Lower Salt River Rafting: Scenic Family-Friendly Tour

Experience a scenic and relaxing desert oasis on a family-friendly rafting trip down the Lower Salt River. Swim, play, and encounter wildlife in their natural habitat. Book now!

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Salt River - Raft down a beginner‐friendly river with REI Co-op Experience’s guided raft tours on the Lower Salt River just outside Phoenix and Scottsdale. 
    This class I river (the easiest rating on the international river difficulty scale) provides some of the best opportunities for viewing wildlife and bird watching in the Southwest. We often see…
What's Included
  • Roundtrip Transportation from Meeting Location (Canal/Hawes PNR: 3055 N Power Rd. Mesa, AZ 85215)
  • PFD (life jacket), dry bags
  • Professional guide
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • Surcharges on fuel
  • Raft & paddles
What's Not Included
  • Guide gratuities are optional but appreciated.
Additional Information

Float down the Lower Salt River on a guided flatwater rafting trip and discover a scenic and relaxing desert oasis just outside Phoenix and Scottsdale. Swim, play, or just relax on the river and soak in the scenery. This is a family-friendly activity with options to please everyone. A little paddling is required, but your guide will steer the boat and…

Location
3055 N Power Rd
North Power Road
* 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 REI van towards the north end of the lot. Please arrive early.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(41 Ratings)
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Juliafp6027jh
Dec 4, 2024
Awesome scenic float down the salt river - Wonderful calm float down the salt river with plenty of great landscape and wildlife viewing including horses and even some cattle. Our guides Leslie and David were professional and knowledgeable, providing insight into the local desert area. The van picked us up at designated location and we got to the launch site quickly. Leslie and David hustled and equipment was unloaded and prepared quickly. We were on our way without any unnecessary delay. I appreciate their focus on safety by addressing medical/water safety concerns. The raft and equipment were in excellent condition. Our guide David was a pro navigating the river and his numerous years of experience in rafting showed. He was very familiar with the lower salt river and would tell us what to expect at certain points along the way. This was a great float trip and I would highly recommend this group- professional, safe, and friendly! Our family consisted of age ranges from mid 40s to mid 70s.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joel_g
Oct 25, 2024
A perfect afternoon on the water - We loved the trip. The staffers perfect, knowledgeable, created a great experience for us. It was a beautiful afternoon.
Review provided by Viator
Barbara_a
Oct 23, 2024
Rafting - Saw river otters and wild horses. The river was beautiful and the guide knowledgeable. A wonderful way to spend. Morning!
Review provided by Viator
Donna_h
Oct 21, 2024
Fun time - We had great weather, our guide was wonderful and very informative. We say wild horses swimming on the side of the river
Review provided by Viator
Trish_b
Sep 22, 2024
A fabulous time was had! - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Susanne_h
Jun 21, 2024
Exceptional Experience - We enjoyed every moment of this experience. Well worth it. The team was friendly and knowledgeable. Big shout out to our guide Stacey!
Review provided by Viator
Dan_r
Mar 31, 2024
Very informative and fun trip - 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
Review provided by Viator
Jenny_m
Sep 27, 2023
The guide was EXCELLENT!... - 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 🥰
Review provided by Viator
Wendy_s
Oct 11, 2024
Be prepared to work…. - 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!
Review provided by Viator
Brenda_s
Aug 4, 2023
River Trip - 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".
Review provided by Viator
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up to 12 guests
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December 2024
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