Arizona holiday crowds flock to Salt River for holiday weekend tubing
Salt River tubers in Mesa, Arizona
MESA, Ariz. - When the Arizona heat sets in, there is no better place to be than the Salt River.
"It's just a great way to just relax and enjoy being in Arizona, because it's so beautiful out here," said Ben Bell and Alicia Richter, who were floating on the Salt River on Memorial Day.
This long weekend, like every Memorial Day weekend, it seemed everyone had the same idea.
‘The float is really, really fun’
What they're saying:
"Memorial Day … trying to have some fun," Jake Topfer said.
"Memorial Day screams summer and summer activities," Taylor Breeding said.
"Literally thousands each day," said David Woolley, general manager of Salt River Tubing. "We get a lot of repeat customers that we see all the time, that come every weekend. We get Europeans, British. Crowd has been great. We have had no issues. Everyone's been friendly and they love that the water's flowing pretty good."
Woolley says SRP, which runs the dams, has been generous with releasing water, making floating conditions top-notch.
"They've been saving it for a while, but now they're letting more out, so the float is really, really fun," Woolley said.
While the water is far from a bath tub, it remains cool.
"Water's in the mid-60s year-round," Woolley said.
Floaters said the heat made it feel just right.
"Oh, it's refreshing. It's very nice," Breeding said.
A lucky few even got a glimpse of the river's most treasured scenery, the wild horses.
"We saw three horses today. A chestnut, a white one, and a brown one," Richter said.
"I did. I did get to see one. It was very exciting," Breeding said.
"Seeing the horses is what is the best part of being on the river, because it's such a surprise," Richter said.
What you can do:
"f you plan to float the Salt River, make sure to put your phone and keys in a dry bag, bring a towel in case the tube is hot and, of course, wear plenty of sunscreen.