By Ben Cohen, Co-Founder & COO

This Friday, May 22, we open the 2026 Green River tubing season at Wilderness Cove. By the time we hand the first tube to the first guest, our team will have spent more than a month getting the river, the fleet, and the shop ready. Most of it happens out of sight. I figured this year I’d walk you through what actually goes into opening day, why we picked May 22, and what to expect if you’re coming out Memorial Day weekend.

How We Pick Opening Day

The most common question I get this time of year is some version of “why don’t you open earlier?” The short answer is that the Green River doesn’t warm up the way the air does. Mountain rivers run on snowmelt and shaded headwaters, and our stretch of the river is still cold well into May.

We watch three things to set the date:

• Water temperature. We want the river in the mid-60s or warmer for a tube float. Cold water shock is the single biggest risk to first-time floaters, and the CDC’s drowning prevention guidance is clear that even strong swimmers struggle in cold water.
• Flow rate. Tubing wants a steady, moderate flow. We use the USGS gauge upstream of us to track CFS daily. Too low and you scrape the bottom; too high and the rapids in the lower section turn into something tubers shouldn’t be on.
• Weather window. We need at least a few consecutive days in the 70s on land before we open. Cold rain plus cold water is a bad combination even with life jackets on.

By the second week of May, all three numbers are usually pointing the right direction. We locked in May 22 and started the final push.

What We Check Before the First Tube Hits the Water

Every spring the same checklist runs from the shop out to the takeout. Some of it is routine. Some of it is the stuff that nobody notices unless we skip it.

• Mini Cats and Inflatable Kayaks. Every single Mini Cat and Inflatable Kayak in the fleet gets inflated, inspected for slow leaks, and pressure-tested. Anything questionable comes out of rotation. We replace a meaningful chunk of the fleet every year.
• Life jackets. We sort by youth, child, and adult sizes and pull anything with a torn strap or compromised foam. PFDs that fail inspection don’t get fixed, they get retired.
• Launch and takeout points. Both spots get walked. We clear any new deadfall, check footing, look for new exposed rebar or sharp rocks, and mark any hazards.
• Shuttle vehicles. Our shuttles run from takeout back to the launch all day on tubing days. Each one gets a full pre-season service, new tires if needed, and a fresh first-aid kit.
• Staff training. The whole tubing team walks through the safety briefing together, runs the float themselves, and practices the cold-water and missing-person scenarios. Nobody hands out a tube on opening weekend who hasn’t done this.

For folks who want to understand the regulatory side of this work, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission boating safety pages are a good primer on what’s required of any outfitter on a North Carolina river.

What’s Different in 2026

A few things we changed for this season:

• Tubing Available to Everyone. Last year as we recovered from Hurricane Helene we initially restricted tubing to campground guests as both a safety measure (the cove couldn’t handle too much traffic) and a capacity measure (we lost our entire tubing and shuttle bus inventory in the Hurricane Helene floods). By the end of last season, we were open to both campground and non-campground guests, and that is how we intend to operate going forward.
• More Floats Available & Private Group Bookings. We’ve reopened our full slate of tubing floats for every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as Memorial Day and Labor Day.  We are also welcoming private tubing floats for groups of 10 or more on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Private group tubing floats must be booked in advance.
• Walk-ins Allowed, but Not Recommended. Last year we simply didn’t have the operational capacity to accept many walk-ins. This year, while we are once again welcoming walk-ins, we strongly encourage booking online in advance. We expect many tubing floats to be fully booked in advance so to be sure you can get on the river when you want to, you likely need to book in advance. The rates on our website here are also lower than the rates you’ll find anywhere else or as a walk-in.

None of this is dramatic. Most of running a campground well is just listening, adjusting, and showing up again next year.

What to Expect Memorial Day Weekend

Tubing this season runs Thursday through Sunday each week. Memorial Day weekend is our first real test of the season, and the lineup is straightforward:

• Check in at the camp store at least 15 minutes before your scheduled float time for tube rentals, life jackets, and the safety briefing. Don’t skip the briefing, even if you’ve floated with us before.
• Grab your float. Launch right into the Green River directly from the Wilderness Cove beach.
• Float at your own pace. The full run takes roughly 2.5-3.5 hours depending on flow and how many times you stop to swim.
• Walk to the takeout and catch the shuttle back to the campground.

If you want to make a full weekend of it, we have RV sites, glamping tents, cottages, and the Green River Guest House available. You can book a site or stay here. Sites for the big summer weekends tend to fill weeks in advance, so the earlier the better.

If You’re New to River Tubing

Four things we tell every first-timer:

1. Wear the life jacket the whole time. Not tied to the tube, on your body.
2. Hydrate before you launch. The river is cool but the sun is strong, and you’ll be on the water longer than you think.
3. Leave the phone in the car or in a real waterproof case. The river takes phones. It has not given any back.
4. Listen to the staff at the launch. They know that day’s flow and conditions better than any website does, including ours.

The Green River is one of the great Southeast tubing rivers, and our stretch is genuinely beautiful. For folks who want to know more about the river itself, American Whitewater’s Green River page is a good resource, especially if you’re curious about the more technical sections downstream of us.

See You at the River

Opening day is always a little bit of a held breath, even after doing this for years. Then the first family walks out of the shop carrying their tubes and life jackets and headed toward the shuttle, and the whole season clicks into motion.

If you’ve been before, welcome back. If you’ve never floated with us, this is a great year to try it. The river is ready. The team is ready. May 22 can’t come fast enough.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Wilderness Cove tubing open in 2026?

The 2026 Green River tubing season at Wilderness Cove opens Friday, May 22. Tubing runs Thursday through Sunday each week through the summer season.

Do I need to book tubing in advance?

Walk-ups are welcome for tube rentals, but on most weekends, especially holidays (Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day), it’s smart to book your float well in advance. If you’re also booking a campsite, glamping tent, or cottage, those should be reserved well in advance — summer weekends fill up fast.

Is the Green River safe for kids?

Our tubing stretch is family-friendly with mostly mellow water and a few playful riffles. Every guest, including kids, wears a properly fitted life jacket the entire float. Parents should stay close to younger floaters and follow the safety briefing we give at the camp store. Children under 18 must be supervised by an adult at all times on property and on the water. All kids must be 48″+ inches and 10+ years old to float with us.

What should I bring on the float?

Sunscreen (apply before launching), a hat, water shoes or river sandals with a back strap, and a refillable water bottle that floats. Leave your phone in a dry bag or in your vehicle. Don’t bring glass containers of any kind onto the river. Our camp store is stocked with anything you might forget.