Let's face it, the four companies permitted by the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Globe Ranger District of Tonto National Forest are running basically the same trip with basically the same equipment. One big difference you will find at SRR is that one of the three owner/managers is always at the river. Salt River Rafting is a family operation.You can also read some of our clients letters for yourself. Or, check out our Forest Service Evaluation below, Thanks!

Hey Mike and Staff...

I have lived in Arizona my entire life.  I have tubed on the lower salt many times.  last year i heard about white water rafting on the Salt, but I could not believe there was enough water to do that having only seen the lower end.  So I drove up last year to see for myself and yes… you can raft!  Well, it was your last weekend of 2009 so I had to wait a year to actually try it myself.  This weekend (march 28th), me and a friend and his sons came up for our first ride.  WOW!  It was so much fun.  We decided that your ride is only as good as your guide…and Simon made our trip so much fun.  He is very knowledgeable and had us doing fun things like spins that really added to the adventure.

When we got there and saw the other rafting companies with logo-ed hats and life vests and fancy trucks and boats, we wondered if we had chosen the right company to raft with…and we did!  You were all very friendly, knowledgeable and kept everyone safe.

Anyway, thanks again, and I can’t wait for trip number 2!

I attached the picture you got of us yesterday, right before we hit the wall at Kiss and Tell

Dan Gregory

Hi -
We celebrated my husband Chuck's birthday last week (March 31, 2010) by going river rafting with our son Jason and daughter-in-law Heidi.  We had a blast!  We especially want to thank our guide Simon for providing us with such a memorable and fun day.  We look forward to the next time!

Wendy Sweet

Hi Mike & Staff,
My first whitewater rafting experience was May 2008.  Since then, I have been hooked and I have rafted over 25 times commercially (mostly in California).  I have met many wonderful people in 2 years.  It’s pretty fun to see them (the guides) working for various companies, due to seasonality. Of all the trips I’ve been on…this was the BEST Wilderness trip I’ve taken.  Jason & Flint were absolutely fabulous and provided us with an awesome whitewater rafting experience.  Their professionalism, teamwork and genuine friendliness, make these two guides an impressive asset to your company.  Please let James (who we met on our ride from Globe to the put-in) know that all of us on this trip said SRR had an outstanding website.  Tons of information, very detailed and user friendly.  I booked with SRR, because of recommendations from Ian M.  The other 4 customers booked with you, because of your website. James also gave us some interesting info about the areas we were driving through.  I believe that some of the people on this trip, will be doing some of the hiking/camping recommended by James. If I can, I might try to do another wilderness trip in May.  When is your season expected to end for 2010?
Thanks!
Suzi H

Mike and Staff of Salt River Rafting,
We booked a one day trip with you guys on March 25 for a party of four on the upper Salt.  We just wanted to let you know what an amazing day we had on the river, our guide for the day was Tess.  Tess was the perfect guide, friendly, knowledgeable, and went out of her way to make our rafting trip a memorable one.  Please forward this to Tess and let her know that we appreciate her hard work and that we hope to see her soon on our next trip.
Thanks again for the experience!
Adam, Chris, Jason, and Kevin (Scottsdale Fire Dept)

Mike,
I just have to tell you that we had a WONDERFUL experience on the Salt last
monday. James was our guide and he is a real asset to your group. He is very
knowledgeable, enjoyable, and knows how to read people as well as water. This
was our first taste of rafting ( although not our first experience with white water)
and even my "chicken sister" agreed that she had a blast and would do it again.
Thanks again for a great time.
Dede

A letter of thanks,  
            My eight year old son had a spring break from school recently. The two
of us do plenty of activities together like skating, biking, ball games, and more,
but we have not had the chance before to have a real Father/Son Expedition or outing,trek,adventure,etc. I read an article in the paper about the Salt River trips
and did a little homework. First compliment is for your website which seemed the
most professional and informative. Next is for the variety of trips offered. My
original thought was to take my son camping, but I don't have all the gear
necessary for "roughing" it. Next compliment is for offering a full-day float with
a camp-over with meals included. Perfect fit, I was sold right there. I told my son
about our upcoming trip and he was jumping out of his skin(so was I). We made
the drive to the canyon and were cordially met by Wiley and Averi who checked
us in and fitted us with gear. Tom was our guide for the trip and he was amazing.
My 8 year old son is very curious and loaded with questions, Tom professionally
fielded them all. He was sure in telling us about the local habitat, vegetation, rock
formation, Indian lore and more. He shared personal stories of his vast rafting
experiences which amazed my son. After the day's float, we were provided a place
to make our camp and get comfortable. My son and I took the time to go for a hike.
We got back to camp and were treated to a fantastic dinner cooked by Tom and
Shiela. We later were invited by Wiley to have a fire where we all made S'mores. Tom
and Shiela hung out with us and we all talked the night away. In the morning,
coffee for me, hot-chocolate for my boy, and a nice breakfast(again, cooked by Tom).
My last compliment is for Tom and Shiela for being so personal with us. They made
me feel like I was part of their camp and not just any "client". That made all the
difference there could be. It was truly special for me and I'm sure it branded the most
visual of memories for my son.
        Again, my most sincere thanks to all, Wiley, Averi, Tim(who was safety boat
this trip), and mostly Tom and Shiela. I look forward to making the trip again,
maybe next with my twelve year old daughter.
 
