Half-Day Lower Salt River Rafting Tour
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Phoenix, USA
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
If you’ve ever wanted to raft a river, but don’t know how, get out of the Phoenix heat on a beginner-friendly float. Discover a scenic desert oasis less than an hour from the city. Your guide steers the boat and provides fascinating facts about the flora and fauna of the unique Sonoran Desert. Your whole family can swim, play, or just relax together on this small group adventure.
- Beginner-friendly class 1 river rafting is safe and fun for the whole family
- Great opportunities for Sonoran Desert wildlife and bird watching
- Guided raft tour with paddles, life jackets and dry bags provided
- Round-trip transportation from meeting point in Mesa
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Professional guide
- Raft & paddles
- PFD (life jacket), dry bags
- Roundtrip Transportation from Meeting Location (Canal/Hawes PNR: 3055 N Power Rd. Mesa, AZ 85215)
- Fuel surcharge
- Guide gratuities are optional but appreciated.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 3055 N Power Rd, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA
* Look for signs for the Canal/Hawes Park & Ride. * Two entrances into lot: one at the light at N Power Rd and E Preston St and one 0.1 miles north on Power Rd. * Look for the CCO van towards the north end of the lot. Please arrive early.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Salt River (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- A minimum of 4 people per booking is required
- A minimum weight of 35 lbs is required
- We require solo-travelers to pay the minimum of the 4-person price. If you are a solo traveler and would like to be added on to a pre-formed group for this tour, please mention this upon booking.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 150 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Donna_B
Our guide, Owen, was exceptional. He elevated the Salt River rafting trip by sharing his deep knowledge of the local ecology and history, turning the journey into a highly engaging and educational experience. We arrived with no expectations and left with incredible memories, thanks entirely to Owen's expertise. I strongly recommend this trip for anyone seeking adventure combined with unique insights into Arizona's wilderness.
Reviews
4.6
based on 49 reviews
Mary_A, Mar 2026
The rafting experience was pleasant and the guide (Lindsay) was extremely well versed in the ecology and history of the area, which he shared with our group throughout the rafting experience. The driver and guide were both engaging from the pickup to the launch point, and pull out to return. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable and informative river experience.
Eric_L, Mar 2026
We had a group of 8 (4 adults and 4 kids), and our river rafting trip was an amazing experience from start to finish. Our guide, Owen, was fantastic—full of local knowledge and great with the kids. He had them out of their shells in no time, joking around, having fun, and even helping polish off the snacks!
The scenery was incredible, and spotting a wild horse along the way was a highlight we won’t forget. The trip itself was very easygoing with minimal paddling required, which made it perfect for all ages—our 73-year-old mom had a great time too.
Highly recommend for families or anyone looking for a fun, scenic, and relaxed adventure!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Love this review! Thanks for sharing. Yes, Owen is a top notch guide and uncle! He knows how to get everyone involved. The beauty of the Tonto National Forest is always our favorite to share with guests. Glad you all enjoyed it.
Jean_C, Mar 2026
Gentle float - great for seniors. Easy access. . Guides were patient and supportive. Great experience.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Glad you enjoyed the raft tour on the Lower Salt! Visit us again soon.
Jorgelina_R, Nov 2025
We did it with our kids ages 11 and 13 and it was wonderful even with rainy conditions they provided us with ponchos and it was absolutely amazing
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thanks for the great review Jorgelina! Our guides also enjoyed the time out with you all on the Salt River. Hopefully you'll come back and visit again!
Donna_B, Oct 2025
Our guide, Owen, was exceptional. He elevated the Salt River rafting trip by sharing his deep knowledge of the local ecology and history, turning the journey into a highly engaging and educational experience. We arrived with no expectations and left with incredible memories, thanks entirely to Owen's expertise. I strongly recommend this trip for anyone seeking adventure combined with unique insights into Arizona's wilderness.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you so much, Donna! We love hearing that our team made your Salt River rafting experience unforgettable. Owen is an incredible guide and we're glad you think so too. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words. Thanks again for joining us on our rafting tour and for sharing your adventure!
