I wanted to share my Salt River Tubing tips today. We had a great time floating down the river for our anniversary this past month. It was great to spend the day together, just the two of us. In the past two years I have lived here in Arizona I have heard about tubing on the Salt River. It sounded like a fun adventure. But I wanted to be prepared. After reading up on tubing and talking to friends who like to frequent the river I felt pretty prepared for a great day. So I thought it might be a good idea to share some Salt River Tubing tips. And you can learn from our mistake…
Where should I go?
We went ahead and tried The Salt River Tubing Company for our anniversary. I also saw this site at Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch. I decided to try the first one because I was able to get more information from my friend about it. And because the Saguaro Lake tubing place talked about reservations. I was still deciding if I would bring my own float (which isn’t allowed at Saguro Ranch) or rent one. Plus trying to figure out how long to leave my kids with my amazing friend was still in the works. I’m so thankful she is awesome and willing to give my diabetic son a shot. Let’s go ahead and compare:
The Salt River Tubing:
- You can bring your own float or rent one. When renting one you leave your license with them in exchange.
- A bus drives you to your stop at the river and takes you back to your car.
- River Float times 2, 3, or 5 hours. (Times depend on river flow)
- Alcohol is allowed.
- Children must be at least 8.
Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch
- You must rent their tubes.
- You can get directly into the river from your car. And air conditioned bus brings you back. (I thought I read both places had buses with AC)
- River Float Times 1 or 3 hours (Times depend on river flow)
- No alcohol allowed.
- Children must be at least 9. And all children under 12 must wear a life jacket which they provide free of charge.
This note was also mentioned at the Saguaro Lake website.
Tube the pristine first mile of the stunningly beautiful Lower Salt River free of the river trash, noise, and ruckus often found downriver.
Another option is to bring your own floats and extra friends. One friend parks their car at a stopping point and then gives that driver a ride to the starting point. You just need a parking pass for The Tonto National Forest. I was going to try this but decided that if I accidentally missed by exit it could end badly.
What to bring?
- Floats (if bringing your own is an option). I love this float! I saw one similar at Sam’s Club and I am pinching myself for not picking it up. I like how it fits two people and has a cooler. Or you could pick up this simple ice chest cooler. I kinda want one for our pool. It’s really important to stay hydrated, especially in the hot Arizona summer.
- Sheet. If you are renting a tube from The Salt River tubing you are going to want to bring an extra flat sheet for each tube. We each brought a full top sheet. Their rubber tubes are black and crazy hot. Lay your sheet on the tube and tie the opposite corners together. So glad we read up on that tip. We brought old sheets because river water isn’t crystal clear.
- Sunscreen. Be sure to apply sunscreen before you arrive. It’s always best to apply it 30 minutes before going in the sun for the best protection. But you probably want to bring some extra so you can reapply. Especially if you are going tubing for a long time.
- Water! Make sure to drink lots of water while out in the sun. I love my HydroFlask! It keeps my drinks ice cold during the summer in Arizona.
- Waterproof Case for your phone. Don’t take any chances. Of course it’s helpful if you remember to plug back your phone after you are done charging. Luckily my phone was okay, but I totally thought I had done that.
- Floating Key Chain. My husband was able to keep our keys in his velcro pocket. I think I wouldn’t mind investing in a floating key chain, just in case. Plan out where you are going to put your wallet, keys, or other items. Maybe a small bag in your cooler.
- Mesh Bag and snacks. Like every good scout, pack it in and pack it out. (You can learn more about Leave No Trace here) Create a system for your waste as you float down the river. We saw quite a bit of trash towards the end of our adventure. I think that might be a great service project, collecting trash down the river. If we want to keep our beautiful river clean we need to do our part. The wildlife around the river deserves a clean river.
- Music. My hubby put together a playlist of songs for us to listen to as we floated down the river. But remember not to have it too loud. Others are trying to enjoy nature and we should be respectful towards them. The river wasn’t that busy when we were there. Most of the time we were alone. If you are floating around others you might want to turn it off for awhile.
- Hat
- Sunglasses
Things to Keep in Mind:
- We were shown a map and told to exit at the bridge. The person who was working never told us there were two stops the bus makes. We were told to get on the bus. On the bus, which didn’t have AC, there were two groups. One group was going for 4 hours and another group only 2.5. Other guest on the bus, who went all the time, told us we should exit at the second stop. While floating on the river we saw a stop approaching. We didn’t take a picture of the map (Something you should do, and what I usually do when hiking). I asked my hubby if we should get out. I thought we were suppose to exit at number 4. He said we should get out at number 3, and being dyslexic I went with what he thought. And there was no bridge. We knew there was a short trip than ours so we decided to keep floating. And we kept floating. And then after a long while we decided to get out where we saw other people. We realized at this point that we totally missed our stop and apparently the bus to give us a ride back to our car. After saying a prayer we were able to ask a nice family who drove us and our tubes back to our cars. Bless that dear family. We realized we should have gotten off the first stop and left earlier than the group going for 4 hours. So make sure you find out exactly when and where to go. I included a map of the place, but I could have sworn they had a number three on the map where we paid.
- Some parts of the river you will want to lift your butt. I loved watching the water below. Sometimes it was deeper, sometimes it was shallow. I was even able to see some fish.
- Don’t get too close to the edges. There are some times when you are going to watch where the river is taking you. A couple of times we pushed off some rocks to head towards the middle again. Just be aware.
- There are some fun parts where there are some little rapids. I loved it. Nothing crazy. But maybe prep your kids and pay attention.
All in all, it was a great anniversary. We will definitely be doing it again. I loved the one on one time with my love and being able to relax and talk and we floated down the river. It was really beautiful! And the water was the perfect temperature. We saw some really beautiful birds and wild horses. Which my husband reminded me we might have missed if exited when we were suppose to. This is a great Arizona activity. I want to take the cousins next time they come out.
Have you ever been to Salt River? What advice would you give? What else would you bring? Leave a comment to let us know…
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