Another tubing question....

[Ranger Mom]

Now that I have my reservations, I was looking at the map.....I have no idea where to go into the river at or where we need to park our extra vehicle to come out!!

Any knowledgable Frio River tubers here?

Heck, I don't even have a clue which way the river runs.....Concan to Leakey or Leakey to Concan?:nerd:

[orange machine]

No nothing about that place, but it sounds fun hope i helped.:p

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by orange machine
No nothing about that place, but it sounds fun hope i helped.:p

Not at all....but thanks for the input anyway!!:D

[wimbo_pro]

Nothing like being prepared.... :)

[lostaussie]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
Now that I have my reservations, I was looking at the map.....I have no idea where to go into the river at or where we need to park our extra vehicle to come out!!

Any knowledgable Frio River tubers here?

Heck, I don't even have a clue which way the river runs.....Concan to Leakey or Leakey to Concan?:nerd: my guess is it runs south to southeast..............but hey:D i really don't have a freakin clue!!!!!!!!

[sotex]

The Frio River runs from Leakey to Concan.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by sotex
The Frio River runs from Leakey to Concan.

Well that just blew what I was looking at out of the water.

I know we floated through Garner State Park last time, so we obviously didn't start in Concan......back to the drawing board!!

[espn1]

Info (http://www.onthefrio.com/index.html)

[sotex]

Unless they have gotten a whole bunch of rain since I was up there in early May (which i seriously doubt) the only places good for tubing are in Garner and a few private parks. The river south of Garner is only about ankle deep.

[sinton66]

More info (http://www.hill-country-visitor.com/Frio_River_Canyon_Texas)

[Ranger Mom]

I just called Josh's Frio River Outfitters in Leakey. He recommended I start in Concan because anything above that is lots of walking.

He said the water is better there(Concan) right now. I am not looking to go Wild River Rafting....I just don't want to have to walk for miles to be able to put my tube back in the water.

Remember, I will have 2 dogs with me that have never been in anything other than a swimming pool....I don't want to have to fight them AND the water.:D

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by sinton66
More info (http://www.hill-country-visitor.com/Frio_River_Canyon_Texas)

I found this chart also.....from what I have read, the CFS is 28 right now...so we are definitely on the lower scale.

15-25 Slow Floating - Some Walking

25-150 Normal (Apx 3.75 Ft. at Gage) Good Tubing, normal flow

150-500 6 Inches Above Normal Fun, Exciting Tubing,

500-750 8 Inches Above Normal Great Tubing for good swimmers

1,000 1-2 Ft. Above Normal May be Dangerous for small children/lifevests recommended

3,000 3 Ft. Above Normal Possible Debris in Water/No tube rentals

3,500 3.5 Ft. Above Normal 1st or 2nd Crossing May Be Closed

[sinton66]

I don't know about that direction, but it has been raining for several days in western San Antonio (out by Sea World).

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by sinton66
I don't know about that direction, but it has been raining for several days in western San Antonio (out by Sea World).

That's good news....we aren't going for 3-1/2 more weeks. But you know how anal I am about directions!! LOL:p :p

[bullfrog_alumni_02]

My knowlege of riviers is limited to 'swimming' in the guadalupe river like 12 years ago about an hour and a half from fort worth somewhere and slipping in and falling on a rock and almost breaking my lower back...but did you think to give google a looksee? I'm sure that the search engine juggernaut will be able to point you to all the information you could want and surely some you don't. Like hippie green peace organizations that will try and say that humans tubing in the river causes global warming, aids in africa, and starvation in third world countries. Anyway, give google a try :)

[sotex]

I'll be camping on the Frio next week. I'll let you know how and where the water is.

[Maroon87]

I love the Frio but it's always very hit or miss with the river level. You're either walking half the time or your hanging on for dear life....rarely any in between.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by sotex
I'll be camping on the Frio next week. I'll let you know how and where the water is.

Thanks!! I would appreciate it!!

[sotex]

The water level is very low on the Frio. There is some tubing going on north of Garner. You can go to the Happy Hollow Grocery on 183 and they have a shuttle which will take you up north about a mile and you can float and walk back. Someone has tried to stack enough rocks in the shallow areas to channel the water enough to float most of the way. Garner has plenty of water in the Old Garner area but it not really conducive to tubing. Mainly sitting still or paddling. Although one of their rules is that it is unlawful to publicly display or consume alcoholic beverages within the park thereis always plenty of people drinking beer or whatever with coozies on their containers. Below Garner which would include Concan the water is extremely low. Hope this helps.

[Ranger Mom]

Happy Hollow seems like my best bet. How long does the "float" take and how much walking is involved?

We plan on renting 4 tubes for people, 1 tube for a cooler and I am taking a smaller tube for my dogs....the thought of having to lug all that while walking and keeping up with 2 dogs on leashes is scary!!

