Arizona whitewater - Salt River, Mogollon Rim Mountains, Gila County

Gila county, Route 60 to Roosevelt Reservoir section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS II-IV     60 miles
 
Most of this river runs through the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation. (... ) It is very important because you MUST buy a permit from the tribe to run this river. This river is navigable only from March-May, and very occasionally they will open it again for August. It is only to be run by experienced river runners, due to the big rapids which go up to Class IV. If you don't know whether you are an experienced river runner, then you don't belong there. There are commercial companies who will take you on a rafting trip for about $130. It's a lot
    of fun, it's an all-day trip, includes a good lunch. This is what I would recommend for the tourist. Some of the companies that run trips are raftthesalt. Com, Canyon Rio, In A Raft, Wilderness Aware Rafting. Again, this is only in March and April, sometimes into May.

You
can't enter this property or drive the dirt road along the river without a permit. You can't camp or fish without a permit. The tribe will give you a ticket and might also confiscate your gear! You need to get a permit!
Says Elizabeth

The beautiful scenery of Arizona and the sparkling of the sunlight on the water will make you feel great. The put-in location is a short drive from Payson, please print out a copy of the road map further down the page so you won’t get lost. The Route 60 to Roosevelt Reservoir stretch of Salt River in Arizona is
 
60 miles long and it is classified as a class II-IV section by American Whitewater. When you're paddling down a Mogollon Rim Mountains river like this one you always get great scenery along the way too. There aren’t any hotels right nearby but if you're willing to drive a short distance then no problem but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels fill up quick. Great exercise and a chance to spend some time outdoors will have you coming back for more. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way this is an area with not too many other spots for that. The rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking here in Arizona are often tougher than in other states, so if you're not from around here don't forget that lots of rivers here are not for beginners. The Route 60 to Roosevelt Reservoir section is one of a few paddling sections in this river system. The campgrounds here at Salt River are pretty good. Now this is a pretty long section, so better bring your camping gear along.

Briefly about the general area:
A cool spot to go to in close proximity to Salt River is White Ledges, and the beauty of mother nature reveals herself at Hackberry Spring. At Salt River you don’t see much rain; the wettest month of the year is typically August, that's the one that rains the most while June is the month with the least amount of precipitation. Whohoo, so many fun things in one place! The Mogollon Rim Mountains is so good! Upper Corral Canyon is a wonderful site to spend some time at.
For the period of the summertime at Salt River temperatures are commonly in the 90's. Once the sun is down it plunges down to the 50's. High temperatures all through the wintertime are normally in the 50's while the cold winter nights at Salt River are in the 20's.

Salt River, Route 60 to Roosevelt Reservoir road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: II-IV
Length: 60 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 33.79579
Longitude: -110.4992

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 33.64789
Longitude: -110.96441

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Current weather conditions at Salt River, Mogollon Rim Mountains, Arizona
WXPort

Local climate location: PLEASANT VALLEY R S 22 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Travelodge Globe AZ, Globe
9 miles away
The Travelodge Globe is a Excellent Hotel offering Large Nicely Appointed Rooms all with a View of the Mountains. Guest enjoy High Speed Wireless Internet Access and Free Ultra Deluxe Continental Bre...

Americas Best Value Inn Globe/Miami, Miami
13 miles away
Welcome to the Americas Best Value Inn of Miami, Arizona. We are conveniently located on Highway 60 E. Our hotel is just 4 miles from the Gila County Historical Museum, Needle Mountain, and the Cobre ...

Quality Inn Globe, Globe
19 miles away
Historical Mining town, Lake access, voted Best Hotel in Globe, Multi-lingual Staff, Free Continental Breakfast and Newspaper, all rooms are non Smoking. Choose from a Standard King, 2 Queen, Adjoinin...



OTHER_INFO
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Mogollon Rim Mountains Outdoors Info
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All Arizona Whitewater
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Books about whitewater paddling on Salt River, Arizona
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Salt River, Arizona.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Arizona

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Payson, Arizona
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Payson, Arizona, the metro area neareast to Salt River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Salt River.
 Whitewater Near Salt River:
Salt River, Gila County , 1 miles away, Class III-IV - 19 miles long (Gleason Flats to Horseshoe Bend)
Salt River, Gila County , 15 miles away, Class III-IV - 7 miles long (Highway 60 to Mescal Rapid)
 Ski Areas Near Salt River:
Mount Lemmon Ski Valley, Arizona , 73 miles away, 950 vertical feet
Sunrise Park, Arizona , 82 miles away, 1800 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Salt River:
Travelodge Globe AZ, Globe , 9 miles away
Americas Best Value Inn Globe/Miami, Miami , 13 miles away
Quality Inn Globe, Globe , 19 miles away
Days Inn Globe, Globe , 19 miles away
Knights Inn Globe, Globe , 19 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Salt River:
Jones Water Campground, Gila County, 10 miles away
Salt Bend Campground, Gila County, 11 miles away
Mule Hoof Campground, Gila County, 16 miles away
 Trails Near Salt River:
Rim-Moody Point Trail, Gila County , 11 miles away, 8.5 hiking miles, 4992 feet elevation difference
Coon Spring Trail, Gila County , 13 miles away, 4.7 hiking miles, 2692 feet elevation difference
 National Parks Near Salt River:
Tonto National Monument, Roosevelt - AZ , 19 miles away
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Coolidge - AZ , 70 miles away

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater