Great way to spend a beautiful summer afternoon! Tubes are just $14 ($17 if you want one with a back rest). The long course took us about 3 hours to float, with a mix of rapids and calm water. They have tubes you can rent as well to carry your coolers, filled with whatever will get your through a few hours of floating! (No glass though) An old school bus picks you up at the end and takes you back to the store. They also will hold your belongings behind the counter while you're on the water. Right on the main strip of Lanesboro, a cute old town with many restaurants, bars, and little shops right within a block or so from the store front. read more

My niece and I have been tubing on the river for years and we look forward to this annual experience. We went out on Sunday and we were told that the river was "running faster than normal" and the route would take two hours instead of the usual three. We thought that might be nice because the weather was kind of chilly and we didn't know if we wanted to be there for three hours. That said, we did not know that the river running faster would mean that it would also feel dangerous in certain parts and the rapids were a lot rougher than normal. We were pushed into various parts of the river where there were sharp rocks and fallen trees jutting out. I understand that root river outfitters doesn't have anything to do with nature, but I do think that there should be a warning about how the river running fast also means that the river is running more rough at certain points. My tube was pushed into a large tree branch from behind and I cracked my neck and I have been in pain ever since. I am not blaming root river outfitters for the situation, but I do think that they should at least let people know what they are getting into when they are going to be having a two hour experience on a river where they really don't have an opportunity to get off if they feel in danger or uncomfortable. This is just something I think that they should inform people before they go. read more

Great day on the root river. Easy parking and drop off with root river outfitters. Would recommend!

This place is great for your tubing the root river needs! Next time I want to do a longer day on kayaks! We did float root river June 20....it was very cold! As in your ass will be unpleasantly cold until you come to the section where the north and south root rivers merge (it's easily 10° warmer!). Friendly quick and easy! Don't forget the sunscreen! read more

We had a big group and rented 8 canoes! We started at Old Resort Barn and ended at Lanesboro. The service was AMAZING. The guys that helped us with the canoes were hilarious and made our adventure even more fun. Good company and would highly recommend renting from them for your river needs! :) read more

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Smooth kayak rental and beautiful paddle down the Root River. Gentlemen answered all my questions about the Root as this was my first paddle on it. Courteous and easy to use, talk to, etc. This was a weekday so very easy rental! read more

My family and I went kayaking down the Root River and rented from Root River Outfitters. We had an amazing time and it's such a beautiful River. Root River Outfitters made it smooth sailing for us getting on and off the River. I highly recommend renting from them on your next trip down the River. Great people and amazing customer service. Thanks again Caleb and crew for all your help! read more

10/13/2019. Neat place. Staff is excellent. River guide was exceptional. I set up a river drift. Arrived a southern city boy with dreams of fly fishing. Arrived on first snowfall of season with 4 layers of southern-ese clothing. It wasn't enough. Staff provided proper winter clothing and boots. WOW! Drifted the river. Caught a few rainbow trout. Guide was patient, understanding, knowledgeable and taught me about gear. Trip was enjoyable and far exceeded expectations. Very fun times. It was my second time fly fishing. Recommend this place to beginners and experienced alike. read more

If giving zero stars was a thing they would get it. They are so unprofessional and extremely rude we only wanted to rent one tube for 15 minutes and they wouldn't so we were leaving and saw about 8 people going down a 3 hour ride in there tubes like wtf read more

