NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Thousands of tubers are expected to pack New Braunfels waterways for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The Guadalupe and Comal Rivers both run through New Braunfels and are popular summer attractions for tubers beating the heat. Friday and Saturday are expected to be the busiest days of the three-day weekend.
“It will be all the way across, and it will be as far as you can see,” Texas Tubes owner Colie Reno said.
The Fourth of July weekend is often one of the biggest of the year for tubing.
New Braunfels River and Watershed Manager Amy Niles said July 2025 had the lowest recorded amount of recreation of any July in the past decade.
“July was a really terrible month for the flooding events that happened,” Niles said. “So we weren’t expecting high recreation totals that year.”
Niles said current river conditions may still be below historic norms, but they’re some of the best they’ve seen in years.
“We’ve been in a multi-year drought, and so the river levels have been going down, but recently we’ve had some good river flow, and the river flow has come up,” Niles said.
Matthew Hoyt, the owner of Corner Tubes, agreed.
“It’s been so long since it’s been much higher than this that this is a great flow rate; 171’s great,” Hoyt said, referring to the cubic feet per second measurement of the Comal River’s flow.
Tanya Pence, president of Visit New Braunfels, is hoping for a good turnout from tubers and other tourists.
“We want people to come, we need people to come, and we have tons of small businesses here,” Pence said. “That’s kind of what New Braunfels is built on.”
With a busy weekend likely, here are some tips if you’re planning on floating the river:
- Expect to spend about $25 per tuber for a tube and shuttle ride with many of the New Braunfels area tubing outfitters.
- Check with the tubing outfitter you plan to use about parking availability.
- Arrive early (before 11 a.m.) to beat the crowds and get a better shot at parking.
- New Braunfels’ "can ban" prohibits disposable containers on the water in city limits. So put your drinks and food in reusable containers.
- Drink plenty of water, and apply sunscreen liberally.
- Use life jackets for kids and weak swimmers. Free jackets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- If you have young kids, it may be better to try floating on Sunday or a regular weekday, which are typically much less busy.
Visit New Braunfels has more information on tubing both the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers on its website.
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