Tubing Indiana: Best Lazy River Float Trips in 2025

While floating down a lazy river at a waterpark can be enjoyable, floating down a real river simply can’t be beaten. When it comes to enjoying the outdoors, Indiana provides an array of activities. Among these are the opportunities for tubing, a leisurely, fun water activity that has gained popularity over the years. With many rivers to choose from, tubing in Indiana has become a favorite pastime for locals and tourists.

In this guide, we’ll explore the top Indiana float trips, highlighting the unique features of each river and providing details on rentals, trip lengths, and highlights. We’ll also share insider tips for planning your perfect tubing adventure day trip. Let’s dive in and discover the best tubing experiences that Indiana has to offer!

And if tubing isn’t for your family, check out the kayak and canoe deals these Indiana river rentals offer!

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Indiana Tubing on Sugarcreek River

Located in west-central Indiana, Sugar Creek (sometimes called Sugarcreek River) is a popular tubing destination known for its natural beauty and calm, meandering waters. Sugar Creek provides an ideal spot for a leisurely river float by flooding past sandstone bluffs, shady woodlands, and even a few covered bridges. Here are two of the best places for river tubing on Sugar Creek:

Sugar Valley Canoe

• Address: 1467 IN-47, Marshall, IN 47859
• Pricing: $15 per tube
• Trip length: 3-miles which typically takes 2-3 hours
• Reservations: Online reservations (must be at least 5 days in advance);  765-597-2364

Located in Marshall, Indiana, the Sugar Valley Canoe Trips offer a chance to experience the serene Sugarcreek River. This site is popular for a river tube trip, offering the perfect blend of relaxation and fun.

What to Expect: Travel past Turkey Run and Shades State Parks, under historic covered bridges, and over sandbars where you can hunt for rocks, fossils, and indigenous beads. The creek’s gentle current makes it easy for families and beginners to enjoy.

Trip Highlights: Float down a stream once known as “Pun-go-se-co-ne” or “Water of Many Sugar Trees” by the Piankeshaw Indians.

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Sugar Creek Campground

• Address: 841 W 83N, Crawfordsville IN 47933
• Pricing: $14/ Per Tube
• Trip length: 3-4 hours
• Reservations: Online reservations shut down 24 hours prior to arrival. Reserve here.

Sugar Creek Campground, located in Crawfordsville, is a premier camping host for outdoor family activities, including lazy river tubing trips, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing.

What to Expect: Sugar Creek Campground offers nearly 48 acres of pure family fun, including half a mile of beautiful Sugar Creek frontage. Tubing trips launch mornings through midday (9am–12pm) and can last for several hours, giving you plenty of time to soak up the sun and scenery as you float downstream. The creek’s calm waters and the Campground’s new amenities – including a remodeled bathhouse with rinse-off stations and private dressing rooms – make for a comfortable family outing.

Trip Highlights: Enjoy the peaceful, wooded surroundings and the chance to stop on gravel bars along the way for a picnic or a quick swim. The natural beauty and gentle current of Sugar Creek provide a perfect backdrop for creating family memories on a hot summer day.

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Tubing on Whitewater River 

Located in southeastern Indiana, the Whitewater River is one of the state’s fastest-flowing rivers, offering a slightly more adventurous tubing experience. Don’t let the name fool you – this is a Class I stream, meaning it’s mostly gentle current with occasional faster riffles that add a bit of thrill. The Whitewater River winds through scenic rural landscapes and is a popular destination for all kinds of paddling. Two outfitters stand out for Whitewater River tubing trips:

Whitewater Canoe Rental

• Location: Whitewater Canoe Rental has locations on the Whitewater River on US Hwy 52 in Brookville, Metamora, and New Trenton, Indiana.
• Pricing: $25 (Monday-Thursday), $22.50 (Friday-Sunday & holidays)
• Trip length: 3-4 hours
• Reservations: 765-647-5434

Whitewater Canoe Rental has offered scenic canoe, kayak, raft and tubing trips on the Whitewater River for decades. They operate several locations along the river (on US Hwy 52 in the Brookville area), making it easy to find a put-in point.

