We had a wonderful afternoon tubing on the river. Paul is a wonderful host who is attuned to the…read moreriver, its history and modern day stories. The route itself is the right mix of easy rapids and languid stretches, surrounded by unspoiled mountains and shoreline. If you're lucky, Paul might very well treat you to a song he wrote about the river. What a character and what an experience!

It's true even if it's cliché. Spending time in the great outdoors can really change your…read moreperspective and give you a hopefulness that things will be alright. We decided to check out Paul's place because it was fairly close and he was so friendly on the phone when I called for more specific info. It's definitely a laid back and rustic environment but I was all in. Paul takes care of his customers and he was very adamant in teaching us the rules of the river before letting us launch. I had $60 in cash and he would only take $40 even thought the price was listed as $50. It's a great deal for you to kayak, paddle board and tube on the gorgeous river. We had it basically to ourselves that day and it was a revelation. The only thing I'd say is there needs to be upgrades to the life jackets. Most of them were child sized. However, all of the other equipment was well maintained. Please go and support this business!

We had an incredible time with Brian on the Smith River. He took the time to teach the beginners…read morehow to navigate their kayaks and educated us on wildlife along the way. Our crew had a blast! Professional, knowledgeable, and patient!

Spent a few days last week with Brian from Smith River Outfitters on the Smith River. This guy know…read morefly fishing and the Smith River. I was impressed with his knowledge of where to fish, what to use, and the habits of the wildlife on the river. Also find out the his company also does float trips and rental several different types of water craft for river use. It's not often one that a client gets the owner of the business as a guide, I was fortunate. If you decide to fish the Smith call his company and ask for him. He will put you on fish, keep you entertained and provide memories for a lifetime. Check out his web site the pictures are the real deal. I will fish with him again.

called ahead day of and Mike said he would take us. made reservation for 1:30. showed up at 1:30…read moreand Mike told us they were closing and couldn't take us. drove over an hour to get there with no warning. waste of time

Good outfit! We rented kayaks, and they drove us to the launch point and picked us up without…read moreissue. Pretty stretch of river. Made for a pleasant day.

Awesome river for tubing! Ultra relaxing and a few small rapids to keep it fun & interesting…read more Dog-friendly (I tube with my pups) & the parking is easily accessible. There are shuttles & tubes/kayaks for your convenience. I definitely recommend. We will be going back !

People traveled in from out of town. All packed and off to the river, and then Dan River Co…read morecancelled. Said it was too cold. Forecast is 65 and sunny. This was the one trip I would get to do with my kids this year, and they canceled because 65 and sunny is too cold!!! Disappointing doesn't cut it.

In May, Phil and I paddled twice. This trip, we tubed with the grandkids, and it also was GREAT…read more See you in October, we hope. The people, the place -- Riverside is excellent! We are grateful for them.

Last minute tubing trip. Staff were friendly. We had a great time on our 2 hour float trip and will…read morego again.

Looking for fun on the Yadkin River? This is perfect. We took the short trip (2 Hour) which could…read morebe made as long as you want. Loved the unguided paddle on this beautiful river last weekend. Beautiful, wide open spaces gave us a chance to see some of the Fall foliage. Water was a little low due to lack of rain but still lots of fun for our novice/pleasure kayakers. Great Service on the phone and in person.

From the owner: We are a full service outfitter offering Two, four, and six hour river trips on the Yadkin River…read more Enjoy family fun on the class 1 River in a canoe or kayak.

I stayed at this campground recently with my husband and kids in our pop up camper and can only say…read moregreat things about it! They had apartments, cabins, tent sites, and RV sites for rent with electricity and water hookups! They have a playground for kids, picnic tables, a clean bathhouse with warm showers, and a fully stocked camp store! Each site had a picnic table & fire pit and river view! We had so much fun! Best part of all, they have a canoe/kayak trip! We did the 5 mile canoe trip, and it was a blast! Definitely made the trip : )

We were there in early August. The river was pretty low. The office staff was extremely helpful…read morein making suggestions (whether to canoe or kayak) for us and our grandchildren. The person assigned to haul the watercraft and folks to the entry point was pleasant and offered suggestions about navigating the river. We did the "short" route. Next year hope for more water, but definitely plan to return.

Pit stop on our trip out west! We were traveling out I-81 South and decided to break up the trip…read morewith a stop at Claytor Lake. Researching online, I found Mountain 2 Island and ended up booking a 10:30am Tiki Tour boat ride of the lake. It ended up being a private tour with just me & my boyfriend. Jimmy was our captain, and he was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. We had a great tour of the lake and a nice lunch at the Tiki Hut afterwards! Highly recommend this company...they also do boat, kayak and paddleboard rentals as well.

