Tubing season's open and the Horseshoe Loop is already a parking lot on weekends. Here's the version I give people who text me asking where to go.

If you want the easiest day with the least thinking involved, go to Whitewater Sports at 11860 FM 306. They've been at it since 1972, they sit at the end of the Horseshoe, and their tubes don't feel like a pool float from H-E-B. Heavy rubber. Real bottoms. You'll notice the difference about 90 minutes in when the cheap ones start sagging.

Tube Haus down the road at 12454 FM 306 is the other one I send people to. Open since '78, parking's included with the rental — which sounds minor until you're at one of the spots charging $20 to park on top of the $25 tube.

If you've got money to spend and you don't want to deal with shuttles or coolers or any of it, Son's Guadalupe in New Braunfels rents riverside cabanas. You walk out of the cabana, step onto the river, float, walk back. That's the whole day. It's not cheap but for a group of 6 it's the most civilized way to do this.

Skip the put-ins on the south side of New Braunfels in July. The water's lower, slower, more crowded, and you'll spend more time scraping your butt on the rocks than floating.

A few things nobody tells you.

The water is cold. People hear "Texas river in June" and picture bathwater. The Guadalupe below Canyon Lake dam comes out of the bottom of the lake at around 55–60 degrees. Bring a long-sleeve. I'm not joking. I've seen grown men shaking by hour three.

Cans, no glass, and the can ban from a few years back is real — Comal County still enforces single-use container rules in spots and your cooler size is capped. Read the sign at the outfitter. Don't argue with the river patrol, they've heard it.

Park your second car at the takeout before you start. Or pay for the shuttle. Do not be the guy at 6pm trying to hitchhike back to his truck in wet board shorts. I've picked that guy up twice.

Now the part that's actually about real estate, because I can't help myself. The stretch of the Guadalupe between the dam and the third crossing is some of the most valuable river-adjacent dirt in the state, and it's why Canyon Lake and New Braunfels keep posting the numbers they do. New Braunfels' median sale price hit $400,000 in May 2026 per Movoto, with homes moving in 13 days on market — that's a 77% drop in days-on-market year over year. The river is a big part of why.

If you're shopping river property, two things buyers miss: most of these lots are on private well and aerobic septic, and a Hill Country aerobic system runs $17,000–$26,000 to install plus $300–$600 a year to maintain. The other one — Comal County had a New Braunfels Utilities well shut down in April after testing positive for E. coli. City supply was fine, but it's a reminder that water out here isn't a given. Ask about the well log. Ask about the aquifer (Trinity or Edwards). Ask when the septic was last pumped.

For the float itself though, none of that matters. Bring sunscreen, a long-sleeve, a cheap pair of shoes you don't mind losing, and cash for the shuttle. Put in by 10am or don't bother on a Saturday.

That's it. Go float.

Data sourced from Movoto (May 2026 New Braunfels sales data) and San Antonio Express-News (NBU well shutdown, April 20, 2026). Verify current numbers with a local agent before acting.