Joel_G, Oct 2024
We loved the trip. The staffers perfect, knowledgeable, created a great experience for us. It was a beautiful afternoon.
Barbara_A, Oct 2024
Saw river otters and wild horses.
The river was beautiful and the guide knowledgeable. A wonderful way to spend. Morning!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hi Barbara, we're stoked that you had a great trip! We wish the wildlife was always as visible as they were for your party. We hope you choose to float with us again in the near future!
Donna_H, Oct 2024
We had great weather, our guide was wonderful and very informative. We say wild horses swimming on the side of the river
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hi Donna, thank you for your kind words! Our guides take a lot of pride in trying to create a great experience, and it really helps when the local wildlife makes an appearance. We hope you come float with us again!
Wendy_S, Oct 2024
I was prepared for a nice relaxing float down the river to view the beautiful scenery along the way. When we arrived, we were informed we were the only couple on the tour which didn’t sound bad initially until I figured out that meant more work from the two of us. The river had no current the majority of the time and we were being blown backwards by the wind. My husband and I had to paddle the majority of the trip in order to make it down the river. This is where I realized having a “private tour” had its shortcomings. We could have used a few extra people to help! I didn’t realize the amount of work involved on this trip. It was not a nice relaxing float down the river. We saw some blue Herron and eventually did see some wild horses and a few fish. Overall, be prepared for 2 hours of paddling!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hi Wendy, we are sorry that this trip was so much work this time around. In our efforts to provide consistent and quality services, we do our best to run our tours as long as the weather is safe - sometimes this means encountering wind that requires a bit of extra paddling. We always hope for additional guests to add to the enjoyment and keep the raft more in the current and less in the wind, in the case that it arises.
Thank you for providing this feedback, and we hope you can join us again for a morning float.
Trish_B, Sep 2024
Paddle rafting down the river was a first and fantastic! Daniel was the best guide ever and I achieved a personal dream to see the wild horses. A truly wonderful day.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Hi Trish, we're really happy that you were able to see the wild horses and that you enjoyed Daniel's guiding. Please come see us again soon!
Susanne_H, Jun 2024
We enjoyed every moment of this experience. Well worth it. The team was friendly and knowledgeable. Big shout out to our guide Stacey!
Dan_R, Mar 2024
This was definitely a completely safe, stress-free tour that was safe for an entire family. We got to see a beautiful river and the surrounding landscape, getting great views of the mountains. Wonderful through and through
Jenny_M, Sep 2023
The guide was EXCELLENT! She was so patient and helpful to my elderly mom. She made it so easy for my mom to have an enjoyable time. I’m so thankful for her 🥰
Brenda_S, Aug 2023
This was more expensive than it should have been. No where to change clothes or use a bathroom when we made it to back pick up area. Drinking Water was included, and the "snacks" were minimal. It was approximately 1.5 hours on the water which was slow moving. I expected more for the money I spent on 2 people. High point, we saw 2 wild horses on the shore, in 2 different areas. Not real exciting to swim with all the "snake grass".
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Hi there! We are sorry to hear of your unsatisfactory experience with us. We feel like our tours are accurately depicted on our website as well as the booking page. Our front office makes sure to explain expectations to guests that book directly with us. For any future bookings, please reach out with any questions. Thanks!
Darin_m, Oct 2022
Our guide was fun and enjoyable. Everyone had a wonderful time. It was very memorable time with my family.
Jessika_E, Oct 2022
Very fun trip a lot less work than we had expected. I Rec asking about a private tour as it was very relaxing being just us. We got to see horses a lot of them. Guide was very nice and did a lot of the work. We took photos which were nice to have.
Angin_C, Jul 2022
Perfect trip for families with young kids (less teens) and first time rafters. Not for those looking for advanced level rafting experience. Our guide David was great. Patient, polite, happy guy.
Only thing is be aware - if anyone in your family can’t make it due to unexpected illness they will not refund. So 4 out of 5 of us made it and too bad about the fifth. Think that was extreme.
