Tubing the Poudre River- The Town Run

Tubing the Poudre is one of the great summertime things to do here in Fort Collins. The two options are either head up the canyon, or take to the river right here in town. The run up the canyon is longer, but it's not as convenient as the one in town.

The best place to start is at the bridge on Shields Street. There are plenty of parking spaces along the road. Some people walk upstream from the bridge before they get in, but it's easiest to launch just down from the bridge.

Much of the float is like a lazy river, but there are enough small rapids to make a few spots interesting. I've found that the best approach to a clean float through the rapids is to stay slightly off of center away from the side with the branches and other obstacles.

The float passes under two pedestrian bridges along the north edge of Lee Martinez Park and past a few rope swings. There's a dam a hundred yards or so past the second bridge, so it's best to get out at the second bridge. Trails on both sides of the river lead back to the top where you can start all over again.

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