Where is the best place to see wild horses in the Salt River?

You can spot the wild horses throughout the 18-mile stretch of the Lower Salt River that encompasses the six recreation areas, but historically, the horses are most commonly seen at spots close to Saguaro Lake, including Phon D. Sutton Recreation Area, Granite Reef Recreation Area and Coon Bluff Recreation Area.



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How many Salt River wild horses are there? According to the Bureau of Land Management, there are an estimated 500 wild horses dispersed throughout the Tonto Forest. Of course, the herds aren't all together in one specific spot, which means there can be more or less any given day.

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Wildlife can best be viewed by leisurely walking or riding along the river, or floating downstream in a kayak or inner tube. Bald eagle, osprey, peregrine falcon, Harris's hawk, heron, egret, waterfowl, and other riparian and upland birds are frequently seen.

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Lower Salt River: A surprisingly short drive from downtown Phoenix reaches the Salt River, where runoff from the distant mountains waters the desert. Here you can swim, float, and paddle among huge cacti, towering cliffs, and a herd of wild horses.

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Since the 20th century, nothing has done more to bolster Sable Island's mythic status than its population of roughly 500 free-roaming horses, which have inhabited its dunes since they were abandoned there in the 1700s. Their images pop up everywhere from coffee table books to decorative scarves.

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Assateague Island - Visit the National Park and see the wild ponies. Assateague Island National Seashore is located close to Chincoteague Island, Virginia and Ocean City, Maryland. Assateague contains over 37 miles of pristine beach. More than 300 wild ponies wander the beaches, inland pine forest, and salt marshes.

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One of my favorite annual trips to lead is a moonlight paddle down the Lower Salt River east of Phoenix. The Salt River is a great little trip either early in the morning, or long after the tubers have gone home—it's serene, has some nice scenery, is convenient to the metro Phoenix area, and offers easy logistics.

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It takes about 2 hours to float the Salt River from the launch point top of the river down to the bridge. It takes about 3 hours to float from the bridge down to the bottom exit point. If you want to float the Salt River from the top launch point down to the last exit, plan for about 5 hours.

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Fun - Wet - and Mildly Dangerous. On a hot summer day - nothing beats drifting down the salt - BUT there are safety concerns. Drownings are all too common here - dure mainly to the exposed root structure along the shore. People often lash the innertubes together, and can't manuver out of the dangerous areas.

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You can swim in the Salt River, but be aware that the water is not as clean as your typical swimming pool because of all the folks and animals who use the river daily.

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