Tube World - Maggie Valley, NC - Snow Tube Park

Tube World is located off of Highway 19 in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Tube World works in association with Cataloochee Ski Area. It is a snow tube park that utilizes Cataloochee's snowmaking expertise. The park offers 5 different runs.

Snow is created through two different devices. The first uses water and compressed air to spray a mist on the ground, which will freeze and turn into snow before it settles on the ground. The other is a big gun that is a funnel in shape and has a large, jet like fan that shoot snow at a rate of up to 80 gallons of water a minute and at a distance of over 50 yards. The snow makers of Cataloochee are constantly upgrading equipment and water capacity so all that is needed for excellent tubing conditions is just a cold night. Optimal weather for creating snow are dry, cold days. Making the right snow depends on temperatures and humidity.

The park is open from December through March, with varying hours. Some days are 10 AM to 6 PM, some are 4 PM to 10 PM and some are 10 AM to 10 PM. Tube World also provides visitors with the latest snow conditions as well as a web cam of their park so visitors can be prepared before arriving.

The run works by having guests take a moving carpet lift to the top of the hill and then sliding down to the bottom. Tubers are expected to ride head first on their stomachs. It does allow riders to slow themselves by dragging their feet, but it some former tubers felt it wasn't the safest way to hit the sandbags at the bottom of the run.

No outside tubes, sleds, or other devices are permitted in the park and all tubers must slide individually. Each guest must purchase a ticket. Tickets are priced per session. For those guests who do not meet the height requirements of 42 inches, a Wee Bowl Snow play area has been added. However, Wee Bowl is open only a limited basis so it is best to call ahead and confirm. There is a nominal fee for the Wee Bowl area.

Tubing sessions are available on a first come, first served basis. Each session is one hour and forty-five minutes and they start every two hours. It is possible that a session will sell out, so it may be a good idea to arrive prior to the session you wish to attend. If the session is sold out, visitors may purchase a session for later in the day if space is available. Guests who have been to Tube World recommend arriving first thing in the morning to buy tickets for later in the day or trying to by them a day in advance.

Alley Cat Photos provides pictures of the guests' day on the slopes. Pictures are available online from that day, as well as prior weeks and months.

Customers do have mixed reviews on the park. Some guests had a wonderful time and had no problems at all when visiting this attraction. They believed that the price was fair and would go back. Other guests felt that the people who work there were not well informed and did not provide helpful information. Many had trouble getting tickets and once they did felt that the experience was not worth it for the price they had paid.