Floating the Salt River for the first time? Here are some tips

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I’m crossing off one of my summer bucket list items this weekend: tubing on the Salt River. 

Even though I always end up exhausted and sunned-out, this is a tradition I look forward to every year. 

When I first started tubing, I rented a tube and rode the shuttle through Salt River Tubing. This makes the day super easy—you just park in their lot, grab one of their tubes, and take their bus to the start point. Then the bus picks you up at one of the end points and brings you back to your car. It costs $28 for the tub and shuttle, or $22 for just the shuttle. 

Now that all of my friends have our own tubes, we plan the adventure ourselves. We purchase Tonto Daily Passes in advance, which are required for each car parking in the Salt River areas. We then pick a meeting spot for the morning of the float where we redistribute gear and figure out whose cars are going where. You need to pick your end point and drop off a car there that will transport drivers back to the cars at the start, who can then return for everyone else plus the gear. 

Is this plan always flawless? No. Has someone in my group had to ask strangers for a ride because we got off at the wrong point? Yes. But it works most of the time, and it saves quite a bit of money. 

If you’ve never been tubing before, here are some tips:

• Leave any valuables you can in the car. It’s harder to keep phones and wallets from falling in the water than you may think. 
• Wear secure footwear. It’s not fun to lose a flip-flop in the water, then have to walk over rocks to get back to your car. 
• Pack snacks in waterproof containers, or else you’ll end up like I did once with a plastic baggie full of soggy Cheez-Its. 
• Bring a fitted sheet to cover your tube. Tubes’ surfaces can get really hot, and it’s nice to have some fabric that you can pour water on to keep cool. 
• Cover as much skin as you can and reapply sunscreen even more often than you think you need to. When you’re in direct sun for a few hours and you’re dipping in and out of water, you need all the protection you can get. 
• Be smart about your float. Lots of people drink while tubing, but you have to remember: You’re still on a river. You need to stay alert and be prepared for potentially dicey situations. 

Happy tubing, and keep an eye out for the river’s beautiful wild horses!

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