The speed of the river is dependant on recent rainfall. You can paddle downriver and reach the exit in less than 2 hours. You can relax and and explore the nature of the beautiful river and spend over 4 hours on the river. You can stop at the beautiful park and walk up the path to run the rapids several times. You customize your trip to your liking.  

Once per day we have our safety briefing at 1pm. Arrive at least 1 hour before briefing (12 noon) to register and get prepared.

As soon as the briefing is completed we run the shuttle (approx. 1:05pm) Once your driver gets back from their shuttle ride you can launch your tubes. 

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays except for long weekends.  

We may add a later trip on Fridays (check booking for changes)

If you like high intensity with fast flowing water and rapids at their peak, the best time is May. For some strange reason the Muskrat is far warmer than any other river in Canada so we are the first to open for tubing. We open when the water temp approaches room temperature by mid May and by August 2022 we recorded 90 F. In June the flow starts to slow down but the rapids aren't as intense. July and August are our peak season with the calmest flow (best for young children). Some weekends book up completely. September and Oct is off peak season so we are less busy but we get some of the best river conditions as the water rises. Sunny September days have provided the best conditions yet. We offer discounts before and after peak season. 

Children are all unique in their comfort with watersports. Children as young as 4 have giggled and enjoyed their entire tubing ride. Children as old as 10 have complained that the rapids were too scary. Parents know their children best and are in the best position to decide if this river tubing is suitable for their children. Even children are required to have their own tube. We had parents test the idea of sharing a tube with their small children but found 3 or more hours with a toddler on their lap was uncomfortable and said their children should have their own tube. We can't put age requirements on river tubing because you are using equipment rented from us on a public river. We recommend strongly that each young child has 1 capable adult accompany them. We strongly suggest that parents watch the videos of families floating through the rapids to guage if this is right for your family. We post dozens of videos with children of different ages on Facebook and Instagram. 

If you can't swim you can still go tubing safely if you are wearing a PFD.

Tubing should never be done alone. Bring a buddy with you.

For your safety, you should not go tubing if your health or agility is not sufficient to get back into your tube if you fall out in the river. Tipping out of your tube is quite common, so if you have concerns, you should have an agile person accompany you closely for help.  

We are lucky to have 2 sections of the river to choose from. Both are 3.7 km long and consist of 70% smooth current, 30% fastwater or rapids. Both sections start out with about an hour of flat water. 

May: The Muskrat River is the warmest river in Canada. It reaches 90 degrees F by August. We start tubing as soon as the river approaches room temperature. Our earliest start was May 11th. The high spring water levels create a fast river with exhilerating rapids at several locations. It is common to get tipped out of your tube. The flat water sections are relaxing but move you along quickly. This is not the time to bring young children.  

June: When the high water slows down, the smooth current is calm and tranquil. The rapids are pretty exciting but even young children have a great time. 

July, October: The smooth current section is relaxing but the fast current and rapids are fun.

Plenty have worn their street clothing, but ideally you should have swimwear because you will certainly get wet. We suggest you arrive in your swimwear so you can avoid the changeroom/washroom. Footwear is the most important consideration. Old running shoes are best. Watershoes or sturdy sandals are good. Flip flops, high heels or bare feet are strongly discouraged. There are some sharp objects on the river bottom. 

Our self guided river tubing is very affordable. 

Tube rentals: May: $22, June: $25, July-August $29, September-October $25

Paddle rentals: $3

pfd rentals: $3

Shuttle Ride: $7 (only drivers need the shuttle to take your vehicle to the exit point)

Booking is highly recommended, so you can reserve your equipment on the day your group wants. Walk ins can be accomodated if equipment and shuttle space is still available. Your booking can be postponed or adjustments for any reasonable reason such as bad weather.     

Everyone must attend the safety briefing at 1pm. You must be here to register at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before the safety briefing. 

