This summer has been one heat wave after another, which has led me to daydream about tubing constantly. I have been tubing a few times before – once on the Delaware River with a commercial outfitter, once on the Susquehanna River while hiking the AT, and once on the Owens River while hiking the PCT. Now I wanted to find something close to Philly, centrally located to the friends who wanted to go along, and somewhere we didn’t need a commercial outfitter. I found Brandywine Creek in southeastern PA / Delaware. Some info was online, but I was able to get even more from a friend of a friend who lives near there.
The First Trip – Museum to Smith Bridge
(Yes, I’ve gone multiple times already.)
For the first trip we decided to meet at the Smith Bridge Parking Lot and shuttle up to the Brandywine River Museum of Art to get in the water. The Smith Bridge lot is free, but very crowded and loud with seemingly lots of parties going on at all times. The museum lets tubers park for $20/car and there is plenty of room.
Because of recent rain, the water was higher than normal. As soon as we got in the water, we started zooming down the creek. Some people tied their tubes together, and some did not, so we were separated quickly due to the speed. It wasn’t too hard to paddle back near each other when needed though.
There were lots of other tubers out, along with kayakers and canoeists. As far as I can, tell there are two commercial outfitters on the Brandywine – Northbrook Canoe Co and Wilderness Canoe Trips – and a lot of the boats were from them. The boats had to weave in and out of the tubes, but everyone was friendly and had no problem with the occasional traffic.
The water in Brandywine Creek is typically three feet deep on average, but it ranges from a few inches to six feet deep in places. I had heard that we might have to walk parts of it because it was so shallow, but the high water kept us afloat the whole time.
We saw a few places to pull over and sit on land if wanted, but they were few and far between. We all had snacks that could be eaten on the water, so we just kept going.
It took about two hours and forty minutes to float the 4.7 miles to Smith Bridge. I had heard the section would take four hours, so we were definitely faster than normal with the high water.
The Second Trip – Creek Rd to Thompson Bridge
It was such a great time that I found more people to go the next weekend. I had scoped out some new put in and take out points after the first time and decided to try something different. This time, we met at the Brandywine Creek State Park lot at Thompson Bridge ($8/car), then shuttled up to a bend in the road where a few cars can fit to park (free).
The water was a more normal level this time, if not low, so I figured it was about the same distance and would take us the predicted four hours. Well, it turned out the water was very low. We had to get up and walk in multiple places, and it seemed to be taking a very long time. When we got off the water at Thompson Bridge after 5.1 miles, we discovered it had taken six hours! So a little longer than expected.
Things to Consider
You will be in the sun the majority of the time so sunscreen and hats are a must! I also highly recommend water shoes to be able to walk on the rocky bottom comfortably if/when needed. If you are bringing drinks, there are cooler floats available, or you can just do what I do and drag your cans in a shopping bag in the water. They stay mostly cool, but not cold, that way. A dry bag is recommended for car keys, snacks, cell phones, etc. Finally, a waterproof bluetooth speaker for some tunes is a great addition to the day.
I’m still searching for that sweet spot of distance and water level to be on the water four to five hours. I’ll just have to keep going until I find it!
How can I register or arrange to canoe at Brandywine online? Is it available now or restrictions due to Covid?
I am not affiliated with any rental business. I’m just an individual that likes to tube. Try contacting the rental business directly.
When you got in the river at the Brandywine River Art Museum and went down the river which parking lot was closer the Smith’s Parking Lot or the Thompson’s Bridge Lot?
You pass Smith Bridge first. Take a look at the maps I included in the post.
Where are good parking places??? I have been googling n googling but would rather have a Destiination and nowhere to park both cars
If you look in my post above, you can see the 4 different parking spots I’ve used.
Any updates on your tubing adventures? It’s 2020-looking to socially distance in the rivers! Thanks for any tips!
I no longer live in the area so I’ll have to find new tubing adventures where I live now.
Do you need anything to go? Am i able to this weekend and just have my tube and get it?
That’s what I did, but it’s been a few years.
I just had my first experience in the Brandywine. A few family members and myself decided to get in at the North Brooke Canoe Company or close by and get off at the Brandywine Art Museum. When we arrived at North Brooke we asked if we can access the water there and told them where our place of arrival was. Her jaw dropped and said “That’s an 8 hour float…”. She seemed like she knew what she was talking about so she suggested us another place that would cut some of our time down – Shaw’s Bridge Park. We follow her instructions. Keep in mind it has not rained much and if it has it hasn’t been a lot. Our time on the water was creeping to 6 hours and had to get out 1.5 miles early due to getting dark so realistically it may have been around a 7 hour trek. Needless to say I plan on going back again.
Thanks for the update!
This is such a helpful post. Thank you. Wondering what you mean by “shuttle” between your parking location(s) and put-in location(s). Is there a service you can use or are you just blessed with generous friends/family? (And thank you again!)
I mean we drove two vehicles and left one at one end and then drove to the other end. Then when we reached the end, we could drive back to the original car.
Ah that makes sense. Trying to do this with kids and the little freeloaders can’t drive yet. Working on a solution. Thanks!
I love this ride! Some friends and I have been going every summer for the last 6 years or so. We usually do the trip from Brandywine River Museum to Smith Bridge. From what I can tell there are 3 optional trips with designated parking areas:
BRMuseum to Thompson’s Bridge 6 hrs (looong lazy day, bring acres of food, drinks, sunscreen)
BRMuseum to Smith’s Bridge 4-5 hrs (long still, see above)
Smith’s Bridge to Thompson’s Bridge 1.5-2 hrs (great for groups with antsy/smaller kids)
I’d love to find something closer to 3 hours for a quick (but not too quick) trip. I couldnt find the bend in the road you mentioned with free parking on googlemaps. Any tips?