River
Rafting in Arizona requires preparation for
all conditions. Salt River Rafting has tried
to answer the most common questions here but
feel free to call our office at 800-425-5253 or 719-539-3555.
When and Where do we meet?
Confirmation?
What does Salt River Rafting
provide?
What do we wear?
What about food?
Can we bring alcohol?
Can we bring cameras?
How many people in a raft? How
is it guided?
Who can do it?
How cold is the water?
Is it customary to tip the
guides?
What 'Class' is the rafting
on the Salt River of Arizona?
Guide training and
certification
What is a Ducky or Inflatable
Kayak?
| When
and Where do we meet? Confirmation? |
| All trips meet at the Salt River where
the highway 60/77 bridge crosses the river
at the bottom of the canyon about half way
between Globe, AZ and Showlow AZ. All trips
meet at 10:00 am. except the wilderness
trip. The multi-day Wilderness trips meet at 8am. under the Safeway sign in the Walmart parking lot in the Globe/Claypool/Miami metroplex area. See our Map
page for more details and
directions to print. The confirmation is
your payment when on the phone with our
office at 719-539-3555 or 800-425-5253. |
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| What does Salt River Rafting provide? |
| All our trips include self-bailing rafts or
inflatable kayaks, PFD's (life jackets), paddles,
helmets, specialized equipment, first aid supplies
and dry bags. Wetsuits, wetsuit booties and paddle
jackets are provided at no extra charge. Return transportation
to your vehicle is included at the end of your
trip. Meals and beverages are included on all
trips except for the express-half day trip. Bring
a snack and beverage for the half day. |
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| What
do we wear? |
Temperatures vary quite a bit
in the spring time in Arizona, one day you
will want all the gear mentioned below,
the next day just a swimsuit and old tennis
shoes. Better safe than sorry and that is
why Salt River Rafting will provide
adequate gear at no charge if you do not
have your own. See "What Salt River
Rafting Provides" above for details.
For additional comfort YOU should bring
a swimsuit to wear under the wetsuit. Cotton
t-shirts, sweatshirts and denim will
keep you cold when wet. The saying in this
business is that cotton kills. Tops and
bottoms made of synthetics such as poly-pro,
capilene, fleece, silk or wool are designed
to keep you warm when wet. Any outdoor sporting
goods store carries
this clothing. We also provide wet suit
booties to keep your feet warm because there
is always some water on the floor of the
raft. You can also bring your own wetsuit
booties or a sandal with a heel strap. All
foot gear can be worn with a sock made of
the materials listed above for added comfort.
Bring Extra clothing, Sunscreen, Water,
Restraining Strap for Glasses, Waterproof
Camera, and Smiles! |
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| What
about food? |
| Salt River Rafting provides all meals and beverages
on every river trip except for the express-half
day trip. Bring a snack and beverage for the half
day option. We prepare a huge grilled lunch with
all the fixings at our beach side base camp mid-way
through our full day raft trip. No one leaves
lunch hungry! Dinners, lunches and breakfasts
served on multi-day trips are always delicious,
filling and reflect the guides special areas of
expertise. Guides are also your cook, waiter,
and dishwasher! Feel free to ask if you can lend
a hand. Special diets can be accommodated with
prior notice. |
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| Can
We Bring Alcohol? |
| Adult beverages are welcome as long as we are
all clear on the rule: NEVER CONSUME ALCOHOL BEFORE
OR DURING TIME ON THE WATER! We reserve the right
to cancel or reschedule your trip if we suspect you have been drinking. For multi-day
trips we ask that no glass containers which can
break and puncture a raft be included with your
personal gear. |
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| Can
We Bring Cameras? |
| Waterproof, disposable cameras are the
only cameras we suggest you bring on the
river. The canyon and scenery are spectacular
on all of our trips. Feel free to bring
water proof digital cameras, or cameras
in water proof cases. We can not guarantee
that these will not go overboard, but we
do have over a 99% success rate in not losing
your personal belongings. We have a 100%
success rate of not losing you! |
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| How
Many People in a Raft? How is it Guided? |
| Manufacturers design rafts to carry anywhere
from 1 to 10 people along with a guide who
navigates and calls commands. Most trips
generally have 6 people in a raft in addition
to the guide. There are two methods by which
a guide controls the raft. |
Method one is the paddle raft: Your raft
crew paddles together as a team at the guides'
command and the guide steers with a paddle.
No experience is necessary as each guide
gives an explanation and practice run of
all the paddle commands.
