The Square Life

Break out your water shoes--it’s time to start tubing again!

Once you’re tired of the slides at Seven Peaks, fed up with the homework in your summer classes, and bored out of your mind with your call-center summer job, a trip down Provo River can provide you with the relaxing break you might need. Even if your parents are funding the lazy days of your vacation, take a break from lounging on the couch and grab a tube. At about $10 a person, you and your sweet someone can lay back and soak up some sun and water while admiring the peaceful scenery of Provo Canyon. Or you could round up a group of friends and rent a raft or two and race them.

Because the water is really last winter’s snow, you might want to pack a wetsuit (you can rent those along with your flotation devices at some places) if you go at the beginning or end of the summer.

Renting tubes and rafts is much easier than bringing your own because they drive you to the drop off point. Just look to your right for High Country Rafting’s big, yellow sign; it’s about halfway up the canyon. Still, if you do decide to go at it yourself, be sure to have two cars—one to drop you off and the second to drive you back up the canyon to pick up the first car.
Whether it’s the fresh air in the trees or the break from the stress here in the Valley, you’re sure to breathe easier on the Provo River.

IF YOU GO
What to wear:
swim trunks
well-secured shoes (sandals, watershoes, etc.)
sunscreen

What to bring:
cash for rental
a camera
friends

Safety tips:
Listen closely to the guide or you might end up wrapped around a bridge pylon.
Watch out for the brush on the river banks.

What to try:
Try buying tractor inner tubes at a farm equipment dealership. Larger tubes=more people per tube=more fun.