Barber Park — Attraction in Boise

This was our first time to the park. Our reason for being here was to float down the Boise River. Upon arrival we had to pay $6 for parking and were conveniently directed around the lot to a spot. It was a Sunday and this place was teaming with people. My best guess would be a mid-week trip would include a lot less people. That being said we walked right up to the equipment rental window, filled out a release of liability form, paid the fee and waited about 5 min for our tubes and off we went. The wait time for large dingy's was an hour. The water was refreshing, the entry point was clear and easily accessible and everyone around was in great spirits and friendly. So here are some tips for first timers. If you can purchase a heavy duty tube with handles for cheap do it. DO NOT BRING A CHEAP POOL TOY! The tubes they provide for $12 rental fee are very nice. There is no place to put anything safely so DO NOT bring anything and leave it. Bring a good zip lock bag so u can put a car key, credit card, DL & a few bucks. They will sell u a water proof bag (glorified zip lock for $5) which I bought and put it in my pocket. Leave everything in the car, that includes flip flops, t-shirts, shoes, etc. You want to float without being bothered by something u have to carry. I would recommend a water proof speaker cuz those that had them were loving life. It took us 2hrs without stopping but there are plenty of places to stop along the way and hang out. Floating cooler is a sweet deal for a group. This is beginner floating nothing difficult. You can use kayaks, inflatable canoes, dingy of any size, etc. There is a bus that takes you back for $3 (cash) per person. This was an absolute blast. Highly recommend it for kids of any age. Law says no alcohol (I saw lots of it) and life vests for kids under 12 (not...

First, I should mention I have only been to this park to float the river, as it is a bit of a drive for me.

The park looks nice, is well maintained, and has good bathroom facilities. They have a drop-off area if you have a lot of rafts, tubes, and people going that is prior to the paid parking. Be forewarned, unless you are extremely lucky or super early, you are going to be parking in the grass area. There is nothing wrong with it, it is just a little bit further back than the other spots, so if you have people in your group that can't walk as far, I'd recommend using the drop-off area first before parking.

For those that don't have tubes, they have a tube and raft rental facility that is usually pretty quick, but is a little on the pricey side (roughly $30 for a tube or $80-$90 for a raft).

Additionally, if you're floating alone (not as fun as with a group), you can pay $3 for a shuttle from Ann Morrison Park (the end of the river float) back to Barber Park.

My biggest gripe, and the reason I'm taking away a star, is also kind of a question, why am I paying $7 to park here when the free air facilities where taken away? I used to come here all the time as a kid and young adult and could bring my own tube and fill it up for free, but now you have to bring your own pump and fill it up at your car before carrying it over to the river float starting area. If it was $2-$3, I could MAYBE understand it as a parking fee for 2 or 3 hours (usually how long it takes to float the river with stops at the pump house and rope swing), but $7 just to park is a bit outrageous. Also, Ann Morrison doesn't charge you to park there and is pretty well maintained, so what's the...

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