent
1,112
Very good
193
Average
46
Poor
19
Terrible
44
Snowflake1211
Neenah, WI131 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
We were suppose to go white water rafting with River Rats in Hartford, TN but the river was too high and weren't taking anybody. I had paid for tubing (only $13 with white water rafting). They refunded my money no problem but when we got to the tubing, it cost us $65. I guess if your white water rating trip gets canceled they don't honor the $13 tubing. It was a bummer. But we had a ton of fun so didn't damper our experience. You can buy tethers for $5 ($2 refund if returned) so you can tie your tubes together. Lots of people used their lifejackets as well.
Because of the high water level, Outpost B was 18+ (normally I think it's 6+). But we did Outpost A 3 times in 1 day. After you finish your trip, you load up on a bus and it takes you back to River Rats. Normally it was pretty fast (less than 5 minutes) but the 2nd time we went there was a large backup as a balloon festival was in town and caused a huge traffic jam on the highway. The bus line was long but one young man kept the line in good spirits by throwing tubes to the top of the pile. We all watched as he threw it to the top, probably 10 tubes high, all cheering when it stayed and sad if it rolled off. People started chanting "tube god, tube god". You had to be there but I wanted to give him a shout out for keeping us entertained.
I'm hoping we can go back and try Outpost B or their White Water Rafting someday. Highly recommend!
Because of the high water level, Outpost B was 18+ (normally I think it's 6+). But we did Outpost A 3 times in 1 day. After you finish your trip, you load up on a bus and it takes you back to River Rats. Normally it was pretty fast (less than 5 minutes) but the 2nd time we went there was a large backup as a balloon festival was in town and caused a huge traffic jam on the highway. The bus line was long but one young man kept the line in good spirits by throwing tubes to the top of the pile. We all watched as he threw it to the top, probably 10 tubes high, all cheering when it stayed and sad if it rolled off. People started chanting "tube god, tube god". You had to be there but I wanted to give him a shout out for keeping us entertained.
I'm hoping we can go back and try Outpost B or their White Water Rafting someday. Highly recommend!
Written August 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelly K
Menomonee Falls, WI19 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
I would have given a 3 for my actual float today but I consider it my fault as I assumed it would be like tubing back in WI, where you tie your tubes together and the only concern is running out of beer…this is a river that REQUIRES you pony up the $7 to buy a river stick or a paddle. We only had 1 stick for 4 of us and the 3 without a stick spent the entire ride getting un-stuck from the rocks, edge of the river etc. just buy the stick or paddle and your float will be a five or better yet bring one and don’t forget rope to tie yourselves together. Some float places provide rope and carabiners to connect the tubes but they don’t here. I consider myself a float expert of the wisco variety but failed here. Definitely come as the staff is fabulous and the river beautiful just do it better than me! Have fun and float on!!
Written June 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel McInerney Mangum
1 contribution
Aug 2021 • Family
We have been coming to River Rat for multiple years now as an annual family vacation activity. The rafting upper pigeon with unlimited tubing add on is definitely the way to go, but be sure to book your rafting trip at time of purchase so you don’t miss out.
We had 15 participants, so they required 2 boats. Our guides, Rein and “Frank”, we amazing! They coordinated splash challenges and “King of the Boat” activities that allowed us to interact with each other during calmer parts of the trip.
10 out of 10, SO much fun!!!
We had 15 participants, so they required 2 boats. Our guides, Rein and “Frank”, we amazing! They coordinated splash challenges and “King of the Boat” activities that allowed us to interact with each other during calmer parts of the trip.
10 out of 10, SO much fun!!!
Written August 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiffany S
Newport News, VA20 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
They definitely have a great system going, especially compared to places in other states where we have tubes. We did not have to wait for the shuttle at all once we reached our exiting point which was nice.
The reason I rated this just average is because I feel like before you pay they should tell you that you need to expect to do a lot of walking and a lot of using your arms to get down the river. The water level read “low” on their website, however not knowing exactly what that meant like many others we bought tickets. It wasn’t until we entered the tunnel to get into the lake that a staff member told us that we would be doing about 30 mins of walking total. Convenient now that we had paid $50 to tube. I was miserable. Tubing is supposed to be relaxing but we were unable to do that because as soon as you lay your head back to chill, you’ve got to get out of your tube and walk it for 5-7 mins. Then you get back in and a few minutes later you’re having to use a stick or your arms to push off of rocks. It was very tiring and I would not recommend going when the water reads very low or low, most especially if you aren’t wanting a workout!
I know if the water had been higher it would probably have been one of the better tubing experiences we’ve had, but unfortunately we missed out and won’t be back in that area again so we won’t be able to give it another try.
