Before I moved to Arizona, I assumed it was a pretty dry state. In fact, even after I moved here, I remember chuckling when I saw someone pulling a boat behind their car near Phoenix. Where on earth were they going? As it turns out, Arizona has about 200 lakes and a sizable boating population. Of course, I knew all about whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon, but I didn’t imagine there would be other places for river rafting in Arizona. It’s true; the Lower Sonoran Desert isn’t loaded up with tons of snow-melt-swollen rivers like Colorado and Utah, but it’s possible to go whitewater rafting in Arizona. These are the three Arizona rafting trips I’ve tried, ranked from mild to wild. If you know of other spots for Arizona river runners, leave them in the comments so I can check them out!

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Browse Arizona River Rafting Trips

Mild Rafting in Arizona: Salt River Float Trip

If you are looking for river rafting in Arizona, the Lower Salt River is an easy day trip from Phoenix. I joined REI Adventures for a half-day rafting trip on the Lower Salt River. This is a great trip for first-time rafters, or families visiting Phoenix with kids. The Lower Salt River has some Class I riffles, making this a leisurely float through amazing Arizona landscapes.

Book Half-Day Lower Salt River Rafting Tour

The trip leaves from the Scottsdale office, where rafters pile into a van for a ride to the put-in. After some safety instructions, you are on your way down the river. My trip was on a weekday in September, and we practically had the river to ourselves, which was wonderful. I am told, though, that the Lower Salt River is a real party scene on the weekends. Many locals come out to tube the river and it’s a much different experience. I’m glad we had a quiet day to enjoy nature, but tubing with friends sounds like a fun time, too. I’m just not sure how family-friendly it is!

For me, the highlight of the trip is the wild horses that we saw all along the way. They were pretty unfazed by us, even when they had colts tagging along. I really enjoyed this relaxing day on the Lower Salt River, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for outdoor adventure near Phoenix.

Looking for other Phoenix activities? Check out my favorite Phoenix museums!

Exciting Rafting in Arizona: Upper Salt River Canyon

I was so excited about this Arizona rafting trip, for several reasons. The Upper Salt River is not dammed, meaning humans have no control over water flow. In 2018 and 2022, no commercial trips ran on this section of the Salt River because the Salt River Wilderness was too dry. With all of the rain (and snow), we had in 2022/23, it’s going to be a great year for rafting Salt River Canyon. I’ve driven through this canyon several times, and it always takes my breath away. It’s one of the most scenic drives in Arizona, and much less crowded than most.

Book Arizona Rafting on the Salt River Half-Day Trip

There are a few outfitters running Salt River trips; I went out with Mild To Wild rafting for their 1 day Salt River trip. They are based in Durango, Colorado, and run river trips and Jeep tours all over the Western U.S. The full-day trip leaves at 10 am from their base near the Salt River bridge. It’s about 2.5 to 3 hours from Phoenix or Tucson, so it’s possible to do it as a day trip from Phoenix, but I chose to stay overnight in Globe so I could sleep in. After meeting at the Mild to Wild trailer, we shuttled a short way up the road and set off into Baptism, our first rapid of the day.

We had a morning full of Class II and Class III rapids, with amazing scenery along the way. The rapids were exciting, but not scary, and we even had a swimmer that day, albeit in another boat. Mild To Wild provides wetsuits, splash jackets, neoprene booties, and helmets for the day. We just had to show up in our base layers, ready to go. After a few hours of rafting, we arrived at the base camp area where the guides lived. The half-day trip ends here, while we settled in for a delicious steak lunch. After lunch, we were ready for more whitewater, followed by a fun jeep ride back to our vehicles. I cannot stress enough how amazing the scenery is here. It’s on Apache land, so it’s relatively undeveloped and very quiet. Salt River rafting in Arizona is a very special experience. It’s a short season (just March and April this year, some years they don’t go out at all) so get out there when you can!

Don’t want to rent gear? Find out what you need to wear whitewater rafting!

Mild 2 Wild also occasionally runs trips on the Verde River in Northern Arizona. Check their website to see all the cool trips they are running.

Check out some of my other favorite spots on this Arizona road trip!

Wild Rafting in Arizona: Grand Canyon National Park

I saved the best rafting in Arizona for last. If you have the opportunity to join a Grand Canyon rafting trip, DO IT! I joined OARS Rafting for 11 days of the best whitewater rafting in Arizona and it is one of my top three vacations of all time. It is possible to take a one day rafting trip in the Grand Canyon, but for me, camping along the Colorado River is part of the fun. I rafted from Lee’s Ferry all the way to Whitmore Wash over the course of 11 days. There are shorter river trips, including Lee’s Ferry to Phantom Ranch, where you hike out of the canyon. You can hike down to Phantom Ranch and join a trip there, or for a short option, helicopter into Whitmore Wash and float out to Lake Mead.

Browse Grand Canyon Day Trips

Of course, Grand Canyon Whitewater is legendary; this section of the Colorado River has its own rating scale because the usual I-IV scale isn’t nuanced enough for the Big Ditch. The river rafting in the Grand Canyon is about as exciting as it gets, with adrenaline-filled days followed by scenic hikes and amazing meals prepared by expert guides. The side canyon hikes were a favorite part of the Grand Canyon river trip. We got to see so many incredible places, and I could easily spend another few nights here!

Don't have a week to devote to Colorado River rafting in Arizona? Book a Self-Drive One Day Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

River rafting is also one of my favorite summer activities in Park City Utah!

I rafted the Upper and Lower Salt Rivers as a guest of Arizona Outback Adventures and Mild2Wild Rafting. As always, tour hosts have no editorial influence on articles.