Why You Should Go Salt River Tubing
We all know the desert and how hot it can be during the summer months. Most of us try to avoid the desert heat at all costs. Nathan and I decided to do the opposite and travel straight into it.
Why? To enjoy one of our favorite refreshing and relaxing activities in Arizona: Salt River tubing!
Make it a weekend trip or include it in your road trip! Either way we highly recommend visiting and completing the total 4 hour river float.
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The company Salt River Tubing, located in Mesa Arizona, always provides just what we need to survive the Arizona heat. The establishment itself is easy to find and well organized which makes planning each excursion headache free.
We love to stay overnight in either Mesa or the small town of Apache Junction. Every time we choose to stay in Apache Junction we love to rent out cute AirBnb’s!
Apache Junction is a super quiet city meaning you can hear nearby howling coyotes and see a huge array of stars on a clear night.
If you can find an AirBnb here, we highly recommend it for the overall experience!
Tubing down the river is a blast whether you’re going alone or traveling with a large group. Should you go on your own you’ll surely make some new friends over the 4 hours you’re sharing the water.
Details & Pricing
Prices may vary year by year. During our visit it cost $17/person to rent one tube including a round trip bus ride to the river. With only 4 stops along the Salt River, planning your route is easy. The amount of time spent in the river is dependent on which stop you’d like to exit.
• Stop #1 to #2 – 2 hours
• Stop #2 to #4 – 3 hours
• Stop #1 to #4 – 5 hours
Since we wanted the full experience, we tubed from Stop #1 to #4. The times listed are estimates, but very accurate.
Just about 4-5 hours later we found ourselves beaching over rocks and re assimilating to land.
To Bring or Not to Bring Your Own Tube
As for inflatables, you can rent a tube or you can bring any variety of inflatable you want! You’ll see swim toys, massive floats, tubes, chairs and more.
The first time we came we brought our own dual person inner tube complete with attached cooler in the middle. Sounds amazing right?!
Well unfortunately with the shallowness of the water at the time, this didn’t last long. Our tube not being the best quality, popped a small hole on some shallow rocks and started leaking. We solved the issue by tying it with a hair tie and slapping on some duct tape.
It worked but still had a slow leak which resulted in not the most comfortable river trip.
Lesson learned. Come prepared with a patch kit.
Rent from Salt River Tubing to Ensure Quality
The second time we visited, we rented a tube from the company itself which are much more durable. This makes sense as they are legitimate inner tubes for semi truck tires.
Although, I can understand if you really want to buy that epic 6-10 person giant raft you saw online. Try it!
Protect Yourself from the Sun, Seriously
Five hours in the scorching desert sun is a recipe for disaster without the proper preparation.
First, hats are a must!
Second, if you have it, bring a light umbrella.
Lastly and most obviously, load up on that sunscreen! You may not feel too hot while you are in the cool river water but trust me, your skin is taking a massive beating from hours in the summer sun. Be wise!
If you’re shameless (like Nathan) you can always wear a long sleeve shirt and a bandana for protection.
BYOB (Bring Your Own BEVERAGES)
Coolers are allowed on the river, so feel free to bring snacks, lunch, and drinks. No glass though!
Salt River Tubing does not recommend alcohol on the river. If you choose to partake, be responsible and pack extra water.
We enjoyed a few beers while moseying down the river and it was an amazing time.
A Potential Party Place for Adults
Salt River Tubing can be a very relaxing experience but also can be a very loud party environment. Both times we visited there were large groups of college kids drinking, blasting music, and splashing around in the water.
For us, we didn’t mind at all as it was highly amusing. Just keep in mind that this is a normal thing and it definitely is party central for a lot of adults!
Kids ages 8 and over are welcome to tube. Although, as a parent, be prepared for some loud and probably unsober adults.
River Conditions
Overall, the river has a pretty steady current. There are sections deep enough to swim and sections shallow enough to hit your butt against rocks. You go through a few small rapids which aren’t too bad but I unfortunately had a rough experience on one of them!
While cruising downstream, I took out my phone to snap a picture of the landscape. I saw some small rapids up ahead but didn’t think much of them since they never caused me problems before.
In what felt like a millisecond, I was suddenly capsized! Now upside down with my head under the water and my feet sticking straight up towards the sky. I hit my head on a rock but it was nothing too serious.
The serious part was when I realized I lost my phone!
Be Careful With Your Belongings!
Yes I know my safety does come first before a phone, but come on, it is only natural to panic when you think you just lost about $800 worth of technology in a river!
Luckily though, it capsized with me and stayed with all my gear strapped to my tube. (Thank you Nathan for securing our gear.)
So watch out for the rapids and don’t take out your phone unless it is waterproof with a wrist strap!
Why You Should Go Salt River Tubing Next Summer
Salt River tubing is an amazing escape during the hot summer days of Arizona. Relax on your tube, listen to music, sip some beers (responsibly), and enjoy the gorgeous desert landscape.
We enjoyed a similar experience while at Swaysey’s Beach during our hot summer road trip in Utah. There’s nothing like cooling off in Earth’s natural waters! If you come out of the river without any major sunburns, hangovers, injuries, and all your belongings, I would say you did it right!
Not sure what else to add to your summer Arizona trip? Travel blogger, Luxe Adventure Traveler, lists other top things to do in Arizona during summer.
Have you been tubing before? Where are your favorite spots? Let us know below in the comments!
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