But it was great relaxing experience. Enjoyed it a lot.
Lois_D, May 2022
Patrick, our guide, was great. The river is crystal clear and seeing the wild horses was very special. Great afternoon.
Meredith_S, May 2022
Gracie was our guide and she did an incredible job! We got to see wild horses along the river while rafting! My mom and I had never been rafting before, so this was a great introduction for an activity to keep us cool in the desert heat. The views were amazing and the tour group was so fun. Seeing the horses alone made it worth going on this trip.
Patricia_W, Mar 2022
It was a very wonderful afternoon as we rafted down the Salt. We had hoped to see the wild horses and were not disappointed! The water was nice and cool on a warm day and Stacey,our guide, was very friendly and knowledgeable.
Kumar_G, Feb 2022
Our guide Miss(t)y is knowledgeable about the area and made sure we had fun! We got to see wild horses, play around in the river and just relax.
James_P, Oct 2021
This was a fun way to spend the afternoon - floating the Lower Salt River. It is very peaceful and scenic. We hit the jackpot when it came to spotting the wild horses - they were all over the river! We floated right by some of them - such a beautiful sight. Alexis, our guide, was very informative and entertaining so we had a ton of fun!
Harry_S, Aug 2021
We encountered several wild horses in the river...Very special sighting. This is a low keyed quiet tour into nature so expectations should be just that. We enjoyed the tour. It could have been improved in two ways, Our guide might have given more narrative about the flora and fauna along the river or the history of the area we were paddling through.
The meeting place was recently changed and the instructions should be more explicit, There were two similar parking lots side by side and the van was just white with no identifying markings or signs.
Boris_N, Jul 2021
While I would rate our guides (Ben and Zach) five stars, as they were great, the overall tour left much to be desired (especially given the ridiculously high price). So Tour is 1 star and guides were 5 stars, which is how I ended up with 2 stars total. The Viator description says this is a 4-hour tour and I took that information into serious consideration when booking - it is also called a "half-day tour". However, we were done start to finish in under 2.5 hours and the actual float down the river was about 1.5 hours - so nowhere near the 4-hours or half-day (how is 2.5 hours half a day???). When booking this, I expected to be on the river for much longer than 1.5 hours and both the description and the title suggested that would be the case. Also, the picture shows 4 people on the raft with a guide and that is what I was hoping for. However, there was another family of 4 and our raft was packed - people floating by actually made fun of how packed our raft was. Considering the time on the water and the packed raft, and the ridiculous $450 price tag for a family of 4, I would not recommend this tour to others.
Judy_N, Jun 2021
Who knew there’d be wild horses in the area! It’s always an experience to see wildlife in its natural habitat; one horse was wading across the river - neck deep!
This was a low key rafting experience. Excellent guide who did most of the work; we paddled a bit but mostly floated the way down the river encountering a few “surging” areas.
For my 15- and 17-year olds, this was not an adventure they’d do again. BUT seeing the wild horses made up the lack of “fun”. For us parents (in our 40s) this was a nice easy morning in the 100+ degree heat of June.
Tour provided water and snacks. Guide was informative and fun to talk to.
Charlene_P, Jun 2021
Noel was knowledgeable and engaged. Kendall provided excellent customer care as well. this was our first experience in rafting and it felt safe and we were informed and supported.
Cara_G, May 2021
Fun relaxing float. Family enjoyed it! Wish we would have stopped at a beach to swim. The rock we swam at was hard to get in and out of the water.
Rebecca_V, May 2021
Guide was good and weather beautiful. I had hoped to see wild horses but wasn’t in the cards for us and my teens a bit bored but I enjoyed the serenity of it all.
Nancy_S, Apr 2021
Seeing the wild horses and the peace and beauty of the Salt River float. Our guide, Ben, was excellent!
Robert_S, Sep 2019
During the season when the Salt River flows slowly, it was a pleasure to be with Eric and Matt for a leisurely morning on this picturesque river!
From $140.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Half-Day Lower Salt River Rafting Tour
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2 hours 30 minutes
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