River Tubing Near Minnetonka
The nearest tubing to Minnetonka is over the Wisconsin line on the Apple River, where River's Edge Apple River Campground and Apple River Family Campground both charge $22 a tube, about 50 minutes' drive away. On the Minnesota side, Welch Mill on the Cannon River ($20) and Country Camping Tent & RV Park on the Rum River ($18, the cheapest tube here) are each roughly an hour out.
The seven differ most on how you get a tube and who you share the water with. Three work strictly first come, first served, so a hot Saturday means a line, while Country Camping takes bookings only and keeps Saturdays for its own campers. The Apple River has a rowdier reputation than the Minnesota rivers, and at the far end of the drive the Zumbro offers quieter water and the Platte the strictest rules.
Our picks
- Lowest tube price, booked ahead: Country Camping Tent & RV Park. $18 a tube and $14 for a cooler tube on the Rum River, with day visitors floating Sunday through Friday by reservation.
- Longest, quietest stretch of water: Zumbro River Ratz. Six miles of the Zumbro from Hammond, 2 to 4 hours on the water, open only in June, July and August; bring cash.
- A family day with non-floaters along: Two Rivers Campground & Tubing. A pool, mini golf, an arcade and a river beach for anyone staying dry, and a stated zero tolerance for drunkenness.
- Floating a cooler for less: Ma's Irvington Campground & Rentals. $10 for the cooler tube, the lowest here, though every trip carries a $40 minimum.
At a glance
| Option | Tube Rental | Cooler Tube | River | Float Time | Reservations | Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $22source | $15source | Apple Riversource | 2.5–3.5source | First come, first servedsource | 1820 Raleigh Rd, New Richmond, WI 54017source | |
| $22source | $22source | Apple Riversource | 2.5source | 345 Church Hill Road, Somerset, WI 54025source | ||
| $20source | Cannon Riversource | 2–4source | First come, first servedsource | 26389 County 7 Blvd, Welch, MN 55089source | ||
| $18source | $14source | Rum Riversource | 3source | Requiredsource | 27437 Palm St NW, Isanti, MN 55040source | |
| $20source | $10source | Red Cedar Riversource | 2–3source | Required on weekdayssource | E4176 County Road D, Menomonie, WI 54751source | |
| $20source | $20source | Zumbro Riversource | 2–4source | First come, first servedsource | 59155 County Road 2, Millville, MNsource | |
| $24source | $20source | Platte Riversource | 5116 145th St NW, Royalton, MN 56373source |
Walk up or book ahead
River's Edge, Welch Mill and Zumbro River Ratz take no tubing reservations. Welch Mill books only groups of 25 or more, so everyone else lines up. Country Camping is the opposite: it requires a booking, Saturdays go to registered campers, and buses leave on the hour on weekdays and every half hour at weekends.
Two more places have rules that change by day. Ma's Irvington Campground runs drop-in rentals on weekends from 10am, with the last pickup at 6:30pm, but weekdays are by appointment. Apple River Family Campground runs weekday trips, Sunday through Thursday, only for groups of four or more, so a pair heading out midweek should pick another outfitter.
Apple River crowds or a quieter Minnesota float
Both Apple River operators charge $22 and float the same stretch, but they are not the same day out. River's Edge has run trips since the early 1970s, charges again for each re-float, and draws the river's rowdier crowd. Apple River Family is the quieter, family-first neighbor, and its trips end at its own Capone Deck, though its cooler tube costs $22, as much as a person's.
The two farthest outfitters make a different kind of day. Zumbro River Ratz, in Millville, is the plainest outfit here and usually the quietest. Two Rivers at Royalton charges $24, the most for a tube, and sets the firmest rules: children must be five and 42 inches tall, and you cannot bring your own tube because only renters may use its landing.
Cash, age limits and what to pack
Welch Mill and Zumbro River Ratz take cash only, and Welch Mill also holds a driver's license as a deposit. River's Edge turns away children under five and charges for parking Friday through Sunday. Country Camping does not supply life jackets for tubing, Apple River Family requires water shoes and bans glass and styrofoam, and Welch Mill checks coolers for glass rather than renting a tube to float them.
