One of the best ways to spend a hot day in Phoenix is on the water. You can spend the day at Lake pleasant looking for donkeys. Or you can spend the day at kayaking or swimming Saguaro Lake. But my favorite option is tubing the Salt River. It is located just east of Phoenix near Saguaro Lake, and it is where all the wild horses hang out!
Keep reading to find out where you can start and finish, and where the horses likely are!
The Salt River
The Salt River is mellow with a few class 1 rapids, so I would recommend a life vest for small children. Most sections are shallow (1-4 feet) but there are a few deep spots. You will find that there is virtually no shade along the river so be prepared with water and sunscreen.
If you don’t have a tube and want minimal planning, you can rent a tube at Salt River Tubing company and use their shuttle. It currently costs $28 per person for a 5 hour trip, and runs from April 26th to the end of September.
But you don’t need to use their service to use the river. There are several parking lots where you can launch your own tubes, and each lot has a pay station for Tonto passes.
I prefer this option because I don’t have to follow a schedule and I save a lot of money by reusing my tube. I bought a generic tube with a mesh bottom from Walmart for $15.
Below is section of rapids.
Wild Horses:
Sometimes horses aren’t seen on the river, but I personally always see at least one (maybe I’m lucky). On hot days you will have a better chance since they are constantly hanging around the river to cool down. If you want to see them I definitely recommend going from Sheep’s Crossing to Goldfield.
Where To Start
There are a few different starting points. My favorite is Sheep’s Crossing. It is less crowded (bathrooms smell better) and the trip is a little under 2 hours from here to Goldfield Recreation Area.
There are many recreation area parking lots right next to the river. You could tube to any of these parking lots, but I personally have not and cannot tell you what to expect. However, I can tell you what the upper river looks like and give you some recommendations on where to start and end.
The Parking Lots:
*Every parking lot has a place to buy a Tonto Pass–needed for parking.
Water User Recreation Site: Yellow
Pebble Beach: Green
Sheep’s Crossing: Blue
*Sheep’s Crossing and Pebble Beach are right next to each other, separated by the bridge. I always go to Sheep’s Crossing because it is less popular and the bathrooms are cleaner. This shortens the trip by ~5 minutes.
Goldfield: Pink
*This parking lot is on the same road as the Salt River Tubing company. When exiting the river, there should be signs at the beach during their tubing season. If there isn’t, it is a long, rocky beach right after the Mud Cliffs (seen in thumbnail). Don’t miss it!
Where to Start & Finish?
60 + Min.
If you are looking for a short tubing trip, I suggest starting at Water Users Recreation Site and ending at Pebble Beach or Sheep’s Crossing. This section should take roughly an hour, depending on the wind and water level. The last time I did it, it took an hour and 20 mintures because of the wind.
There is a split in the river nearing Pebble Beach, where the right side is much more forgiving and calm. The left side is known as Pinball Alley (according to a local) and the rapid is much more technical and rough. However, when approaching this, the right side is much smaller and looks scarier, but its not. I suggest always staying right!
Start: Water Users Recreation Site
End: Pebble Beach OR Sheeps Crossing
2 Hours
I believe 2 hours is the perfect amount of time for tubing. Depending on the wind and how often you are in the current, this should take you just under two hours. During the summer there is a beach near the end (at the Mud Cliffs) where many young adults “park” their tubes and party. If you partake, you could extend your trip an extra hour or two.
Start: Pebble Beach OR Sheeps Crossing
End: Goldmine
3 hours
This is a combination of the previous two. If you think 2 hours on the river just isn’t enough, you can start a little further up the river at Water Users Recreation Site and end at Goldmine.
Start: Water Users Recreation Site
End: Goldmine
4+ Hours
I haven’t gone past the Goldfield parking lot, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. There are several parking lots along the river. If you start at Water User’s and go past Goldfield, you could easily extend a trip to 4 or 5 hours. It might sound like a great half-day activity, but for most this will be too long. This route is also tricky because the river splits a few times before the recreation sites, meaning if you take the wrong route you will miss your exit.
Start: Water Users Recreation Site
End: Coon Bluff Recreation Site and beyond
As you can probably tell by now, I highly recommend ending at Goldfield and starting somewhere further up the river. This way you spend the perfect amount of time on the water and have a good chance of seeing animals. Don’t forget to bring water and a life jacket and keep an eye out for the wild horses!
If you enjoyed this post, feel free to look into my posts about fun hikes in the Phoenix area.