[sic'em]

i have been every august for the last several years and will make it down again in three weeks. I always start at seven bluff cabins (cr 348, 3rd crossing) and float down to the second crossing on one day. i can be corrected by the locals, but at this level it will probably take 4 hours. then on the second day i will go from the second crossing to the first crossing, which will also take around 4 hours. this is where most people do longer floats. if you want something shorter because of the dogs, i would go down to concan and the first crossing and play around. here is a good map:
http://www.friocountry.com/maps.htm

three years ago i was there when a bad storm came through and rained 5 inches, the next day it took 4 hours to do it all and was the most fun i have ever had on a river. either way it's a great place, have a good one!

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by sic'em
i have been every august for the last several years and will make it down again in three weeks. I always start at seven bluff cabins (cr 348, 3rd crossing) and float down to the second crossing on one day. i can be corrected by the locals, but at this level it will probably take 4 hours. then on the second day i will go from the second crossing to the first crossing, which will also take around 4 hours. this is where most people do longer floats. if you want something shorter because of the dogs, i would go down to concan and the first crossing and play around. here is a good map:
http://www.friocountry.com/maps.htm

three years ago i was there when a bad storm came through and rained 5 inches, the next day it took 4 hours to do it all and was the most fun i have ever had on a river. either way it's a great place, have a good one!

Thanks!!

It's no so much because I have the dogs....more the fact of having to carry their tube, (since I don't think they can manage that:p ) plus mine and trying to keep them corralled...this will be their first river ride!! If it's mostly floating, then all will be good!

Hopefully Dolly will drop some rain and it will be a little smoother going! Everyone I have talked to so far that has been recently told me to start off in Concan, that Garner is LOTS of walking!!

I also wanna finish up wherever a shuttle is since we are only gonna have one vehicle!

[sic'em]

if you go to the concan bridge (1st crossing), there will be outfitters there that will rent you a tube and shuttle you up to the 2nd crossing. like i said, it will be 2 miles and about 4 hours. the dogs will have a fun time going over the water fall ;)
i like the 2 miles from 3rd crossing to 2nd crossing as much as the other, the problem is getting a shuttle. i always leave a car down there before i start. btw, house pasture is a good place to eat and hear some music.
i don't tube at garner, its not worth it. i have never done happy hollow, but i have heard its a good place to stay.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by sic'em
if you go to the concan bridge (1st crossing), there will be outfitters there that will rent you a tube and shuttle you up to the 2nd crossing. like i said, it will be 2 miles and about 4 hours. the dogs will have a fun time going over the water fall ;)
i like the 2 miles from 3rd crossing to 2nd crossing as much as the other, the problem is getting a shuttle. i always leave a car down there before i start. btw, house pasture is a good place to eat and hear some music.

:weeping: :weeping: I don't know where anything is you are talking about. I have a map, but I still don't know where I am.

Oh.....how BIG of a waterfall, do I wanna go over it myself?? The dogs will have life jackets, so if they take a tumble, they should be okay...and their leashes will be attached to me anyway!!

How in the heck do I find out if there is a shuttle or not where I wanna get off?
Do they rent tubes for dogs or should I rig up my own for them! (I think I should do that anyway since we are going to be staying at a lake!)

For as spontaneous as I normally am, I hate not going into this with a plan....my brother tends to get anal if he doesn't know what is going on, and I would hate to have to whoop his @$$ in front of his wife if he gets on my nerves!!!:p :p

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
I would hate to have to whoop his @$$ in front of his wife if he gets on my nerves!!!:p :p
Shouldn't she be accustomed to seeing that by now? :D ;)

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
Shouldn't she be accustomed to seeing that by now? :D ;)

Yeah....but not in public!!:)

[sic'em]

click on the friocountry link that i provided above. this is a good map of the concan area. you will notice us hwy 83 on the left part of the map, this is the highway that runs from leakey to garner sp to uvalde. ranch road 127 leaves concan and goes to sabinal. all of this can be seen bigger on mapquest. this area is about 10 miles south of garner and about 13 miles south of happy hollow. on the map you will see each of the crossings over the river labeled as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd crossings. btw, the river runs from top to bottom.

at the first crossing (ranch road 127) there are two places you can get tubes. neal's lodges which is on the west side of the river and burleson's? i think is the name of the one that rents on the east side. they both do shuttles. they will take you up to either the 3rd or 2nd crossings and drop you off and you float back down to them. be aware that floating from the 3rd crossing to the 1st would be 8 hours. at the second crossing you can rent from frio country (which is on the west side of the 2nd crossing) and get them to shuttle you up to the 3rd crossing and float back down to them. this is how i handle it and float the two sections separately.

there are actually two little waterfalls on the lower section (2nd crossing to 1st crossing). at this level the fist will be only a few feet high and the second one will be around 5 feet. it is fun, just know that it is coming. the dogs and coolers and stuff will be fine if they are on floats.

