Photo: rubyymaeee / Instagram
Summertime and the living is easy - especially when you're drifting down a beautiful river on a funky, colourful floatie with a pack of pals.
Of course, there aren't a great deal of places to enjoy this ultra-relaxing experience in the Lower Mainland. However, the City of Enderby, located in the Okanagan between Armstrong and Salmon Arm, offers a floater's paradise down the scenic Shuswap River.
Known as the Enderby float, or the Enderby River float, the breathtaking passageway offers a number of relaxed trips down the river. Some are as little as three kilometres long while others span a whopping 11 kilometres. With this in mind, it is a good idea to plan out your riverfloat in advance, and consider how much time you want to be in the water.
Enderby & District Chamber of Commerce offers a chart of floating routes complete with total trip time, seasonality, and safety concerns. It notes that since the Shuswap River is a natural river, and not a man-made channel, "it possesses many more hazards and unpredictable features than a man-made channel." However, from July 1 to Aug. 31 there are people at hand-launches wearing orange “River Ambassador” uniforms that can provide assistance.
The 2.5 kilometer Belvidere Park to Tuey Park float is considered the safest and is the most popular; there are very few obstacles and many shallow areas, which makes for a relaxing ride.
Unfortunately, there is no longer a shuttle service to the area. As a result, people will have to make their own travel arrangements to the launching sites.
Enderby Float
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0XlJctp4ga/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmwT1KGAQnJ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/5ztQzCvkA9/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl5sYt3lsba/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmSHerYDB_P/
Tubing can be extremely dangerous in places where the current is strong. Therefore, it is recommended that tubers only go to places that have been approved safe for public use. Further, visitors should never consume alcohol before going tubing and always bring plenty of water. Longer floats can also be very tiring and chilling.
