Riverside Canoe and Tube Rentals offers canoe, kayak, and inner tube trips on the historic New River’s South Fork, based in Crumpler, North Carolina. Open seven days a week from 8am to 5pm, May 1st through October 31st, the business gives paddlers a range of trip lengths to fit different schedules, from a quick 2-hour float to a full 8-hour adventure.
Canoe and kayak trips include shuttle service and all equipment (life jackets and paddles), with options ranging from a 5-mile, roughly 2-hour trip to Plum Nearly Road, up through progressively longer routes to the 221 Access, Fulton Reeves Road, and the 14-mile, 8-hour trip to J.E. Gentry Road. Overnight canoe and kayak rentals are also available, priced per calendar day. Inner tube trips run 2.5 miles (about 2 hours) or 5 miles (about 4 hours), with cooler tubes available at the same rate as the trip length chosen. For guests bringing their own boats, shuttle-only service is available by reservation, with rates varying by drop-off and pickup point.
Beyond river trips, Riverside offers rustic camping cabin rentals on-site. Cabins 1 and 2 are simple one-room cabins with no plumbing or electricity, each sleeping up to 4 across a double bed, an air mattress platform, and a small loft, with a fire pit, charcoal grill, and picnic table outside. Cabin 3 has two rooms with electricity (but no plumbing), two twin beds, a futon, a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker, though no air conditioning or stove. A shared bath house with hot showers sits about 100 feet from the cabins.
Reservations are preferred on weekdays and required on weekends and holidays; walk-ins are always welcome, and groups of 10 or more must call ahead. Because mountain weather can shift quickly and unpredictably, the business recommends calling ahead to confirm current river and weather conditions rather than relying solely on a local forecast.
For paddlers and campers looking to explore North Carolina’s New River by canoe, kayak, or tube, with rustic cabin camping available on-site, Riverside Canoe and Tube Rentals offers a well-established, family-friendly outfitter in Crumpler.
