Expertise majestic desert surroundings, wealthy riparian nature and luxuriate in an thrilling day of wonderful enjoyable and outside journey kayaking down the Decrease Salt River. Solely a brief drive from Phoenix, the Decrease Salt River is a very talked-about vacation spot for Arizonans on the lookout for a approach to cool off with “tubing” a broadly common exercise for many individuals throughout the lengthy, sizzling summer season months. Nevertheless in case you take into account your self an outside adventurer and also you’re keen to strive one thing new, then I like to recommend taking a day journey kayaking down the Decrease Salt River. Even in case you’ve by no means been kayaking earlier than, the gentle and mild Decrease Salt River is a wonderful place to start out, even in case you’re a newbie.

I had by no means been kayaking earlier than however had needed to strive it for a very long time. So after I heard that there was a neighborhood group referred to as the Scottsdale Sea and Ski Membership organizing a kayaking journey down on the Salt River I rapidly jumped on the chance and obtained signed up on the discounted group charge of solely $60 which included the kayak rental gear, shuttle choose up transportation in addition to snacks and drinks offered by the membership.

Beginning our day’s journey early, we headed out east from Phoenix on Route 202, exiting north on Energy Street which turns into Bush Freeway because it enters the Tonto Nationwide Forest. It is one other 10 miles till you arrive at Saguaro Lake. On the precise simply south of Saguaro Lake Marina, is Saguaro Lake Ranch & Resort the place we drove in, parked and obtained ready for our day’s journey kayaking down the Salt River. Down on the shoreline, claimed our kayaks, put our life vests on and had been offered a map and an in depth overview of the journey from begin to end by Saguaro Lake Ranch. After the briefing we carried our kayaks and paddles all the way down to the water’s edge and rapidly dropped in. As soon as everybody was safely launched into the water, we got a “thumbs up” by our chief and skilled kayaking information, Mike to start out our journey on down the river.

Being a primary time starting kayaker, it took me a short time to discover ways to use the double sided paddle accurately and simply with a view to steer my kayak. After only some brief minutes of “bumper boats” and floating downstream sideways then backwards, I began catching on and commenced feeling extra comfy, in a position to work with the velocity of the present whereas holding my kayak straight, going through ahead and away from timber, reefs in addition to different kayakers and folks on the river. Though we did lose any person from our group very early on who by some means should have fallen out and misplaced her kayak, for the remainder of our group, we efficiently started our thrilling float down the attractive and scenic Salt River.

I would describe the primary portion of the river journey to be in all probability be probably the most difficult half as that is the place a lot of the rapids are. I used to be busily taking lot’s of images of everybody kayaking in addition to the attractive surroundings when swiftly I appeared up and realized I had already approached Snake Rapids and by some means obtained pulled into an eddy within the river which prompted my kayak to veer wildly into the rapids, headed straight for the rocks the place it obtained lodged and caught! After only some brief panicky moments with no one left to assist, I managed to get my kayak up off the rocks then rapidly paddled my method by means of the remainder of the rapids to get caught again up with the remainder of the group once more. Shortly thereafter, we reached Blue Level Bridge and after choosing up our misplaced kayaker, we pulled our kayaks over to the shore for a brief relaxation break on the picnic space the place snacks and drinks had been offered.

After the brief break, we obtained again in our kayaks and had been on the river as soon as once more. From Blue Level Bridge the slows down and the present is way milder. You’ll discover many extra folks by now as a result of it’s also a bit of the river shared by the tubers, making for a way more energetic social expertise with kayakers and tubers mingling collectively and having fun with the river expertise. As we continued to drift on down in the direction of Sand Cliffs, we additionally handed by many individuals out fishing and picnicking alongside the shore some even giving their horses a quiet down within the water!

From Sand Cliffs the surroundings continues to be completely breathtaking and after passing by the exit level for the tubers, you’ll begin to expertise extra calm and tranquility now on the river with the probabilities of encountering nature extra seemingly so you’ll want to preserve your eyes open and your digicam prepared. It was actually solely inside minutes that I appeared as much as the precise shoreline and noticed a Nice Blue Heron! Blue Herons are very massive, grayish/blue birds and customary in riparian sort habitats. I rapidly snapped up a few photographs whereas drifting by.

After one other regrouping cease, this time at a rock cliff on the river itself, we continued to kayak on previous Coon Bluff till we had reached our closing exit level, Phon D Sutton, Exit #2. We safely obtained out, pulled our kayaks up onto shore, then carried them as much as the car parking zone for loading by Saguaro Lake Ranch. We then obtained into the shuttle van which had been ready for us and inside quarter-hour we had arrived again at Saguaro Lake Ranch the place we had initially began and the place our vehicles had been parked. We had dropped into the river at 9am and had been completed by 2pm and again in our vehicles by 3pm. The overall time for the journey was 5 hours which included stops and relaxation breaks alongside the best way.

I extremely suggest taking this brief day journey which prices solely $65 for the day with advance reservations at Saguaro Lake Ranch. You do not should be an skilled Chicago Kayak Rental because the Salt River is taken into account to be an ideal place to start out in case you’re new to kayaking, like I used to be. Saguaro Lake Ranch will present you the gear rental, instruction, plus shuttle transportation again to your automotive on the finish of the journey. You solely must carry lot’s of sunscreen and water because it does get fairly sizzling by mid-afternoon in addition to your individual meals or snacks for lunch. In all, it was really an incredible, thrilling day of outside enjoyable, magnificence and journey which I plan on doing once more someday actually quickly!

Laura Ok. Halik is a author and printed writer with over 20 years expertise of outside journey all through the state of Arizona and the western area. She is passionate for nature, the outside, journey and journey. Laura enjoys mountain climbing, canyoneering, white water rafting, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, writing, and pictures. She can also be a co-hiking chief and organizer in a mountain climbing and outside journey membership for superior and skilled hikers.

All through her skilled profession in worldwide enterprise, Laura has labored and traveled incessantly all through the Latin American and Caribbean area. She lives along with her household and pets in Phoenix, Arizona.