The reason I rated this just average is because I feel like before you pay they should tell you that you need to expect to do a lot of walking and a lot of using your arms to get down the river. The water level read “low” on their website, however not knowing exactly what that meant like many others we bought tickets. It wasn’t until we entered the tunnel to get into the lake that a staff member told us that we would be doing about 30 mins of walking total. Convenient now that we had paid $50 to tube. I was miserable. Tubing is supposed to be relaxing but we were unable to do that because as soon as you lay your head back to chill, you’ve got to get out of your tube and walk it for 5-7 mins. Then you get back in and a few minutes later you’re having to use a stick or your arms to push off of rocks. It was very tiring and I would not recommend going when the water reads very low or low, most especially if you aren’t wanting a workout!
I know if the water had been higher it would probably have been one of the better tubing experiences we’ve had, but unfortunately we missed out and won’t be back in that area again so we won’t be able to give it another try.
Written June 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
littleliser
King, NC27 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Fun time! We booked and paid online but honestly we could have just shown up - it wasn’t terribly crowded on Sunday at 11am (not complaining!) Sun was hot, river was cool and refreshing. We stopped at the swimming hole and some of our group jumped off the rock. We all felt like we could have controlled our tubes more if we had a paddle/oar or a stick, but we managed to mostly stay on course without them! We went twice in a row and that took a good four hours (no rock jumping the second time, which made the journey quicker). Reasonably priced! Pack a picnic lunch (we didn’t and wished we had) or buy a snack from the snack truck. The drive through the valley from our cabin in Sevierville was beautiful, too. Recommend this adventure if you’re into tubing - but we were all first timers at it and still enjoyed it immensely !
Written August 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bret
1 contribution
Jul 2022 • Family
This has to be the worst staff I have ever encountered. They are extremely rude and were not any help at all. The only person that seemed to have any common sense was the bus driver. Whoever manages this place needs to clean house before they end up asking for pennies at a local Walmart. If you are a family looking for decent service and a great time look elsewhere because there are many other CHEAPER OPTIONS. #acrossthestreet
Written July 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katrina H
Indianapolis, IN1 contribution
Jul 2022 • Family
We had an amazing time!!! We read the reviews prior to booking so we decided to book only on an average water day… not low since we didn’t want to get stuck. We also brought our own life jackets because of what people said and we bought paddles. Do these things and your experience will be wonderful. I didn’t have to get out of my tube at all with the paddle which made the likelihood of injury unlikely. We floated down twice and loved every minute of it. The transport back was quick and easy and the water was so relaxing and refreshing. We went at 1000 am and after the first time we ate and drank and went again. I would suggest a lunch in a cooler in the car. They have picnic tables. Lots of swimming gear. People who bought sticks and paddles did much better than those who did not navigating the rocks.
Written July 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelly Y
Minerva, OH33 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
Well I thought this was terrible! First of all we went online to “reserve” our time slot and paid online. When we arrived, all we saw was a massive line of people… No one working there was at the entrance to guide anyone to the correct line… thankfully I had multiple family members with me so one set of people waited in this unknown line… while I went inside one of the buildings where I saw another line formed separately in there 😠. So I waited there Finally got to the desk where an actual worker was, after about 30 minutes of waiting. That’s where I got the wrist bands and they scanned my online bar code.. so I found my other family members we then had to wait in another line in the hot hot sun for over an hour to even get in the river..
Personally, I feel if you go online to purchase your tickets, (they make you choose a time) then they should have that saved as your reservation!!!! And a separate line for “walk ins” I hated this whole experience and will NEVER do this again!!! We also didn’t know till we got there that the water was extremely low!! We couldn’t even float down most of this “river”. My son at one point, got his leg stuck in a rock and almost drowned in one part!! I hated this so much!!!
Personally, I feel if you go online to purchase your tickets, (they make you choose a time) then they should have that saved as your reservation!!!! And a separate line for “walk ins” I hated this whole experience and will NEVER do this again!!! We also didn’t know till we got there that the water was extremely low!! We couldn’t even float down most of this “river”. My son at one point, got his leg stuck in a rock and almost drowned in one part!! I hated this so much!!!
Written July 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GKKindle
Kansas City, KS14 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
We had a great time rafting on the Upper Pigeon trip. Our guide, Shenandoah, was awesome. We had pre-teens, teens and grandparents along and everyone enjoyed the trip. It was just enough excitement but not enough to be scary. All of the staff members we came in contact with were friendly and helpful. All of the equipment was new and the transport buses were clean and comfortable. Safety on the river is taken seriously with an in-depth safety lesson before you load the buses. Highly recommend this firm if you want to enjoy a rafting trip while visiting the Smokey Mountains.
Written August 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keith K
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Family
Bryce was our guide when me and my son floated the extreme float and he was excellent. He said he normally manages but they were short staffed that day so he had to guide that day. Him and the entire staff seemed very excited to assist everyone on the float and was very enthusiastic and entertaining. At one point, the guide and a girl fell out of the raft behind us going through some rapids and we slowed down and Bryce was able to bring the girl up into our raft until we were able yo return her to her raft. She was shook up but ok. From my view watching the other rafting companies on the river that day, Smoky Mountain River Rats had the best overall guides that seemed to have the most fun but were also very professional. I would completely recommend them as the rafting company to choose if you are planning a trip in the area.