I would make something for your dogs before you get there.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by sic'em
click on the friocountry link that i provided above. this is a good map of the concan area. you will notice us hwy 83 on the left part of the map, this is the highway that runs from leakey to garner sp to uvalde. ranch road 127 leaves concan and goes to sabinal. all of this can be seen bigger on mapquest. this area is about 10 miles south of garner and about 13 miles south of happy hollow. on the map you will see each of the crossings over the river labeled as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd crossings. btw, the river runs from top to bottom.

at the first crossing (ranch road 127) there are two places you can get tubes. neal's lodges which is on the west side of the river and burleson's? i think is the name of the one that rents on the east side. they both do shuttles. they will take you up to either the 3rd or 2nd crossings and drop you off and you float back down to them. be aware that floating from the 3rd crossing to the 1st would be 8 hours. at the second crossing you can rent from frio country (which is on the west side of the 2nd crossing) and get them to shuttle you up to the 3rd crossing and float back down to them. this is how i handle it and float the two sections separately.

there are actually two little waterfalls on the lower section (2nd crossing to 1st crossing). at this level the fist will be only a few feet high and the second one will be around 5 feet. it is fun, just know that it is coming. the dogs and coolers and stuff will be fine if they are on floats.

I would make something for your dogs before you get there.

You are AWESOME!!!

That is great info to have.

I just bought 2.5 yards of canvas and will be trying to figure out some way to cover a small tube and make a bottom for the dogs tube. I want to make sure the covering is thick enough that they can't pop the tube with their nails....while they are hanging on for dear life!! LOL

That is the last thing I need is having to carry both of them in my lap!!

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
I found this chart also.....from what I have read, the CFS is 28 right now...so we are definitely on the lower scale.

15-25 Slow Floating - Some Walking

25-150 Normal (Apx 3.75 Ft. at Gage) Good Tubing, normal flow

150-500 6 Inches Above Normal Fun, Exciting Tubing,

500-750 8 Inches Above Normal Great Tubing for good swimmers

1,000 1-2 Ft. Above Normal May be Dangerous for small children/lifevests recommended

3,000 3 Ft. Above Normal Possible Debris in Water/No tube rentals

3,500 3.5 Ft. Above Normal 1st or 2nd Crossing May Be Closed

The CFS is 17 today!!:(

[sic'em]

17 is low, but still doable for the area i mentioned. if it is lower than that when you are there and you don't want to tube, then you can go to the first crossing bridge, park and play around in the water. a lot of people will be out there on the rock beach b/c there are some deep areas to swim around in. again, have a great time! house pasture restaurant is on that frio country map, its a good steak place that has a bar and good live texas country concerts.

[hookandladder]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
You are AWESOME!!!

That is great info to have.

I just bought 2.5 yards of canvas and will be trying to figure out some way to cover a small tube and make a bottom for the dogs tube. I want to make sure the covering is thick enough that they can't pop the tube with their nails....while they are hanging on for dear life!! LOL

That is the last thing I need is having to carry both of them in my lap!!

You can rent tubes their that have bottoms in them also you can call Parkview Riverside RV Park it is accross the river from Garner and also Happy Hollow, they will let you know where you can float and how long the float is. They would be the only ones I would trust, they are their every day. Normally you can float from the bridge above Happy Hollow to Happy Hollow, they will shuttle you from Happy Hollow to the bridge. However the River is very low also if you go to 4J River Cabins & RV Camp web site and click on attractions, you can look at up to date river conditions. Very acurate data, it's what I do for a living.

[GetRDoneStangs]

Last week the "hard core" tubers that's in our group did the Happy Hollow float (big sign you can't miss them about 7-8 miles south of Leaky). You can park at their place and pay a few bucks for them to shuttle you up river and you get out back at the Hollow. They said it was no walking, just slow.

I got in a bind on that float last year...I was floating backwards (looking up stream), when I hung a stick in the back of my swimming trunks..:eek: :eek: ...and the river was flowing really well and I could not get up. The river was pushing me and the stick was holding me and my head was right at and below the water level! I was tubin with a neighbor (who thought I was messing with him) and he "Freed me".

I was ok but a little :vrycnfsd:

ALWAYS tube with a partner in case you get in a bind!

[GetRDoneStangs]

Good point about Parkview, they know the floats and they have MAPS!

[Ranger Mom]

If we rent tubes for all of us humans and just take one for the dogs....will they still let us get on the shuttle with our own tube??

I don't mind the slow float, I just don't wanna have to lug all 6 tubes, 4 for us, one for the cooler and one for the dogs, all over the creation!

[GetRDoneStangs]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
If we rent tubes for all of us humans and just take one for the dogs....will they still let us get on the shuttle with our own tube??

I don't mind the slow float, I just don't wanna have to lug all 6 tubes, 4 for us, one for the cooler and one for the dogs, all over the creation!


I havn't rented tubes from them, but if you are paying to shuttle, you would think it wouldnt matter.

[sic'em]

i have been shuttled with tubes rented from someone else. none of the shuttle companies will care.