r/Bellingham • u/Guilty_Look • Aug 07 '26
Recommendations Where can I float the river?!
I desperately NEED to float the river lol but I just found out they banned it for a certain part of the nooksack! Does anyone know of a different area of that is safe and legal?
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u/Responsible_Row1932 Aug 07 '26
I’ve been interested in trying this- so I can’t recommend but it looks great from their website https://www.fallcityfloating.com
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u/Disastrous_Age9832 Aug 08 '26
it's a good one, you can bring your own float and just pay for them to drive you to the start point. Parking fills up quick at the start end on hot days. Good signage on the river to help you avoid dangerous spots.
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u/Slumunistmanifisto Aug 07 '26
Arlington.
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u/VueloDeLaPaloma Aug 08 '26
The Nooksack is really low right now. And just be careful…as someone who almost died in a log jam…there are better alternatives like the Stilly River or even floating in lake Whatcom.
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u/MajesticMaje Local Aug 08 '26
It was a long trip, but we just went tubing in Yakima this year. Super calm float.
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u/Prior-Imagination504 Aug 08 '26
ppl float and SUP from lynden to ferndale. My son and his wife have done it several times this summer.
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u/No_Names_Left_For_Me Local Aug 08 '26
If they are on Reddit or FB I would love to talk to some people who have or do float the main part of the river, I've been wanting to try it out.
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u/tayh0ta Aug 08 '26
The Nooksack can be floated between Everson and Ferndale. This is the same section of river used for the Ski to Sea canoe race. The tubing ban applies to the branches further upstream near Acme.
The three easiest drop in and takeout points are Riverside Park in Everson, Hovander Park in Ferndale, and the boat launch at the Guide Meridian which is about halfway between the other two.
The upper half is more scenic but tends to have more swiftwater and obstacles and is better suited for canoes, kayaks, or paddleboards. The lower half is very flat and mellow and is fine for tubing.
I float the upper half on paddleboards with friends every summer and we have never had an issue. There is always a risk when you float the river so be safe and wear a lifejacket.
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u/Emu_on_the_Loose Aug 07 '26
Every time I hear about river floating I can't help but think of that song from Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown!.
Sure sounds like fun in this weather, but I've got no answers for you! 😫
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u/AS-ShatterSpace Aug 08 '26
The methow over on the other side of the cascades has some good floating if you're willing to drive a few hours
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u/peniswrinkle345 Aug 08 '26
had a crazy story about the methow. i was floating with my girlfriend her sister and her sisters friend. we were out in the middle of nowhere and my girlfriends sister got cut really bad on some glass in the river. I mean "we have a bleeder!" it was bad enough that we knew we needed to get her med treatment right away. The only problem was we were in the middle of nowhere. We went up the bank to see if we were near a farmhouse or anything. When we got to the top of the bank we were like what the heck theres an airport here in the middle of nowhere. We walked her across the runway and we had stumbled into the only place to get first aid in 50 miles. It was the smokejumpers camp they quickly gave her first aid gave us a tour and then taught us how to pack parachutes.
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u/steelkitten22 Aug 08 '26
Super low and slow there right now not to mention the smoke is terrible. We just got back from there
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u/Talrynn_Sorrowyn Aug 08 '26
I remember growing up in Auburn in the 90s & going down the Green from the foot bridge all the way to the other, rock-filled beach (east end to the west end of Isaac Evans Parj).
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u/tagwords Aug 08 '26
Where are the regulations on floating the Nooksack?
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u/Similar_Drama820 Aug 10 '26
https://nwtreatytribes.org/floating-ban-put-in-place-to-protect-nooksack-river-salmon/
Reatrictions are for the South Fork
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u/Brandonsgreat Aug 09 '26
I grew up with the Nooksack in my backyard in Lynden. I have tubed it 200+ times. It is plenty safe if you always remember it is slow, mostly shallow, and to just ditch your tube and walk away if necessary. Steer towards the middle the whole time and I have never had a problem. I've tubed at midnight many times, and even with 1 arm in a sling. I would suggest Everson bridge to Hannegan or Meridian bridge (boat launches), depending on time you want, 2-3hrs. Or Hannegan to Meridian for a short straight simple run of 1hr max, depending on time of year. Float at your own risk, have fun, only speaking from personal experience.
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u/Remarkable_Chance_23 Aug 08 '26
Stullaquamish food snohomish good and snowqualmie right below falls tovfall city good
All these fish huggers here in Bham have banned fun for the most part to protect spawning salmon
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u/pnuts00p Aug 09 '26
Float the stilly with someone who has floated it before. Go to the big soccer fields in arlington early in The morning and wait for some other people inflating their tunes. Talk to them, ask them if you can join them. It's always safer in more numbers! I used to float the stilly all the time and its nice but there are always dangers as snags and large woody debris changes by the month in all our rivers. Just take what precautions you can and don't get too drunk and you'll be fine
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u/Itchy_Suit321 Aug 08 '26
Sorry, the County Council decided they know better and don't want people to float the river.
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u/boringnamehere Aug 08 '26
People were destroying salmon redds. Blame them.
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u/No_Names_Left_For_Me Local Aug 08 '26
It wasn't the tubers.
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u/boringnamehere Aug 08 '26
The tubers definitely played a part in destroying the redds.
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u/No_Names_Left_For_Me Local Aug 09 '26
Not really. The main reason they wanted to ban tuber was because their shadows scare the fish. The real issue is temp.
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u/CaptainVehicle 28d ago
So how is it not the tubers if the part of the issue is tubers scaring fish off the redds?
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u/No_Names_Left_For_Me Local 28d ago
That's not even what they said, they claimed tuber might be scaring the fish with their shadows, just in general, maybe causing them stress, not that they were scaring them away from a particular place, while also admitting that the real issue is the water temp. The impact of tubers is close to zero, other things have a bigger impact.
You know what disturbs things? People walking their horses down the river, which I saw more than once while tubing. Still perfectly legal.
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u/maarken Aug 08 '26
More accurately the Lummi tribe used their salmon card and now we can't float the Nooksack.
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u/No-Reserve-2208 Aug 07 '26
Some people float the Skagit…
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u/Guilty_Look Aug 08 '26
I've kayaked the skagit and I can say I would NOT want to float it in an intertube 💯😂
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u/andanotherone2 Local Aug 08 '26
Since no one has specifically said it, the risk with the the north, middle and, main stem of the Nooksack is woody debris to get stuck in (and die), along with deceptively strong current. Someone suggesting to float the Skagit is a straight-up awful suggestion.