Lower Salt River Recreation Area - Mesa Ranger District - Tonto National Forest

"The single objective that unites our approach to roads, roadless areas, and recreation is that we are seeking to assure the American people access to the lands they so love in a manner that conserves the long-term health of the land"
- Chief Mike Dombeck, USDA Forest Service
 

In the year 2000, the lower Salt River is neither healthy nor accessible.

THE HISTORY 

There are three possible river segments available near Scottsdale. The lower Salt River and the Verde River below Bartlett Lake under control of the Tonto National Forest plus the Verde River under control of the Fort McDowell Mohave Apache Indian Community. The Indian Community has closed their river segment and the Verde River below Bartlett flows only occasionally and is hard to access. The only viable segment is the lower Salt River. 

There are three concessionaires under permit on the lower Salt River; Saguaro Lake Ranch, 
Desert Voyagers and Salt River Recreation. 

Desert Voyagers has a guided rafting service and is allowed to float 6000 people per year on the lower Salt River. 
Their 6000 days for the year were reserved by June. 

Saguaro Lake Ranch has a resort permit, which allows raft, kayak and tube rentals. 
High Sonoran Adventures unitized the kayak portion to operate rental kayaks on the river. Saguaro Lake Ranch decided not to activate their rental permit in 2000. Saguaro Lake Ranch also holds a guided rafting permit, which it sublets, to Cimarron River Company. Cimarron's 6000 days for the year were also reserved by June. 

Salt River Recreation operates a tube rental service and the only transportation permit on the lower Salt. 
Only the number of tubes limits the number of people. It is estimated that up to 30,000 people float the river on a single day. 
 

Recreation is the fastest growing use of our National Forests. Outdoor recreation is the window through which an increasingly urban society learns about conservation of natural resources and develops an appreciation for the outdoors and enjoys nature. As with any use we must tread lightly on the land and live with its limits.
- Chief Mike Dombeck, USDA Forest Service

Our belief is that the Tonto National Forest is not and has not followed the directives of Chief Dombeck and the Recreation Agenda of the United States Forest Service. For the fourteen years we have commercially run the lower Salt River, the condition of the river has deteriorated. The two rafting concessions have increased from a combined maximum of 3000 people a year to 12000 people a year or 32 people combined per day. The tubing concession and transportation monopoly is capable of 30,000 per day. The kayaking permits total less than 1 person per week.

Tubing is an unsafe trashy process. Participants do not wear life vests and are not in safe watercraft. Many tubers carry Styrofoam coolers filled with beer, which ends up in pieces in the river along with cans, feces, wrappers, cigarettes and other tuber trash. Loud music further destroys the scenic atmosphere as do the blaring pickup trucks along the shore with the "show us your tits" signs and still more trash. Tubing and its shore side associates result in drownings, drunk driving, drug dealing and even shore side murder.

Floating in guided or rental watercraft, by comparison, is very safe with minimal impact on the environment. Participants wear life vests, create no noise pollution, and do not trash the river. In fact, commercial guides pick up tons of trash from the river.

We believe all concessionaires should share the river equally. If the two tubing concessions are allowed 200 people per days, the two rafting concessionaires should be allowed 200 people per day. Furthermore, there should be two equal permits for kayaking and two equal watercraft rental permits.

Currently, the river is "managed" for the benefit of Salt River Recreation. They have a transportation monopoly. Watercraft tours are heavily restricted in launch times and locations to avoid conflict with tubers.

The river should be shared equally. Watercraft tours should be allowed equal access on the river. Salt River Recreation's "Wet & Wild Beach Party" should not be forced on all river users. Loud music and drunkenness should be removed from the river. There should be equal access for fisherman, family picnics and nature lovers.

If you have comments regarding Tonto National Forest River "Management", please address them to:
 
 
Mr. Joe Meade, Director,
Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness
Southwestern Region
United States Forest Service
Federal Building, 517 Gold Avenue, SW, 
Albuquerque, NM 87102
jmeade@fs.fed.us
505-842-3443

 
 
 

High Sonoran Adventures