PFD's for children; it is important that a child's PFD fits properly so if you have a PFD that fits your child at home please bring it. If you don't have them, we has a small selection in various sizes. $3 rental

kayak paddles: We have some paddles for rent for $5, but if you have them already you should bring them and save some $. Paddles are a personal choice. Some prefer to let the river take them and don't want a cumbersome paddle with them. Most prefer having a paddle to manouver around the river. We don't have enough paddles for every tube we rent. 

Footwear: old running shoes and water shoes are best, sturdy sandals are ok, flip flops or bare feet are strongly discouraged because the bottom of the river could have sharp objects. 

towel: leave this in your vehicle so you can dry off after tubing

sunscreen/hats: The river is surrounded by shade trees but you will still gets lots of sun.

bugs spray: unlike most tubing rivers, we rarely see bugs on the Muskrat

Reusable drink container with a clip to tie on to your tubes handle. 

Washrooms are available at our shop, our standard run has a porta potty at the park 1/2 way through and a porta potty at the parking lot where you exit. We expect most people find a simpler option as they float. Standard pool etiquette doesn't apply to rivers.  

The Muskrat River is a unique river that flows in the opposite direction than it should. It flows east for 70km parallel to the westward running Ottawa River at Pembroke, Ontario. Environment Canada has river monitoring stations on hundreds of rivers in Canada. We are fortunate to have the Muskrat River station 500 metres from our property. It records water flow, water depth, and water temp. Every year records show that the Muskrat River is substatially warmer than every other river in Canada. We don't know if this is related to the backward direction of the river. 

The deepest part of the river is difficult to measure because we are floating over it in a tube. We find many spots where you can hop out of your tube in water over your head or chest deep. You can find many spots to jump in for a swim. If the beautiful Muskrat River was deep enough to be navigatable, it would be full of fishing boats and this would not mix well with groups of people floating by in tubes. The 2 sections we use for tubing have multiple spots that are too shallow for fishing boats, and even too shallow for kayaks. Inflatable river tubes are the only way to traverse the shallow spots. On the dryest days of the summer there could be spots where you will get stuck and need to step out of your tube to move to a deeper spot. 

The water flows through a marsh 8km before our property, so the water is very clean. The river is usually clear enough to see the bottom for up to 4 or 5 feet. It gets cloudy for a day or 2 after a heavy rain.  

We ask all our guests to tell us about their trip when they drop off their tubes. It's a narrow river with trees surrounding you on both sides. You would think you were in the middle of a forest instead of the center of Pembroke. They tell us about many species of fish they see under them. They see turtles and muskrats on the shore. They see geese, ducks, blue herons, hawks, egrets and more. One person floated by a deer having a drink on the upper section. You pass under 7 bridges on the lower section including town hall and you will hear the church bells or clock tower ocassionally. 

We chose the best type of tube for your enjoyment. Many guests that have used other tubes say they prefer ours. We chose tubes that had a full bottom to keep your bottoms from slipping through the donut hole. The tubes have a headrest so you can lean back and relax. Tubes without backrests get uncomfortable after 2 or 3 hours. We have 2 sizes of tube. The large purple ones hold more air and keep larger guests more comfortable. Smaller and lighter guests are more comfortable in our redish/orange size. 

We don't permit guests to bring their own tubes from home because only rental fees for tubes contribute to our property and expenses and wages. PFDs and paddles from home are welcome.

Yes, several people have had scrapes and bruises. Some injuries occured on shore. 

The term "lazy river" sometimes refers to man made rivers that travel slowly in a water park. They sometimes have fake trees and animal statues to make them look natural.

We describe our experience as an adventure on a wild natural river with long lazy sections between the exciting rapids. Your adventure will have natural features that challenge you. You may need to traverse on steep paths, or muddy trails. You may need to launch your tube from a slippery rock. You may need to duck under low tree branches. You may need to hold on tight in the rapids while the current speeds up around shallow rocks. You may need to paddle to avoid a shallow spot in the river. You may need to wiggle to get over a shallow rock or stand up to move to deeper water. You may need to step in deep mud as you exit the river. 

We don't have weight restrictions for renting our tubes, however heavy people will sit lower in the water and get stuck on shallow spots more often. our larger sized purple tubes with more air capacity are better for heavier people.