         Sincerely,
                       Darryl Gelfan

From: Patti L
I wanted to let you know what a great trip we had today. My 15 year old
grandson Daniel and I joined Nate and 3 other clients on the full day trip.
It was absolutely awesome. Nate was a great guide and made sure we all
knew the safety drills and the paddle commands and the trip down the
river was problem free. We had great rides through the rapids and Daniel
will remember this for a long time. The other staff members who supported
our trip were great in meeting all our needs and I apologize for not having
their names. We looked at the other companies before we booked this trip
and know we made the right choice - you'll get repeat business from me and
I'll recommend you to others. Thanks for a great day.
David L

Hola!
I was on a Sat to Sun overnight trip, had a blast. I was part of a
group and my boat guide was Big Tony... I wanted to give him a tip for his
excellent help and entertaining guidance along the ride... Is there some
way for me to send him my modest token of appreciation?
I think your guys do an excellent job of making the ride fun and
exciting, btw, and they were all very friendly but with such different
personalities.
If you consider you might need Spanish-speaking guides some weekend,
let me know, hehehe.
Thanks!

Hi Mike,
We got back last night from our one-day trip with Brian as our guide. It was
wonderful!  Barry and I have fairly extensive  white water experience, but our
13 year old grandson Owen was on his first trip and was smitten with the entire
experience.  Brian was especially thoughtful and engaged Owen in the entire
experience, which I know meant a lot to Owen.....and to us.

Brian is a treasure.  He's a good boatman and blends those skills nicely with his
love of nature and sharing it with the passengers. We learned he'll be doing a
dorie trip in the Grand Canyon.  We know a lot of the Dorie people in Flagstaff,
have been on some of their trips, and feel he'll be a good fit there, too.

Thanks to you and all the gang for a really terrific close to home fun day with
enough white water to make the heart quicken some and nice calm stretches
to gaze at the beauty.  You've good and friendly staff down there and we'll no
doubt do another trip, this time with more family members.  Greg, a White Mtn.
Apache guide, pretty much talked me into the multi-day trip. We just couldn't fit
it in this time with Owen's schedule, as it was he missed school yesterday.

Best regards,
Blair Kuropatkin, Barry McCormick and Owen Kuropatkin
Tucson, Arizona

Hi Mike
My group the McKee's 14 of us were with you this past Saturday. My 7 were
with Jody and had an excellent time. I really enjoyed the extra effort he was
doing for us like he wanted us to Surf on his favorite spot but we couldn't
make it there so he pulled the raft back up and we got there. This is my 3rd
time with your company and he gave us an excellent ride..
There are several of us that would like some pictures if any one was taking them.
I know we did see someone but did not get any info and would really like an
action photo to go with the other 5 whitewater trips I have done so far.
We are already waiting for next year and might get some more people,
I hope the water will be as nice as this was.
Trish Campagna

Thanks, Mike! 
It was an awesome trip and you guys are great to do business with!
Thanks for taking care of this. Btw, I even recommended you guys to 
a friend, Frank Lyall, and he went  with you a few weeks ago.         
Thanks again!
David J. Hedberg



Our Guide Tessa  
I would like to express my thoughts about our rafting trip this past 
Wednesday  on the Salt River. Our guide, Tessa, was courteous, 
professional, friendly and  knowledgable. She is surely an assett 
to your company, and I'm sure she has received many compliments 
before.  My family and I had a wonderful time and it  was one of the 
high points of our trip to Arizona.  If Tessa is ever in Florida  
we would like to invite her to visit us.  Please forward this message
on to her  for us.    
With Great Thanks,    
Paul Kane and Family 
 


 

Hola James!    
Good to hear that your guys enjoyed it as much as we did!  
Good times were  had by all!  We definitely are looking forward 
to another trip soon.  In fact, several of us have been motivated 
enough to research buying our own  rigs...  Then you will have to 
watch out for PIRATES taking over your  boats...
Would love to take you guys out and have a BLAST.  
Perhaps after your season slows down.    
Stay in touch!    
Tanner



    

Dear SRR,     
I just wanted to thank you and all the staff at SRR for your 
hospitality  and service you provided for our trip yesterday. 
It was the first white river rafting experience for me and my 
boyfriend, so naturally we were a bit anxious before we got there 
lol. Nonethless, we had a BLAST. We lead active lifestyle and we're 
down for any types of adventures or outdoor activities. Our guide, 
Tango (is that his real name?) was very courteous and professional. 
Thanks, Tango!  
I'd send in application to you guys if I didn't have a full time job  
already. haha. It look like alot of fun living out there couple months  
out of the year. Anyway, we probably won't see you guys again this year 
but we might see you in Colorado or definately next year for some 
class 3/4 action.  
Thanks again!        
Young Chang

  



SRR,        
I just wanted to let you know what a fantastic time we had on our trip. 
We were a party of 5 who went on the full day trip on April 4th. A big 
part of why we had such a great time was because of our guide, Brian. 
He was the best! Because of his knowledge and "fun" attitude he guided 
us along the river and through the most exciting parts of the rapids. 
Keeping us in the raft at all times (rules #1 and 2) while still making 
sure we had an exciting time. It was our first rafting trip but because 
of all the fun we had, we now plan to do more. We will recommend this trip 
to all our friends. Thanks again. Special thanks to Brian (and Megan 
--- hope your first trip on Sunday was fun).    
The Santell Party

  
           

My Raft Trip on 24 March        
I wanted to let you know what a great trip we had today.  My 15 
year old grandson Daniel and I joined Nate and 3 other clients 
on the full day trip. It was absolutely awesome.  Nate was a 
great guide and made sure we all knew the safety drills and the 
paddle commands and the trip down the river was problem  
free. We had great rides through the rapids and Daniel will 
remember this for a long time. The other staff members who 
supported our trip were great in  meeting all our needs and I 
apologize for not having their names.  We looked at the other 
companies before we booked this trip and know we made the right 
choice - you'll get repeat business from me and I'll recommend 
you to others.   
Thanks for a great day.    
David Lloyd