5 Tips for Planning a Russian River Float Trip

Floating the Russian River is one of the most exciting things to do in the summer in the Sonoma County region of California. After living in San Francisco for 6 years, it became a fun annual trip to the river each year for me.

I’m writing this post because the first time I floated the Russian River, it was a disaster. We didn’t plan ahead, and things went awry.

For example, we bought tubes from Target that are meant for kiddie pools and wouldn’t blow up or plug up. Not sure how, but we didn’t bring food, only booze. We also didn’t bring an extra car or know what we were doing. If it hadn’t been for kind people to offer to drive us back and duct tape our tube, we’d still be lost on the river.

The point of this post is to help you so you end up having a great day and don’t need to worry about the same thing we did on our first Russian River float trip.

While we’re at it, let’s be friends on Instagram!

Russian River Float Trip

1 – Navigating the Russian River

California has been in a serious drought for the past few years, and California rivers have been lower than normal. In the past years, the water has been extremely low at the Russian River, but don’t let this discourage you! Luckily, the river’s current still moves, and you can still float. You might have to get out of the water several times to walk your tube through the shallow patches. I promise you that it’s still fun!

2 – Where to park and get in the Russian River

I highly recommend doing the 2-mile stretch from Steelhead Beach to Sunset Beach. Originally, I would have recommended doing the float from Steelhead Beach to Mother’s Beach (now known as Forestville River Access). However, now, since so many people do this float per year, this tiny parking lot fills to the brim and makes the two-car shuttle situation pretty difficult. Not to mention it pisses off the local community.

It’s going to be a smart idea to either park one car at Sunset Beach River Park and then leave another at Steelhead Beach. Another option is to park in Santa Rosa and ride the new Regional Parks River Shuttle! This is awesome and runs out to Steelhead and Sunset beaches in the summer on the weekends. Tickets case $5 roundtrip is great—especially if you drink. This helps a ton so you won’t have to walk back along the busy River Road with cars speeding past you as you walk.

To park at Steelhead Beach, it will cost you $7 for the day for your car (credit or cash), and you just put the receipt in your window. Park in the first main parking lot by the bathrooms. Just know that these lots can fill up fast in the summer, so getting there early will be key (like 10 a.m. on the weekend).

This particular stretch will take you about four and a half hours to float the entire distance. To enter the water, you’ll walk down the path past the bathrooms and by the water.  Voila, you’re on your way to Russian River tubing bliss.

If you want to float for a portion that takes about 4.5 hours but is less crowded, try floating from Vacation Beach to Monte Rio Beach. Once you get to Monte Rio Beach, you’ll find concession stands with lunch options, and there’s plenty of parking for cars.

3 – What supplies to bring for Russian River tubing

• See all of my Amazon River floating essentials here.
• A sturdy tube, preferably with cup holders. I get mine off of Amazon like this and this for couples.
• Floating cooler (if you decide to drink on the way as we did). We got these,  but you can also use an extra tube that has a mesh bottom for storing drinks. Just be wary of the alcohol rules on the river and bring lots of water and drink it! Also, be aware that alcohol consumption is prohibited on Steelhead and Sunset beaches or the beach at Forestville River Access. Please be mindful and respectful of this.
• Duct tape and rope or heavy string (in case a tube has a hole or you want to tie it to friends)
• Air mattress pump, hand help air pump, a battery-powered pump, and/or car charger with plug-in to blow everything up. We usually bring air mattress pumps to pump up in the bathroom outlets. However, sometimes they don’t work. Steelhead Beach installed seasonal inflation pumps that you may be able to use while you’re there. Make sure you have a different plan, just in case. Usually, other people are around if you get desperate and need to use their pumps!
• Food, booze, and water
• Sunscreen, hats, sunglasses (ones you don’t mind losing in case they fall in)
• Some type of sandal. I always wear my Tevas water shoes so my feet don’t get scratched up when I need to walk in the water
• Garbage bags, plastic bags, dry bags for phones, car keys, and driver’s licenses if you decide to bring them
• GoPro, waterproof camera case
• Life jackets

Because the Russian River is so long, there are many other parts of it where you can canoe! Here’s a site that shows you what company rents canoes for a canoe trip down the river!

4. Leave time for set up

After you get to Steelhead Beach, you’ll need to bake in ample time for your group to get situated. Ensure you have enough time to find parking, blow up your tubes, use the restrooms, prep your coolers, apply sunscreen, and drop your cars at the end (about a 5-minute drive). This can take a good chunk of time to set up. I recommend about 45 minutes to an hour for this prep time!

5. Be respectful and mindful

One thing to note about this area of the Russian River is that many people live around here. Nothing that annoys them more is for drunk people from San Francisco to come to float the river on the weekends. Please mind your manners, respect the river, respect private property, and clean up after yourself.

It will be important to haul all of your trash (and tubes out) after your Russian River float trip as well. There are garbage cans for this at Sunset and Steelhead Beach parking lots. You must follow the “leave no trace” guidelines set forth by Sonoma County.

Most of all, have a good time on your Russian River float trip! After all, that’s what we’re here for. Just remember to respect the river and the locals that live here!

Where Does the Russian River Float Start and End?

The Russian River is very long, 115 miles to be exact! It runs from Sonoma to Mendocino, but for tubing the Russian River purposes, it is recommended by Sonoma County that you do the 2-mile stretch from Steelhead Beach to Sunset Beach. It takes about five minutes to drive from Steelhead Beach to Sunset Beach and four and a half hours to float this stretch. Originally, I would have recommended doing the float from Steelhead Beach to Mother’s Beach (now known as Forestville River Access), but it’s a tiny parking lot that gets way too crowded now.

If you want to float for a portion that takes about 4.5 hours but is less crowded, try floating from Vacation Beach to Monte Rio Beach. Once you get to Monte Rio Beach, you’ll find concession stands with lunch options, and there’s plenty of parking for cars.

Read Next: 

20 Best Things To Do In Carmel By The Sea
21 Stops to Make on the 17 Mile Drive in California
12 Stops I Made While Driving the California Coast
2 Nights in Mendocino California

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