About 99% of our clients choose this method. |
| Method two is the Oar guided raft: the guide
steers with a set of oars mounted on a frame attached
to the raft. You can paddle or just hold on. This
method is generally used at a guides discretion
for safety or the handicapped. |
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| Who
Can do it? |
You can do it! Rafting is a great way to get together
with your family, friends, coworkers or just have an
adventure by yourself. We have no upper age limit, and
children as young as 7 (depending on the flow) can enjoy
a guided raft trip. We have accommodated countless people
who could not swim and or have physical challenges.
The most important ingredient is a good attitude!
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| How
Cold is the Water? |
Spring time rafting on the Salt River
of Arizona brings great whitewater in the
form of melted snow run-off from the White
Mountains. Generally if you are from Phoenix,
Florida or Texas the water will always seem
chilly. If you are from the upper Mid-West
or North-East the water will seem normal.
One day you will
want to wear everything Salt River Rafting
provides, the next day a swim suit and sneakers
will be fine. For more details read What
do we Wear? above. |
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| Is
it Customary to Tip the Guides? |
| Gratuity for guide service is customary. A tip
is a nice way to say 'thank you' and should reflect
how you feel about the personal service you or
your group received. Some groups organize a tip
for their guide, others prefer to tip personally.
Average tip is between 10-20% of your trip cost
per person. All things are equal except for the
people and Salt River Rafting is very proud of
its staff. |
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| What
Class is the Salt River Rated? |
Most rivers in the world are rated on the International
Scale of Whitewater, I-VI. Class I is flat water
with some current, like the tubing section on
the Lower Salt River, a slightly moving lake if
you will. Class VI is impossible, for instance
Niagara Falls. The full day and half day trips
on the Upper Salt River of Arizona are rated class
III. Fun, splashes, and rapids that require defined
navigation. Class III is considered the "normal"
level to begin rafting. Higher and lower water
levels don't generally change the classification
until flood stage. Commercial raft companies will
not generally run a river at flood stage. Obviously
higher water makes bigger waves and splashes,
lower water will be more technical as rocks and
obstacles begin to appear. Although the whitewater
industry does not require or normally wear helmets
in Class III stretches of river, Salt River Rafting
requires them due to the remoteness of the canyon.
Double check all commercial raft companies safety
protocols. |
| Multi-day trips with Salt River Rafting run
a number of Class IV rapids in an even more remote
area of the canyon. These rapids are more challenging
and difficult to maneuver, although not necessarily
bigger and wetter. |
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| Guide
Training and Certification |
All things are equal except for the people.
Salt River Rafting's staff are dedicated
outdoor enthusiasts with many years of experience
guiding and adventuring. All of
our guides are CPR/First Aid Certified. Many are
EMT's, Wilderness EMT's, as well as Swift Water
Rescue Technicians. Our guides have made whitewater
their profession and aren't just working a season
or two, but people who have dedicated their lives
to the passion of living and working outdoors.
For me this is the most important aspect of choosing
a company with which to raft. After all, the companies'
permitted to run commercial trips on the Upper
Salt River are using basically the same gear from
rafts to life jackets. Trip lengths are very similar
although we pride ourselves on adding miles
when water conditions permit. So the choice
for you is to pick the company with the
most expertise on the water, guiding your
raft, shaping your experience and focusing
on your safety. Salt River
Rafting takes great pride in the professionalism
and expertise of our staff! We reserve the
right to deny a trip to any person for safety
reasons and to modify any trip due to unsafe
river conditions. |
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| What
is a Ducky or Inflatable Kayak? |
| These are one or two person crafts that are stable, easy to get in and out of like a canoe, but use a two bladed kayak paddle to power. We consider this a HIGH ADVENTURE trip that requires above average physical condition and a "git 'er done" attitude. Our experience has shown this trip is not for everyone. Please take a look at these pictures if you are unfamiliar with this craft. Keep in mind that inflatable kayaks are much more physically challenging than rafting. Getting stuck on rocks, falling out of the ducky and rescuing yourself with or without the aid of the guide are typical experiences. Before you head down river you will be required to demonstrate a self resucue in the calm pool at the put in. A self rescue entails exiting your kayak into the water and getting back into the craft with or without the assistance of the guides.
This trip is run separate from the raft trips with Salt River Rafting for your safety (not being run over by a raft), logistics (duckiers generally take longer than rafters to get down the river), and enjoyment. We maintain a high client to guide ratio as has been noted by our permitee the Tonto National Forest Rangers. Our minimum group size of 4 requires 2 guides; one in a small oar powered raft to handle any circumstance such as fatigue, fear or injury. Another guide will be in a kayak or ducky to show you the best way through the rapids. These quality and safety measures are what account for the higher cost of the inflatable kayak trip.
We maintain the right to alter or cancel your ducky trip at the last minute at the river based on river conditions and or other safety reasons. |
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