Coyote Cruise

LOVED it. What a FUN day out. We went once this month and it was fantastic. I did a lot of research about the tubing before I went because I’m a little high maintenance about these things, so I’ll share by findings:
What to do:
*If you plan to go more than once, purchase your own float. The rental is $ 5, but if you will go several times, definitely purchase your own.
*Go early in the day. The later it got, the more people we saw on the canal.
*The rental tubes have a bottom that you can put sunscreen, water, etc… in. It’ll get wet but it won’t float away.
*Bring sunscreen, a waterproof camera, and possibly a bottle of water. We found the water wasn’t really needed.
*You MUST wear water shoes. Don’t wear flip flops as they may float away.
*Everything says you shouldn’t tie the floats together, but I would disagree. Bring a rope and tie your floats together. The canal is so slow moving, it won’t be a problem.
*If you have an option, have someone pick you up at the end. The line to get on the bus is long and can take a long time.
*Bring a waterproof case for your phone. I had one for my iPhone that had a lanyard attached. It was a great choice. We could take photos and then call for our ride at the end.
*Bring an extra float for drinks or a cooler.
*Bring a waterproof bag for your car keys/​car remote. You don’t want to destroy the electronic key.
What NOT to do:
*Don’t bring glass on the river or any trash.
*Don’t bring loud music.
Details:
*The water flow seemed good and it took 45 minutes to get to the ½ way point and 2 hours to get to the end. Both exits are on the right side as you are floating. The midway point doesn’t have a lot of warning.
*Easy steps in and out of the water.
*It’s $ 5 to rent a tube and it’s $ 5 to get a bus ride. You can pay for one of both. We opted just for the tube rental and got a family member to pick us up. We definitely made the right choice.
*CASH only.
I was worried about falling out of the tube, but once I was in the tube, I was good to go. The only problem we ever had was ending up on the sides and slowing down too much. Good thing my husband was there with his long arms and could push us out into the flow.

5-​star experience, 1-​star business. In other words, a must-​do! but plan ahead to mitigate the weaknesses of the operation.
What it is: A mostly DIY float down a swiftly moving river, fun but not at all scary, which lasts from 45m to 2+ hours, depending on whether you do the half version or the full version, and depending on the day and speed of the current. Bring your own inner tube, boat or lounger — or rent one from Coyote. If you bring your own, you can pay to have it inflated. Pay Coyote for the bus ride back from the end of the ride to your van.
Why to do it:
— The rare activity that is completely delightful WITH kids, but would also be totally fun without kids.
— The fun and refreshment of being in water without having to put down your beer.
— An activity that structurally requires everyone to put down their electronic devices and actually talk. If you’ve needed a distraction-​free opportunity to talk with your kids about puberty, or to explain the NSA surveillance program, or to break the news that mummy and daddy won’t be able to pay for private school anymore, you are guaranteed two uninterrupted hours of their attention.
Warnings:
— Despite the promise of life jackets, Coyote only had a single kid’s life jacket on hand (!!) I complained loudly until they turned up a second (still technically too large) one. And thank heavens I did, because my daughter fell out of her inner tube, and she could easily have run into trouble in the swift current.
— Don’t do this if you have any kind of time limit. We got off at the halfway mark, and it took an hour to get back to the starting point by bus. We waited 20 minutes for the bus, which THEN went to end-​point of the run, so it’s not clear we saved any time by getting off at the halfway mark. Then again, the bus line at the end of the run was VERY long, so there may have been quite a wait to get the bus from there.
— The supply of inner tubes may not keep up with demand — you may have a bit of a wait.
— If you are hoping to travel as a group, get in the water as a group; drape legs over one another’s tubes to stay together.
— As others have noted, there is no secure place for your stuff — though they held our personal items at the cash desk, which worked fine.
— We had the PERFECT weather for this activity (a day with a high of 30 degrees Celsius, at the very end of July) and it was heaven. But if it had been much warmer we would have broiled in our tubes. And if it had been much cooler, our butts would have frozen as we floated along. As it was, it was perfect — the water (when we swam in) was refreshing but not at all bracing… the sun was warm but not scorching.
— The water is much deeper than it looks (don’t count on being able to stand, even if it looks like you can) and the current is VERY strong. There is very little help available to catch you at the halfway point, and no warning that you are getting there, so don’t count on being able to stop.
— The exit at the halfway mark is VERY rocky, so you will be happy to have aqua socks or (possibly, if you can hold onto them) flip flops.
What to pack:
Based on our observation of better-​prepared people, here’s what I recommend bringing along for the ride:
— life jackets for the kids — don’t rely on Coyote for this!
— aqua socks or water-​friendly sandals that will spare your feet during the torturous walk across the rocks
— a wetbag for holding your keys, snacks or anything else you want on the ride
— sunscreen, in a pocket you can reach while in your tube, for when you realize that you need to put sunscreen on the soles of your feet
— sunhats and sunglasses
— a snorkel and mask! we watched a brilliant guy float along on the OUTSIDE of the tube, with his face in the water — he basically just used the tube to keep afloat, and enjoyed the uninterrupted view of the river bottom
— a waterproof case for your phone and/​or waterproof camera — we wished we had one!
— cold drinks (preferably beer) — and if you happen to have one, one of those floating coolers
— something to feed the ducks (my husband thinks that this is probably bad for the ducks, but the kids insist on it – and it is pretty hard to resist feeding a duck that is swimming alongside you)
— a smile! Though you’re pretty much guaranteed to pick one up en route
Your best plan:
— We loved this so much, and were so sorry that we only did the half version, that we are planning a repeat visit. This time we are going to drive to the END of the route, near Skaha Lake Park, and look for parking there (which may be tricky). Then we are going to load our OWN deflated floatation devices onto our bikes, and take the easy, flat and beautiful bike path up the river for a roughly 30 minute ride to Coyote Cruises. By then we’ll be ready for a dip, so we’ll lock up our bikes and stash our keys in a waterproof bag. When we cruise back down the river, our car will be waiting, and then we’ll drive back to pick up the bikes. Report to fol

While visiting Kelowna we decided to take a trip out to Penticton to do a relaxing float down the channel. We had a nice time and enjoyed the hot sun!
About this place: parking is very limited so you may have to park a ways away. The area is crowded but you move through the line ups quickly. It cost us $ 10 per person which included a tube rental and a bus ride back to the start. The water was shallow enough that it didn’t intimidate the not so great swimmers, and their was lots of families out there with little ones. They do allow alcohol and smoking on the channel which can make for some obnoxious language to listen to (same goes for the bus ride). The website stated the float was approximately 2 hours, however ours was 45 min. This time variation should be expected as water levels change. The other tip is that you are only allowed to do half the channel run, not the full when you rent from them. You can however do the full channel on your own. I would recommend this adventure to anyone looking to try something safe and new.

The Coyote Cruise is a service that transports happy sogging wet rafters from the midway point and the end point of the Penticton River channel.
On this particular day, it started off late in the evening, we went down the channel in our little inflatable boats and rings without paddles.
Ok. a nice float down the channel, some relaxation, conversation, laughter and screams. Screams??? Heck yeah!
It started to drizzle, then thunder, then lighting. then really close lighting and then massive downpour!
It got cold and we paddled for our lives to get to the midway point as quick as we could go.
All in all, it was a blast, but it would have been much much nicer had the weather cooperated with our plans. :(
Do it again? You betcha! Just not when there’s lightning so close by.