We found Mountain 2 Island Paddleboarding through Claytor Lake State Park (exit 101 off I-81)and…read morechecked out their website. They offer lessons and paddleboard rentals. Lessons are cheaper when you bring more people with you. When we gave them a call no one answered, but someone called right back. The man was extremely nice and answered all of my questions. They were also pretty flexible with reservations days and times which I thought was great. Mtn2Island is next to the Claytor Lake State Park visitor center. You have to pay the $5 dollar Park entrance fee (for park maintenance people, totally worth it!) Transactions were completed through Square using iPads (love that). They fitted us for a paddle, gave us a lifejacket (he said VA law requires you have one with you), and then we got to it. They had the paddleboards down by the dock, and the Mtn2Island people put them in the water for us. The instructor, Issac, was very calm and extremely patient while my younger sister (who is in her 30s by the way) was in hysterics about getting in the water. Another young lady, Rachel, came down to help coax her into giving it a try. It took them about 30 minutes to get her to get in the water, but she did. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be and I don't recommend doing squats the day before because my legs were killing me after, but it was a lot of fun and I would do it again. The waves from the nearby boat made it difficult for me to keep my balance and about that time my sister fell in (she was wearing her life jacket and was totally fine), but she got back on her board and we made it back to the docks.

AMAZING TIME and I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting that wants to float on the river…read more Now, you float for about an hour and then they pick u up and take u back to the beginning where u can do it all over again. They never once complained, and the driver even thanked me for coming- after I've soaked in the river and am now wet and sitting in HIS vehicle getting a ride back. THANK YOU! We had a great time - went down river 3 times for only $10 and that included the shuttle ride

Great setup if you're interested in tubing without all the hassle that other tubing businesses…read morerequire such as safety classes or life jackets, etc. $ cash to park, but accepts credit cards/debit cards to pay for tubing. Reasonable prices to tube and they offer a tube for cooler's. They have a small store where you can buy soda's, ice cream, and snacks. You can leave your cooler at the landing spot and they have grills set up there where they'll provide the charcoal and light the grill for you. Park, pay the tubing fee, take your receipt to pick up your tube's. They'll hold your driver's license and you can hang your keys at the gate. The River is clean and clear! It can take a good hour to get down to the landing spot or you can hang out in the river and relax. There's two landing spots. The first one is before the small rapids and that's where the grills are located. The second landing is shortly after the rapids. If you get out after the rapids you'll have to walk a short distance to the first landing where you can enjoy a picnic or grill out before boarding the buses to return to home base. Staff are professional and friendly! There's two bathrooms and a shower at home base where you can cleanup or change clothes. I've been three times and I've enjoyed each time. When the River is low the water depth is up to your knee in most place's and can go up to your waist in a few places. The depth of the River after the rapids is what I'd say requires swimming in some areas. If you can't swim or aren't wearing a life jacket I wouldn't go down the rapids. Their season goes until the end of September and during September they're only open on the weekends. They open at 10:00 a.m.

Thank you NC River Rides for an amazing and magical experience. Our curated trip started at…read moredaybreak with a warm welcome from Ryann and Tony. We proceeded on the quiet and peaceful Yadkin River with Tony covering safety guidelines and important information about the current conditions of the river. We started our birding while Tony watched the river alerting us to specific conditions, allowing us to focus more on birding. Tony also gave us information about locations popular with birds. During calm times, Tony gave us a history of the area and the Yadkin River. The highlight of the morning for all of us was watching the Belted Kingfishers interact with each other fishing along the way. The mid-morning break was a scene from a five-star dining experience. Ryann spent hours preparing a special breakfast for us. On a river island, she setup a table with a white linen tablecloth and food to satisfy any palette. After this filling rest stop, we continued on the river finding other birds including an Indigo Bunting. Again, Tony's support gave us the time to bird and soak in the beautiful surroundings. We finished our trip watching swallows dance around their mud homes. We are deeply grateful to Ryann and Tony for their efforts providing us with a memorable and magical trip. We highly recommend their tours to anyone looking for a wonderful birding experience or for a relaxing trip enjoying the beauty of the Yadkin River. Anita and Rod Tosten

Very nice group of people from check in to the time we returned. We did not have to wait long when…read morehe arrived and they were there waiting to pick us up when we returned. Beautiful area to tube in and we had a great time. I would definitely go again.