March 27, 2023 – When I thought about whitewater rafting in Arizona only one place came to mind: the Grand Canyon. Though I’ve never done it, I know rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is a once-in-a-lifetime trip that river rats dream about. At least I did. And my dreams about it were stoked by the writings of John Wesley Powell, Aldo Leopold, Edward Abbey, and Kevin Fedarko. Plus, I had heard tall tales from my rafting friends who were veterans of the Grand Canyon.
So, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the Salt River Canyon, which is often called “the other Grand Canyon” because of its many rapids and deep canyon walls. And it offers some of the best early season whitewater in the country. The peak spring runoff is in March and April on the Salt, well before the better-known rivers to the north. There are about 50 miles of rafting in the Salt River Canyon, beginning just below Apache Falls and ending just above Roosevelt Lake.
We booked a full-day trip totaling about 10 miles with a local outfitter. The day of our trip the river was flowing at 2,500 cubic feet per second, which is like 10,000 basketballs going by every second. At that flow, we expected numerous Class II and III rapids, which are waves of one-to-three-foot and four-to-five-foot high, respectively. Those are thrilling waves with lots of splashes but not particularly dangerous. But we also expected one Class IV rapid, Mescal Falls, a wild and turbulent run at the end of the day.
Joining us on the raft were Matt and Maria, first-time rafters who had recently relocated from Minnesota to Arizona. Guiding the raft was Jack, who was celebrating his 25th birthday. We were all outfitted with the necessary personal protective equipment: life vest, helmet, and neoprene wetsuit and booties. We pushed off from just below Apache Falls. Jack gave us a quick lesson in using the paddles and synchronizing our efforts.
Within a few minutes we were paddling into our first set of rapids: Bump and Grind, a Class II rapid. We all got wet and came out with big smiles. We proceeded through Mule Hoof Bend and a series of Class III rapids known as Maytag, Grumman, Mother Rock, and Overboard. After Overboard, we had an easy stretch of river to pause and enjoy the canyon. We watched turkey vultures soar on the thermals, observed a large eagle’s nest, and even spotted one naturally occurring salt lick.
Just before lunch, we came to Exhibition Rapid, a Class III affair, where the outfitter’s photographer was perched on a rock waiting to take our picture – hence the name. After getting our pictures taken, Jack steered the raft to the bank where we pulled in for lunch. We had a hot lunch of fajitas with the guides and the other rafters at the “River Guide Village,” which was a fancy name for the tents and trailers the guides lived in on the river.
After lunch, we all switched places in the raft. Matt and Maria took the front, and we pushed off. We proceeded through Cibeque (Class II), Three-Way (Class III), and Salt River Draw (Class II). Soon we were upon Mescal, the only Class IV rapid we would encounter and the last run of the day. We plunged into Mescal and the drop over the falls and the bow wave knocked Maria completely out of the raft and into the cold, rushing water. Maria looked surprised but she didn’t panic. She tried to swim back to the raft, which is the correct rescue protocol, but couldn’t make it back to the boat. But Jack was able to steer the raft down to her and haul her back onboard.
Maria was wet and cold but otherwise fine. We were all relieved. Maria was the hero of the day, and all the guides kidded her and said she had “joined the Salt River swim team.” River rafting can be dangerous, and it was fortunate this incident ended well. And so, Maria had the story of a lifetime.