Teens and adults · 2 to 3 hours
Tubes
One person per tube. Ours are commercial tubes, not the kind that deflates halfway down. Cooler carrier tubes take a 52 quart cooler.
Children eight and over can go, tied to an adult's tube, one adult per child.
Tube, raft and canoe rentals
Tubing the Pinawa Channel
Slow water, granite walls and boreal forest, one hour from Winnipeg. Two to three hours of doing very little, on a river that does the work for you.
- Tube float
- 2 to 3 hours
- Raft trip
- About 1 hr 15
- Youngest on a tube
- 8 years
- From Winnipeg
- 1 hour · 110 km
Stay the night and the rentals are free
What the float is
The Pinawa Channel is a side arm of the Winnipeg River. It is shallow, slow and lined with pine and pink granite. You get in at one end, lie back, and let it carry you.
It takes two to three hours on a tube. There are a few slow stretches where you kick a bit. Along the way you will pass turtles sunning on rocks, and people see deer, otters and plenty of birds.
This is not whitewater. Nobody is going to get thrown out of a boat. It is the sort of afternoon where the hardest decision is whether to stop and swim.
Tube, raft or canoe
4 to 6 people · about 1 hr 15
Rafts
The family option and the team building option. Slow water the whole way, all ages welcome. Commercial rafts with several air chambers, and you can tie a few together for a big group.
A raft weighs 110 lb. You carry it 300 ft to the water and 300 ft out at the end, so four adults is the minimum for a reason.
Experienced paddlers only
Canoes
For people who already know how to handle a canoe. The water is slow with some swift sections. The channel route has two portages, and you lift the canoe off the dock yourself.
If you are not sure, take a raft instead. Nobody has ever regretted that choice.
How the day works
Check in at the front desk
Everyone signs a waiver. Water, rocks and cold all carry risk and we need it on paper before you go out.
Leave a car at the take out
The take out is at the suspension bridge. Town parking there is paid through the HONK app. Park on Highway 211 instead and it is free, with a 600 metre walk. This is the car that gets you home, so do this part first.
Drive to the launch
The launch is at the end of 211 East. It is a short rocky path down to the water. Launch into the channel, which is narrow. Do not launch into the Winnipeg River, which is the big open water beside it.
Put your keys somewhere dry
A dry bag or a dry box. You cannot get into the car at the other end without them, and a locksmith out here costs more than the whole day.
Float
Two to three hours on a tube. Stop where you like. Take your rubbish with you, and we give you a bag for it.
Get out before the bridge
When you see the suspension bridge, head left. The landing is just before it. There is no other way out downstream.
What to bring
Leave your keys behind. A locksmith costs more than the float. Leave valuables at home or locked in the car.
- Swimsuit and a change of clothes
- Water shoes. There is gravel at the launch and mud at the take out
- Waterproof sunscreen that is safe for the river
- Hat, cheap sunglasses on a strap
- Water. Bring more than you think
- Snacks. Cans or plastic bottles only, no glass
- A dry bag or box for your phone and wallet
- Towel for the shower station at the end
- A child sized life jacket for every child
- A cooler if you want one. 52 quart fits the carrier tube
- Ball, frisbee, squirt guns if you plan to stop and play
The Solo store is next door in Pinawa if you forget something or need ice.
Safety and the rules
After the float
There are separate men's and women's change rooms on our lower level, with four showers each and toilets. There are no lockers, so lock anything you care about in the car.
The wifi is free. Beyond that there are two sand volleyball courts, two horseshoe pits, two tetherball courts, a pool table, a ping pong table, three fire pits, and a hot tub for thirteen people looking out over the Winnipeg River.
Plenty of people float in the afternoon and drive home. Plenty of others book a room and stay. Our water adventure package puts the rental, a room and meals together.
Common questions
Two to three hours on a tube if you do not stop. A raft trip runs about an hour and fifteen minutes. Most people stop, so plan for the afternoon.
Eight and up, and each child needs their own tube tied to an adult's tube. One adult per child. We give you the rope at the front desk.
We supply adult life jackets that fit people 95 lb and over with a chest under 54 inches. Bring your own for children and for anyone bigger than that.
You launch into the Pinawa Channel at the end of 211 East, down a short rocky path. You get out on the left just before the Pinawa suspension bridge. There is no exit after the bridge.
Yes. Tubes, rafts and canoes come with a room at Wilderness Edge at no charge. You arrange your own ride back from the take out.
The float goes one way. You get in upstream and come out at the suspension bridge, a long way down the channel, so somebody has to collect you. The easy way is two cars: leave one at the bridge, drive everyone to the launch in the other, and use the bridge car to fetch it afterwards.
No. Alcohol on the river is against the law in Manitoba. Glass containers are not allowed either. Bring cans or plastic.
Heavy rain or lightning at launch time means no boats go out and you get a full refund. Light rain is not a cancellation. Bookings are not refundable or transferable otherwise.
About 110 km northeast, which is a one hour drive.
Book a tube or a raft
Tell us the date and how many people. Groups, families and companies all get priced the same way, and you hear back the same day.
