When you can tube
Helen’s tubing season follows the summer. Cool River Tubing runs daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, with some weekends either side when the weather allows. Helen Tubing opens daily from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, with tubing from 9 AM to 5 PM. Neither publishes exact dates far ahead, so check before a shoulder-season trip.
The two outfitters
| Cool River Tubing | Helen Tubing | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you start | Chattahoochee Outpost, 590 Edelweiss Strasse (also a Headwaters Outpost, 112 Poplar Stump Road) | 9917 Highway 75 North |
| Season | Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, plus some weekends | Saturday of Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, 9 AM–5 PM |
| Youngest age | 2 | Life jackets required 13 and under |
Helen Tubing and Helen Water Park are two separate companies with separate tickets, despite the shared name. Prices change each season; see each outfitter’s site.
The river rules
Both outfitters post the City of Helen rules: no alcohol, no glass and no coolers on the river, and one plastic drink container of up to 32 ounces per tuber. Helen Tubing cites City Code 46-22 for it, and Cool River says Helen police patrol the river. The person signing in must be 18 or older, and children 13 and under wear life jackets.
Parking for a tubing afternoon
A float takes most of an afternoon, longer than the two-hour limit now posted at the Pete’s Park, Riverside Park and Narrweg lots. Park at the city pay lot by the Davidson Bridge, a private lot, or the outfitter’s own parking if it offers it. Our parking picker sorts the lots by how far they are from the Cool River outpost.
Fishing instead
Out of tubing season the river belongs to anglers. The Helen Trout Tournament is on March 27, 2027, and catch-and-release trout fishing on Dukes Creek at Smithgall Woods State Park runs October through May on reserved days.
Quick answers
Can you drink alcohol while tubing in Helen?
No. Both outfitters post the City of Helen rule: no alcohol, no glass and no coolers on the river, with one plastic drink container of up to 32 ounces per tuber. Helen police patrol the river.
Source: Cool River Tubing
When is tubing season in Helen?
Roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day. Cool River Tubing runs daily through that stretch plus some weekends either side when the weather allows, and Helen Tubing opens daily from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
Source: Cool River Tubing
Hours, prices and dates change. The official visitor center has the final word: Helen Welcome Center (Alpine Helen/White County CVB)