Salt river

[beerrun]

Anyone done this? Is it worth the trip?

 

[mesquito_creek]

To do what? Tube on the salt or boat on one of the 4 lakes on the salt?

Tubing is hot as heck and wall to wall with people. I did it all the time 25 years ago but now you couldn’t pay me to do it…. Lakes are great local and small day trips.

 

[HavasuHaulin]

Go during the week less crowded and better experience.

 

[monkeyswrench]

My wife has done it a couple times with friends. From the pics, it looks like the Channel mixed with the "People Mover" at Disneyland...Not my cup of tea, but neither is the channel.

 

[Shlbyntro]

Ron White highly recommends it

 

[PlumLoco]

We went with the kids' boy scout troop and had a great time. We had a group of college aged kids in front of us. It was a perfect "teachable moment" as they say. As time and distance passed, these dudes got drunker, louder, rowdier, and eventually just flat trashed. Scouts got to see some boobies too LOL.
One very tall, skinny Scoutmaster got pretty hypothermic from the cold water and no body fat. You are in the water for a long time. We all agreed we would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[beerrun]

To do what? Tube on the salt or boat on one of the 4 lakes on the salt?

Tubing is hot as heck and wall to wall hound people. I did it all the time 25 years ago but now you couldn’t pay me to do it…. Lakes are great local and small day trips.

Thinking about going over Friday and tubing Saturday

 

[mesquito_creek]

Thinking about going over Friday and tubing Saturday

If you can use anything as an alternative to a tube it is more fun in my opinion. Inflatable kayak or a paddle board (stand and sit) etc. you can move around more freely. See more varied wildlife (ie ASU and/or U of A “nursing students”) etc…. I mean, if you want to consider yourself an Arizona resident and have not tubed the salt, you are not legit. It practically should be a requirement to get an AZ drivers license!

 

[DLow]

We drove by last Saturday on the way to Saguaro. Complete shit show. They had the upper parking lot closed, so the bridge was a mess and there were huge lines and the tube rental/bus site. Huge… as in a couple hundred people in each set of lines. This weekend may be better since most of the kids are back in school.
I’ve done it a few times in the past and actually had a blast, but that’s back when I drank hard and was one of the kids doing kid stuff. Oh, don’t forget sunscreen on the shins!

 

[Community]

It can be fun if not too crowded. Wild horses etc. Same issues as anywhere some people can pack it in but not pack it out destroying the environment. We always do the shortest run. Water is refreshing and calming when not crowded.

 

[beerrun]

It can be fun if not too crowded. Wild horses etc. Same issues as anywhere some people can pack it in but not pack it out destroying the environment. We always do the shortest run. Water is refreshing and calming when not crowded.

So you can choose how far you want to float?

 

[Your ad here]

If you're gonna be in the Phoenix area a few days it's worth doing... If you're just driving out from out of town to do it, Parker or Havasu will be more fun, for the time invested. I did it once last year in a small kayak. It was fun and about a 3 hour float.

 

[endobear]

Never floated it but I did hydrolock my atc 70 in it about 1985. Old man was pissed.
Used to love riding there.

 

[mesquito_creek]

So you can choose how far you want to float?

There are two launch spots. One at the bridge and another farther up river closer to the dam. If you put in at the top you can exit at the bridge or stay in longer all the way to the salt river operation tubing exit. Alternatively, you can put in at the bridge and just ride the section from the bridge to the salt river operation.

If you do it on your own with two cars you can even go father down stream to the granite reef dam. There is a small lake at the bottom that you would have to paddle out of, so don’t miss the salt river Tubing operation area.

In my 20s I ran the river at flood stage from the top to granite reef in about 45 minutes in a kayak…. It was crazy fast flowing.

 

[beerrun]

There are two launch spots. One at the bridge and another farther up river closer to the dam. If you put in at the top you can exit at the bridge or stay in longer all the way to the salt river operation tubing exit. Alternatively, you can put in at the bridge and just ride the section from the bridge to the salt river operation.

If you do it on your own with two cars you can even go father down stream to the granite reef dam. There is a small lake at the bottom that you would have to paddle out of, so don’t miss the salt river Tubing operation area.

In my 20s I ran the river at flood stage from the top to granite reef in about 45 minutes in a kayak…. It was crazy fast flowing.

I think we are going to do it Saturday

 

[airchair.rider]

My daughter and I kayaked the river last Friday. Had a great time and saw a bunch of wild horses. We started just below the dam and went almost to the end. Not to crowded and the weather was perfect.