Snow tubing ranks among the easiest — and most fun — winter sports because it requires little preparation, equipment and skill. Just hop on a tube and whoosh down the hill.
The Banner Elk area is an ideal tubing spot with four of the top places to snow tube in the NC mountains. Within minutes of town are tubing parks at Sugar Mountain Resort and Beech Mountain Resort. About 25 minutes away is Hawksnest Snow Tubing, and 30 minutes from Banner Elk is Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing.
All four parks provide 100% snowmaking to maintain snow conditions when Mother Nature is taking a break, and they are considered the cream of the crop for snow tubing in North Carolina. As far as which one is best depends on what you’re looking for.
Sugar Mountain, the closest tubing park to Banner Elk, is known for strong snowmaking capabilities. Six runs are served by a conveyor carpet lift and the tubing runs are adjacent to the skating rink. The park and rink are easy to access because they have their own parking lot before you get further up the mountain to the slopes.
The snow tubing park at Beech Mountain is the highest elevation option, located in the resort’s alpine village. Eight runs are extra-long and punctuated by small moguls known as rollers. It is lighted and surrounded by high-tech snow guns and a sound system. It’s also adjacent to an ice skating rink.
Hawksnest Snow Tubing is the biggest. It was formerly a ski resort, thus has plenty of space. There are more than 30 runs in four sections, all connected by conveyor carpet lifts. The runs range in length from 400 to 1,000 feet. Hawksnest offers a winter zipline tour that soars above the tubing lanes.
Jonas Ridge is a smaller operation with five tubing lanes served by a conveyor carpet lift. Photographers take pictures as you tube and they are available for purchase on the spot, or later online. There is a small, cozy lodge with a fireplace and observation deck.