• Home
• Discover Bend Oregon
• Where to Stay
• What to Do
• How To Get Here
• Move Here
• Plan a Meeting
• About Us

There’s a clause in the City of Bend residency code stating that unless you float the Deschutes River at least once a summer, your Bend citizenship will be revoked.

While no such rules apply to Bend visitors, I don’t recommend flirting with the possibility of having your vacation taken away. Why would you risk it, when the Deschutes River float is one of the most supremely fun endeavors you can enjoy in our fair city?

For those unfamiliar with the area, it can seem a little daunting. You see all the smiling, happy people floating past as you stroll through the Old Mill District for dinner or shopping, but um…well, how do they get there? And what are the rules?

Hey, relax. Floating the river like a local is a cinch.

The easiest place to kick off your river float is from Riverbend Park, though another great spot is Farewell Bend Park just a little upstream on the opposite shore just under the Bill Healy Memorial Bridge. Either place offers a safe, sandy shore for you to launch your air mattress, float tube, or raft.

There are a few rules you need to know before you hop in the water. Under Oregon law, all boats must carry a Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device (PFD) for every person onboard or being towed. Children under 12 must wear PFDs at all times on a moving boat, including inflatable rafts and kayaks. That doesn’t include individual air mattresses, inner tubes and floating toys. However, if any of these are tied together, they count as “boats” and the PFD law applies.

Don’t have an inner tube or a PFD? No problem.

Head over to Riverbend Park and look for the little trailer with the Sun Country Tours logo on the side. Not only do they rent float tubes and standup paddle boards, they loan free PFD devices to children 12 and under. For those over 12, the cost of a PFD is just $2. Tube rental is $10 for two hours or $15 for the whole day.

Another great option for rentals is Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe. Their tube rental runs $10 for two hours, $20 a day. They also rent PFDs, canoes, kayaks, and standup paddle boards and are conveniently located close to the Old Mill District.

Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to floating the river. I’m a big fan of the single air mattress and a slow, easy stroke to keep myself heading straight. Of course, the last time I floated a few weeks ago, I ended up sharing a single air mattress with another person and one cowering, shivering dog who didn’t seem to grasp the concept of paddling along beside me in her new doggie life jacket. Hey, we made it work.

When you reach the Columbia Avenue bridge, you have the option of hopping out there and concluding your float, or walking around the bridge, getting back in the water, and continuing your float into Drake Park. Either way, your options for returning to your car upriver are to (a) walk, (b) float with a pal and pre-arrange to have a second car at your takeout spot, or (c) catch a shuttle.

The shuttle is the easiest option, and it’s available seven days a week. The Ride the River shuttle operates Friday through Monday and you can find a schedule right here. Cost is $1.50 for individual rides, or $3 for an all-day, waterproof bracelet that entitles you to unlimited rides.

Sun Country operates a shuttle Tuesday through Thursday when the Ride the River shuttle doesn’t run. Theirs doesn’t offer single-trip rates, but the $3 unlimited pass is still a great deal.

OK, so now you’re all set with your floatie and your trip logistics. Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

• Make sure you have some sort of water shoes that stay on your feet. Tevas or Keens are a good idea. I’ve lost flip-flops in the muck, and going shoeless is a bad plan when you hop out of the water and realize you need to hoof it across a hot and rocky landscape.
• Though you’re unlikely to fall in the water unless you’re horsing around or doing it on purpose to cool off, it’s smart to have your sunglasses on a little tether around your neck.
• Pay attention to the signs as you approach the Columbia Avenue bridge. It’s well marked and pretty obvious where you’re supposed to exit, and it’s easy to make it out in plenty of time. Still, you need to pay attention. Going over the spillway would be a lousy way to end your Bend vacation with a trip to the emergency room.
• No drinking alcoholic beverages. Seriously. This isn’t a place for impaired judgment, and if I see you littering the river by dropping a beer bottle in the water, I will retrieve it and beat you over the head with it before popping your air mattress and pushing you over the spillway.
• Have fun! This is a given, and there’s pretty much no way to avoid it.

Any questions about floating the river? Ask away!

And be sure to wave if you see me out there. I’ll be the one in the blue bikini trying to convince a whimpering Australian Kelpie that her place is not riding atop the air mattress like Cleopatra.

---

Comments are closed.