What to Expect: Expect a variety of water sports activities suited for individuals, families, and groups of any size. The Whitewater River’s fast current makes it ideal for tubing, offering a thrilling experience for all.

Trip Highlights: The combination of the Whitewater’s gentle rapids and calm pools makes for an exciting lazy river tubing experience. You’ll get just enough current in spots to pick up speed and spin your tube, followed by tranquil stretches where you can lie back and soak in the scenery. Many consider this one of Indiana’s must-do tubing adventures for its blend of relaxation and mild thrills.

Morgan’s Outdoor Adventures

• Address: 7040 Whitewater River Ln, Brookville, IN 47012
• Pricing: $30 per person (weekdays); $35 per person (weekends)
• Trip length: 5 miles, typically lasts 2.5 – 4 hours depending on the river flow
• Reservations: Reservations are required. Book online here.  

Also in Brookville, Morgan’s Outdoor Adventures offers tubing on the Whitewater River—the fastest flowing river in Indiana.

What to Expect: Tubing at Morgan’s Outdoor Adventures is suitable for all skill levels, thanks to the Whitewater River’s Class 1 stream. A 5-mile river tubing trip on the river’s beautiful upper section is offered, with different prices for weekdays and weekends.

Trip Highlights: The fast flowing Whitewater River and the option to rent an inner tube for your cooler (aka a cooler tube) are unique highlights of this location.

White River Tube Trips

The White River in central Indiana has become another go-to spot for tubing, especially for those near Indianapolis. This river has a slow, gentle flow as it meanders through forested areas and towns north of Indy – making it perfect for a lazy float on a warm day. White River Canoe Company is a popular outfitter offering tube trips on the river, giving Indy-area adventurers a convenient tubing option close to home.

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White River Canoe Company

• Address: 17180 River Road, Noblesville, IN 46062
• Pricing: $25 per person for a short tube trip; $30 per person for the longer trip
• Trip Length: Two options – a 1-mile beginner loop (about 1–1.5 hours) or a 3.5-mile trip (about 4–5 hours float time)
• Reservations: Recommended, especially on weekends (online booking available); walk-ins welcome on weekdays if space allows.

Based in Noblesville, White River Canoe Company offers river tube rentals and trips on the West Fork of the White River, serving areas from Anderson to Fishers in Hamilton and Madison counties.

What to Expect: The White River provides a calm and scenic tubing experience ideal for families and first-timers. The current here is generally slow, allowing you to relax and paddle or swim without drifting too far.

Trip Highlights: One highlight is floating under Potter’s Bridge on the long trip, which adds a historic charm to your adventure. The outfitter provides high-quality tubes with backrests and cup holders, as well as separate cooler tubes for rent, so you can tether your cooler and keep drinks cold during the journey. The easy logistics (start and end at their facilities) and the river’s gentle nature make this an excellent tubing choice for those in the Indianapolis area looking for a quick outdoor escape.

Canoe Country

• Address: 6660 S County Rd 900 W, Daleville, IN 47334
• Pricing: $15 per person for a 2-mile tube trip, or $17 for a 5-mile trip (about 4 hours)
• Trip Length: Two tubing routes are offered on this undeveloped stretch of the White River: a shorter 2-mile float (2 hours) or a longer 5-mile float (4 hours)
• Reservations: Advance reservations can be made online or by phone, though same-day walk-ins are accommodated due to hourly shuttle departures.

