Tubing can certainly be a family affair, and it's a pretty straightforward activity for people of all ages - it requires no skill other than the ability to hoist yourself in and out of an inner tube and keep your hips raised high enough that they don't bang on the rocks in the shallow parts of the river. However, it is also a favorite activity for the early-20s party crowd, because coolers are encouraged, and they're generally loaded with cans or plastic bottles of beer.
At Butt's Tubes, a bored-looking set of traffic monitors directed us to a parking spot before we headed up the hill to rent our tubes. Stop at the picnic table before you get to the building where the cashier is located—you have to sign a liability release form, and the table is not clearly marked. Once you have your form in hand, head up the hill to pay, check your car keys with the staff, and then head to the line, where you'll be issued a lopsided inner tube and a life vest. Cooler tubes are generally located in another spot, and come in a variety of sizes. Butt's also rents coolers, as well as more expensive bright orange tubes that seem to have a slightly better design, but also mark the river rider as someone who paid extra and isn't willing to rough it.
The staff loads you on a bus and takes you up the river to the designated drop-off point, where everyone makes their way down the hill and into the river from a well-worn place on the bank. At this point, it's important to keep your friends nearby—the current will pick you up quickly and sometimes paddling is harder than it looks.
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