7/16/16, my 3 nieces (in their 20s), my sister, and I were enjoying an afternoon tubing on the Root River. We rented tubes from Root River Outfitters (RRO) in Lanesboro, MN. Customers have the opportunity to get picked up by RRO's bus to return to their business location. This was us. Among a sea of 30+ individuals, we --the only Asian women-- sat towards the back of the bus. Suddenly, we heard, "I want to fuck them Asians." Moments later, there was some commotion behind us; I turned to see that a man who was seated behind my sister had gotten up and moved. His friend he was sitting with had pulled his penis out from his swimming trunks and was peeing in the direction of my niece all over the bus seat and floor. The man proceeded to hold his penis and lewdly smile at me and the rest of the passengers around him. Others of his party laughed. There was no sign of remorse, embarrassment, or urgency present in his face or in his body language to indicate that this was purely an accident. He had no intention of averting his penis to hide it or to ensure urine didn't get on anyone. This was an egregious act of racism and sexual perversion--not an accident. During the entire bus ride, there was 1 staff member seated at the front by the driver. Both were completely unaware. When we arrived at Root River Outfitters, I informed the bus driver and staff member immediately of what happened. Someone had opened the emergency exit at the back of the bus, so he and his party had already exited. I told the staff members what he wore and what he looked like, and which direction he went in. I was greeted with apathy. I know from my own work experience that staff should not confront or attempt to apprehend a perpetrator--I did not want them to confront him and risk getting hurt. However, if the staff deemed this incident/hate crime as one of major concern and urgency, they would have immediately taken action to contact local law enforcement--instead of just standing around. Every staff member I talked to offered no assistance, sympathy or support. I ran to confront him in the parking lot. As I walked away to get my phone, someone yelled, "Fuck them Asians" from the car. I called the cops and drove up to Root River Outfitters and parked in front of their office in their lot. Our presence was evident, but no one approached us. Everything was business as usual: closing down the shop and counting their money they made for the day. I realized that RRO had absolutely no concern to address what happened on/in their property, with us paying customers, during the time of our patronage. I demanded to meet the manager & was pointed over to Julie Charlebois, one of the owners of RRO, who was meticulously counting the cash they had made for the day. Wouldn't you, as the proprietor, have any concern over your customer's safety and care after they reported such a lewd and vile act? Wouldn't you set your money down for 2 minutes to check in with your customers to ensure they receive help and that help was on the way? Apparently not. I explained the situation and demanded a full refund -- especially for showing such lack of concern. She told me that her staff was concerned that they told her when she came in to close the shop and went so far as to claim that they did, in fact, call the police. That was a complete lie. (On the police report that included their narrative and perspective, there was no phone call indicated on the behalf of RRO.) In terms of the refund, Julie said she would only give us half or she could give us a free trip the next time we visited. She refused to give us the full refund and sourly handed my sister $30. I insisted that RRO needed to do more to ensure that this didn't happen again to future customers. She was argumentative and dismissives. While acknowledging that she can't control people and their actions, I explained that the environment of the bus was unsafe and that it could be structured strategically to ensure safety and protection for ALL customers. She plainly stated that that's why families are able to load first and are invited to sit in the front as to ensure their safety. I advised that this was not enough and suggested that a staff member should at least sit in the back of the bus to monitor the passengers and ensure customer safety throughout the bus--not just in the front. She ignored this request. To further add insult to injury, Julie stated that I SHOULD NOT MAKE THE SITUATION MORE COMPLICATED BY ADDING RACE INTO THIS DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE INCIDENT WAS ENTIRELY RACE AND SEX-BASED! This was undoubtedly a HATE CRIME. She tried to reduce this incident and insist it due to alcohol by comparing our situation another one she encountered: inebriated female who urinated in front of her male staff. NOT SAME. No consideration to change policies and standard, nor to find and ban the individual. The bus that was urinated on, went back to pick up the rest of the tubes without getting sanitized. GROSS. read more

Highly recommended. Beautiful canoe trip down the river. Staff was a bit brusque and could have done more orientation to kayaking and canoeing for newcomers. Nevertheless, business has been family owned and operated for 30 years and is a favorite with locals. read more

I was very disappointed with Root River Outfitters because they do not stay consistent with their hours that they have posted on their website. On 7/10/2017, me and my friend had driven three hours to spend the day on the river and rent tubs from Root River Outfitters. We arrived before 2pm. When we arrived, the three employees were sitting around talking and smoking a cig out front by the tubs. They had informed us that they stopped with the long tub rides at 1pm that day because, "After a long weekend, are employees want to go home early". This was so frustrating and disappointing. I had checked earlier that day on their website about the hours. I had also called in the morning to confirm they were open. Not until we got there, did we know they were closing early to "give the employees more time off". The employees were not helpful, understanding, or friendly. If you are going to close early, at least put it on your website and let people know when they call. It is not a good business model for businesses to close whenever they feel like giving their teenage employees more time to sit around and smoke cigs. read more