Explore the serene beauty of Arizona’s rivers on a guided kayak or flatwater tour. The Lower Salt River offers a scenic desert oasis perfect for all. Guests float in self-bailing tandem kayaks, with two people per boat, while a guide accompanies alongside guests to offer instruction and insights about the Sonoran Desert. The river’s gentle current makes for an easy float. Along the way, there’s plenty of time to swim, play, and enjoy the view, with close encounters with wildlife like wild horses and great blue herons adding to the magic. All equipment is provided, including paddles, dry bags, and life jackets, so you can simply relax and enjoy an unforgettable day on the water. Tours take about four hours including the drive to/from the river and the duration of the tour. Bottled water and snacks, raft/paddles, a life jacket, dry bags, round-trip transportation and National Forest entry fees are included in this trip.
Kayak down a beginner‐friendly river with Cliff Creek Outfitters' 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 wild horses and bald eagles during our tour! Your guides are available to teach you the natural history of the area and give you expert paddling instruction. We select our launch locations based on the current water flow to provide you with the best experience so our start and end points vary throughout the year. Water temperatures may range from approx. 60 degrees F in the winter to low 80 degrees in the summer months. Swimming is possible year‐round but it can be a bit bracing in January!
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Lower Salt River Guided Kayak Tours lasts about 2h 30min. The itinerary has 1 stop.
Prices start at $148 per person for this Phoenix experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is 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 a few minutes early. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 150 participants.
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
We had such a fun time on the river, our guides Missy and Owen were great! We went for a bachelorette trip and it was perfect. The water was great, not too rough. We will absolutely be back!
Glad we were able to make your bachelorette party memorable! Congratulations!
Great experience, helpful And knowledgeable tour guides and staff. Fun time and saw wild horses which was fun!
The wild horses are a great highlight of this tour. Thank you for joining us. Glad you had a great time!
Very easy trip with nice guide (Steve). No complaints whatsoever. The trip is pretty chill (more like a float than a kayak trip), but the guide and guide company did a very good job.
Thanks for joining us on the Lower Salt! Glad to hear you had a good time with our team and our tour.
This is a great excursion for the family. We took the rafting trip down the lower Salt River. Guide was very knowledgeable about the water and the area.
Thanks for your review! We are so happy to hear you guys had a great time with our team. We hope to see you again in the future.
We had a fantastic day on the guided kayak tour of the lower salt river. Missy was our guide … she was informative and personable!! We would highly recommend!!
So happy to hear Missy made your trip more memorable. She's a stellar guide! We hope to see you guys again in the future.
Amazing experience and the crew we had was fantastic. Great views, calm waters; a wonderful way to see the area. A great value for the family to make memories. Steve and Owen were the best! Felt completely safe and well prepared by our guides. Able to relax and take in the sights.
So glad you were able to relax and take in the beauty of the area. That’s exactly the experience we hope every family leaves with. Steve and Owen will be happy to hear they made such a great impression. Those guys take a lot of pride in keeping everyone safe while making the trip fun and memorable. We’re really glad you chose to spend that time with us and hope to see you back on the water again soon!
The day we went the river was calm so we were able to float down smoothly without much work. The kayaks are very stable and easy to use even for those with little experience. Our guide Owen was great, he had a lot of knowledge of the area and was a very experienced guide.
Glad you enjoyed our tour on the Lower Salt River! Owen is a wonderful guide, so we are glad he was able to enhance the experience. Please visit us again!
Such a relaxing experience. We had exceptional guides and overall, a peaceful way to float through AZ! We were a group of 4. Our guides were helpful, knowledgeable and just lovely to be around and enjoy a kayaking adventure with. Absolutely loved it.
Thank you for the great review and kind words Jessica! We really appreciate your recommendation and will be sure to pass along your comments to our guides. Come back and see us again in the future!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Salt River Guided Kayak Tours | 2h 30min | 5.0 (8) | $148 | |
 Half-Day Lower Salt River Rafting Tour | 2h 30min | 4.7 (56) | $148 | View |
 Kayaking the Salt River Foxtail Trip | 2 hours | 4.9 (2,857) | $57 | View |
 Small-Group or Private Grand Canyon with Sedona Tour from Phoenix | 13 hours | 4.8 (2,584) | $229 | View |
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 Guided Arizona Desert Tour by ATV - Centipede Tour | 2 hours | 4.8 (1,483) | $108 | View |
 Grand Canyon with Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon Van Tour | 11 hours | 4.8 (1,446) | $226 | View |