Written July 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for sharing such kind words about our Rat Pack. Bryce is an awesome Manager and a great guide! We're proud to house some of the best raft guides on the river.
We love to hear about unforgettable adventures like yours and we appreciate you for sharing all about your Xtreme Upper Pigeon trip!
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You have accidentally left this review on our Tubing page. We really appreciate you for leaving it, so would you mind copying this over to our River Rat Whitewater page?
Please follow this direct link below to get to our River Rat Whitewater TripAdvisor listing: Tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g55090-d2182250-Reviews-River_Rat_Whitewater-Hartford_Tennessee.html
Written July 17, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
MichelleThomass
Fraser, MI23 contributions
Hello I was wondering how was the company handling social distancing for the bus / shuttle ride and are masks required?
Jacob C
12 contributions
We went there around Memorial Day, and I was a little concerned about the preventive measures regarding COVID-19 as we wrongly thought the curve was flattening. No masks is somewhat understandable since you are on the water and can socially distance yourself in the river. However, the lines entering and exiting the river may cause you some concern. We were crammed into the "Rat Tunnel" with several other individuals as we waited to enter the river. The same packed line is also inevitable as you exit and wait for the shuttle. The shuttle was loaded with a little over a dozen of us and impossible to be socially distant. Still really fun and needed after being cooped up for so long. Not sure if they have taken any measures since then, but I would expect the same situation.
Corey
Amarillo, TX
Can you bring a cooler with adult beverages to float with you?
Hello! Both coolers and adult beverages (illegal to consume on river in Townsend, TN) are not allowed on the river, so we recommend that you enjoy your beverages before and after your tubing trip. As the float only lasts about 1.5-2 hours on average, and there is nowhere along the route to pull off and picnic, it's most convenient to enjoy your refreshments this way anyway. You're welcome to bring non-alcholic drinks with you as long as they can be secured to your tube somehow (water bottle clips and nalgenes are available in our Gift Shop), and they are not in cans or glass containers. More info can be found on the Tubing Know Before You Go page of our website!
jangels007
Manchester TN256 contributions
How fast is the slower float? Any safety issues or injuries?
valsgirl
Myrtle Beach, SC37 contributions
You float on tubes. Self controlled. Small children were going down the same time we were... they were fine. Only danger is sunburn... wear good sunscreen.
Skully
Coxs Creek, KY109 contributions
Does River Rat offer a premium tube like some of the others? My dad will need one.
Tiferoonie
Lake Butler, FL238 contributions
I only saw two types of tubes. One had a hole in the bottom the other was solid. What do you mean by premium? They are big well made tubes.
Son-of-Poochmas
Wilton Manors, FL221 contributions
How long does the tubing trip last ?
Ben
Harrisburg, IL10 contributions
Post A Approx 1:45
Post B Approx :45
austin_autumn
Springfield, MO180 contributions
Has anybody taken a four year old? We are coming in July and this looks like fun, I'm just a little concerned from a safety standpoint due to her age.
valsgirl
Myrtle Beach, SC37 contributions
Absolutely!! We're bringing more family back up to go again! We all have small kids and it's awesome!
lauragator00
Nashville, TN2 contributions
How long does the float last?
Kaylie
6 contributions
The float last about 2 hours
Robin S
Panama City Beach1 contribution
What kind of snakes are in the waters..
MAURA M
Columbia, SC158 contributions
We did not see any snakes. However, I believe the above post about water moccasins is inaccurate. Water moccasins do not live in water that cold. You might see brown water snakes, but they are non venomous. The section of the river where you tube is well inhabited and busy with tubers. I don’t think it is really attractive to snakes.
Planning a trip the 1st week of July. What's the water level like? Is it way fast cuz of the rain? I am not a robot btw lol
Kevin G
Georgetown, KY67 contributions
I would suggest calling the place. When I was there it was kinda low but was Ok. They would be the 100% best contact. However, there is a link on their website (I think) that shows you water level. We looked at it and I think it was on their site.
Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing (Townsend) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing
- Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
- Hotels near Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing:
- (0.15 mi) Big Meadow Family Campground
- (0.16 mi) Dock's Motel & Cabins
- (0.32 mi) Townsend Gateway Inn
- (0.16 mi) Riverfront Log Cabin 1 1/2 Mile From The Entrance Of The GSM National Park
- (0.26 mi) Townsend River Breeze Inn
- Restaurants near Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing:
- (0.26 mi) The Artistic Bean
- (0.52 mi) Peaceful Side Social
- (0.85 mi) Trailhead Steak & Trout House
- (0.79 mi) Burger Master Drive-In
- (0.89 mi) Riverstone Family Restaurant