The options in detail
River's Edge Apple River Campground
River's Edge has been running tube trips on the Apple River since the early 1970s and is the closest thing here to an all day operation: the fee covers the tube, a private landing and the bus back, and you pay again each time you re-float. The float itself runs about three and a half miles. There is no reservation system, so summer Saturdays mean waiting in line, and this is the Apple River, which draws a rowdier crowd than the Minnesota rivers on this list. Parking costs extra Friday through Sunday and children under five are not allowed on the water.
Apple River Family Campground
A quieter, family first neighbour on the same stretch of the Apple River, run as part of a large Somerset campground. Weekend trips are shuttled to a drop off point and end back at the campground's Capone Deck, where you return the tubes. The catch is the weekday policy: Sunday through Thursday they only run trips for groups of four or more, so a midweek pair should look elsewhere. Water shoes are required, glass and styrofoam are banned on the river, and trips are cancelled when the forecast shows a 60 percent chance of bad weather.
Welch Mill Canoeing, Tubing & Kayaking
The Cannon River institution, family owned since 1972 and sitting in the tiny village of Welch. You choose between a short beginner float and a longer scenic one, and either way a bus takes you upstream and you drift back to the car. Two things catch people out: there is no reservation system for tubing unless your group is 25 or more, and they take cash only, no cards or cheques, plus a driver's licence held as a deposit. Almost every parking lot in Welch is private, so use theirs.
Country Camping Tent & RV Park
The Rum River option, and the easiest one to reach from the north metro. It is based at a campground with a pool and a splash pad, so the float can be one part of a longer day. Unlike most places here it runs on bookings rather than queues, and Saturdays are reserved for registered campers, which leaves Sunday through Friday for day visitors. Buses leave on the hour on weekdays and every half hour at weekends, the walk back from the landing is about a quarter mile, and life jackets are not supplied for tubing, so bring your own if you want one.
Ma's Irvington Campground & Rentals
A small campground on the Red Cedar River a mile south of Menomonie, and the only place on this list that offers a genuine choice of trip length: a shorter run from the camp down to Downsville, or a half day float that starts in town. It is the most informal operation here. Weekend rentals are drop in from 10am with the last pick up at 6:30pm, weekdays are by appointment, and there is a forty dollar minimum per trip, so one person on their own pays for more than one tube. Kayaks, canoes and inflatable trackers run the same routes.
Zumbro River Ratz
A small family run outfit in Millville with one trip on offer: six miles of the Zumbro from Hammond back down to their landing, with a free ride upriver for anyone who rents a tube. It is the plainest operation on this list. Cash only, no lift for your own tubes, no rubbish service, and they open only in June, July and August when the river is behaving. In return you get the longest stretch of water here and, being furthest from the metro, usually the quietest.
Two Rivers Campground & Tubing
A big family campground where the Platte meets the Mississippi at Royalton, and the strictest of these places about behaviour: they say plainly that they do not tolerate drunkenness, children must be five years old and 42 inches tall, and you may not bring your own tube at all, since only their renters may use the private landing. The fee covers the tube, the shuttle and that landing. Non floaters get a pool, mini golf, an arcade and a river beach. It is the farthest north of these options, and low water closes the tubing in dry summers.
How we researched this
Three conditions set the list: an outfitter rents tubes, runs its own shuttle upriver, and sits within about 90 minutes of Minnetonka, which is why three of the seven are in Wisconsin. Lanesboro's Root River outfitters, Pardun's in Danbury and the Otter Tail and Crow Wing operators are farther than that. Canoe and kayak liveries from Cannon Falls to Taylors Falls rent boats, not tubes; the lower St. Croix has no commercial tubing at all. Float-Rite Park has closed, Rum River Campground in Onamia no longer advertises tubes since changing hands, and Apple River Hideaway in Somerset may still operate but its website has lapsed, leaving no current price to show.
Each price is one tube for one trip at the rate for people not camping there. Ma's $20 is its shorter route, and Apple River Family's $22 is its Friday-to-Sunday rate. Two Rivers publishes no float time and no tubing booking rule, and Apple River Family states no booking rule either, which is why those rows have gaps. These are 2026 summer prices: Welch Mill runs Memorial Day to Labor Day, Zumbro River Ratz only June through August, and Two Rivers had tubing closed for low water when its page was read, so check the river level with the outfitter on the morning you plan to go.