How To Tube The Argo Cascades in Ann Arbor

There’s one thing my husband and I loved best about our time at Central Michigan University, and that was tubing down the Chippewa River. Not only was it a riot, but it was a relaxing good time with friends, too.

Since we’re always trying to replicate that pre-kids bliss, we decided to learn how to tube the Argo Cascades in Ann Arbor, Michigan on a recent date night!

We nabbed some tubes similar to these {affiliate link}, blew them up at home, and headed out. Bringing your own tube means it’s FREE to do 😉 You can also rent tubes at the Argo Park Canoe and Kayak Livery {FYI – They are NOT renting tubes at this time due to Covid-19. Bring your own!}

Thing is, even after discussing with a few friends, I was still super confused as to how it actually worked. After making friends with strangers, we figured out the lay of the land and how to conquer the mini rapids. Now I’m excited to share with you our discoveries and tips!

How to Tube the Argo Cascades in Ann Arbor

First things first, we were able to park near Longshore Park and the Argo Canoe Livery and walk downstream to where the cascades started. The best way to describe it is to say if you’ve walked past the kayaks and canoes launching and under a super colorful bridge, you’re in the right spot.

We entered the river right under the bridge and paddled ourselves to the tunnel to enter the cascades. Others were getting in right after the tunnel — whichever is your preference because you will need to paddle yourself a bit.

The cascades are made up of a series of nine small rapids, which are super fun to go through. Older kids will love it. I did bump my booty on rocks a few times, so there is a slight risk of injury or even falling out of the tube, so if you’re not a strong swimmer, a lifejacket may not be a bad idea. It also required a fair amount of paddling with our hands, so a little kid may not find that part very fun though I do know many friends bring their kids 😉

We managed to bring a mini soft cooler on our tube. If you bring kids, pack some waters for sure if it’s a hot day!

It took us about 10-15 minutes to go through all of the nine mini drops at a leisurely pace. At the end, there is a sign that says “All Tubes Must Exit.” You can either follow that sign and exit, or continue to float along {only if you have your own tubes — rentals must exit}. We did float a bit but ended up having a fairly long walk back. If you plan to float, it would be ideal to have a second vehicle waiting at a further away point, such as Island Park.

If you do exit where you should, simply follow the gravel stairs up and follow the cement path back to the start of the cascades. The walk is about 5 minutes.

Is this something you could do with kids? Absolutely! Just be warned they will need to carry their own tubes, and if they are younger, you may want to tie yourselves together with rope in case they tire paddling themselves.

A few tips:

• If you have water shoes, wear them! It will make your walk back up the path a little more comfortable. {Or if you only have flip flops, bring rope to tie them to your tube.}
• I just had on my suit, so was walking around in just that. On the walk back, I wished I had on some swim shorts to feel a little more comfortable and not so exposed. Of course, that’s a personal preference.
• Bring rope if you’d like to connect tubes.
• I carried our van key and my cell phone in a waterproof case similar to this one {affiliate link}. It worked out perfect!
• Additional parking is available at the Kellogg Eye Center during evenings and weekends. You will need to walk up the path leading to the start of the cascades. Here’s a parking map to make it easy!
• There is a restroom located at Argo Park. Use it before heading down the cascades! Changing into dry comfortable clothing is possible thanks to changing rooms, too.

We cannot wait to visit again and bring the kids next year. It was such a fun, FREE time together. We laughed like we were young again, and it was a nice way to connect after a long gap in date nights.

Find more fun things to do on an Ann Arbor date night at this post or with kids in Ann Arbor at this post.

Have you tubed the Argo Cascades? Any other tips to share?