What to Expect: A peaceful float through a scenic, largely undeveloped section of the White River, where it’s easy to imagine Indiana as it was 200 years ago. The river here is clean with a mix of calm waters and light rapids to keep things fun. Staff provide all equipment (tubes, life vests, etc.) and will help launch you on the river.
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Tippecanoe River Tube Trips

Northern Indiana’s Tippecanoe River is another popular destination for lazy river tubing. The “Tippe” offers clear waters, a sandy bottom, and a relaxed pace as it flows through rural farmland and wooded areas. Two outfitters in Pulaski County provide great tubing experiences on the Tippecanoe:

Riverside Canoes

• Address: 589 E Old State Rd 14, Winamac, IN 46996
• Pricing: Standard tubes – $20 per adult on weekdays (Monday–Thursday) and $27 per adult on weekends; children 12 and under are $15 (weekdays) or $22 (weekends). Cooler tube floats are available for ~$22. Deluxe “Red Lounge” tubes (with backrests) rent for $30 on weekdays and $37 on weekends.
• Trip length: 3.5 miles, average trip duration is 3-4 hours
• Reservations: Tubing season typically begins in late June each year (dependent on water levels and weather). Online reservations are available and highly recommended, as weekend slots can sell out. Reservations can be made online here. 

Located in Winamac, Riverside Canoes (also known as Riverside Rentals) offers a range of water activities on the Tippecanoe River, including lazy river tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and even rafting.

What to Expect: Riverside provides a well-organized tubing experience. You’ll park at their facility and take a short shuttle ride upriver to the launch point. Depending on river flow, the 3.5-mile float back to the base typically takes around 3 to 4 hours. The river here is mostly calm and shallow, perfect for a carefree float. Riverside rents sturdy tubes, and you can even rent a special cooler float to carry your beverages (no Styrofoam or glass allowed, of course). They offer two types of tubes: the standard donut-style inner tubes and the upgraded Red Lounge Tubes that come with a backrest for extra comfort.

Trip Highlights: The main attractions of tubing at Riverside Canoes are the range of difficulty levels and opportunities to try various water sports.

Tippy-Canoe Rentals

• Address: 7510 N 250 E Monterey, IN 46960
• Pricing:  $25/tube; cooler tubes available for an additional fee
• Trip length: 3 miles, 3-4 hours
• Reservations: Reservations can be made online here. Walk-ins accepted if space allows, but weekends often fill up in advance.

The final destination on our tubing Indiana list is Tippy-Canoe Rentals in Monterey. This location offers river float trips on the beautiful Tippecanoe River, including canoe, kayak, and inner tube rentals.

What to Expect: A tubing trip with Tippy-Canoe Rentals is an exciting yet laid-back river adventure. They provide transportation upriver (there’s even a popular route that starts near an old railroad bridge and ends back at the campground), and they’ll transport your personal gear or coolers for you as needed. The river current here is gentle, so feel free to link up with friends’ tubes and socialize as you drift downstream.

Trip Highlights: One unique highlight of Tippy-Canoe is the setting – you’ll float through a beautiful, undeveloped section of the Tippecanoe River that truly lets you unplug. The route often passes under a historic railroad trestle, adding a scenic backdrop to your float (and a great photo op). At the end of your trip, you’ll land right at the campground, where you can picnic, camp overnight, or simply share stories from the day’s float.

Wildcat Creek Tubing

Wildcat Canoe and Kayak Too

• Address: 1850 N 725 E, Lafayette, IN 47905
• Pricing: $15 per person for tube rental, which includes shuttle transportation and a life jacket.
• Trip Length: A 2-hour float
• Reservations: You can call (765) 589-8081 to reserve, or just walk in if you’re feeling spontaneous – the staff will accommodate walk-ups whenever possible. Plan to arrive 15–20 minutes before the set departure times for check-in and waivers.

What to Expect: A short but sweet tubing trip on Wildcat Creek, which is a smaller tributary of the Wabash known for its scenic banks and easy riffles. The float is generally calm; you’ll pass under tree canopies and past farmland, with chances to see wildlife like herons or deer. It’s an ideal beginner-friendly outing or a relaxed add-on to a day in Lafayette.

Indiana’s natural beauty, coupled with its rich history, makes it a fantastic destination for tubing. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned adventurer, the state has a tubing destination that’s just right for you. So why wait? Start planning your next tubing Indiana adventure today, and experience the thrill of floating down Indiana’s beautiful laze rivers.