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Rafting and Kayaking

Yes, there actually are places to canoe, raft, or kayak in the Sedona and Verde Valley region. Some crazies actually kayak Oak Creek when it floods during intense Summer monsoon rains or in the Winter during high level creek periods (wet suit mandatory). That said, it’s the Verde River that gets the serious traffic. You can actually ride the Verde all the way to the Phoenix area. It involves several nights of camping and a good amount of fortitude. Some Jeep Tour companies offer combined Jeep and Verde River canoe trips that access ancient cliff dwellingsvia canoe. Rafting the Grand Canyon is the trip of a lifetime and we’ve included some fantastic links to companies offering this insanely superb voyage.

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Sedona Tubing and Kayak Rentals
928.204.6440 – 928.300.7886
www.SedonaTubing.com
info@SedonaTubing.com

State-of-the-art inflatable kayak adventures for liquid fun and exploration! Experience the Temple Landscape of Sedona, the Verde Valley, and northern Arizona. Rent an inflatable kayak and launch your own private exploration of the Verde River's hidden realms or run lower Oak Creek for fun in the Red Rocks. Sedona Adventure Outfitters and Guides has a whole crew of engaging guides and also offers Sacred hiking tours in the Red Rocks featuring every level from mellow hikes, like a walking meditation, to challenging all-day hiking adventures.

Rafting Info and Guided Tours

All About Rivers
http://www.allaboutrivers.com

A fantastic resource for planning white water river rafting and kayaking trips. This website is an amazing compilation of river guides, books, and basic geographical and water info. Their Forum adds essential discussions by people interested in the same waterway you might be considering with questions, data, and other river rafters' experiences. Gear reviews, river product store, and e-guidebook top off the website's comprehensive Top rankin'.

Rafting Resources
www.2clones.com/grandcanyon/rafting_resource.html

A great collection of rafting links. Though posted on February 26, 1999, most links in this prolific collection are still active. Just go here if you are planning a rafting trip and need to study water conditions, permits, guides, and gear. With this many links you might find yourself doing a lot of surfing, however the resources listed are valuable and worth the search.

American Whitewater Association
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_state-summary_state_AZ

An association for kayaking, rafting, and canoeing that provides state by state river info detailing water levels and conditions. The Arizona page linked here has all main river sections listed alphabetically or charted by drainage region.

Grand Canyon River Guides
gcrg.org/gcrg.htm

The website for Grand Canyon river guides that can keep you up to date on what’s truly happening at the water’s edge. Flow statistics and general water flow history provide a great understanding of the river’s condition and future. Their publication BQR, the Boatman’s Quarterly Review, is the primary field record for river guide info including oral histories of river runners, incredible photos, daily experiences, and much more. This crew has published BQR since its inception in 1988 when it first appeared as The News. To get the real inside story of the Grand Canyon, no pun intended, check it out from the perspective of a river guide.

Verde Valley Tours – Rafting, Canoe, and Kayak

Red Rock Jeep Tours
928.282.6826 - 800.848.7728
www.redrockjeep.com

The original Sedona cowboy tour company, Red Rock Jeep Tours, offers a combo Jeep and canoe tour that visits a remote archaeological site in the cliffs along the Verde River outside of Camp Verde.

Verde Valley - Places to Raft, Canoe, and Kayak

Peck's Lake

It’s small, it’s quiet (no motorcraft), it’s fun. It’s in Clarkdale! An ancient horseshoe river bend in the ancestral Verde River cut off by erosion and isolated, Peck’s Lake is peaceful place for a simple picnic, kayak run, fishing, or easy canoe experience. It’s close to Tuzigoot National Monument so you can combine a visit to include both relaxation and archaeology. Picturine white limestone cliffs surround the area and add a nice back drop to the day-use ramadas and picnic sites.

The Verde River

From Camp Verde to just north of Phoenix, for a distance of approximately 60 miles, kayaks, rafts, and canoes can have at it in one of Arizona’s most isolated river runs. Not many humans go here which is great for those of us who love solitude. Road access along this stretch is limited to four or five dirt road access points making it all the wilder. This stretch can be done in sections to accommodate a part-day, whole day, or multi-day adventure. Access to the wilder middle and lower sections is time-consuming. Plan on 30 miles of dirt road to reach Childs, home of Verde Hot Springs and an easy launch point for sections south. A direct access route requires 40 miles of Interstate 17 from Sedona to reach the Bloody Basin exit #259, then 25 miles of dirt road to a junction, and finally 5 miles of extreme 4x4 Jeep trail down Red Canyon wash to reach the extremely remote sections above Bloody Basin. The wild scenery surrounding these river sections is astounding ranging from relatively narrow cliffs to open mountainous basins. The lower portion of the Verde River borders the remote Mazatzal Wilderness for approximately 35 miles.

For a fascinating view of these sections from a multi-day river trip viewpoint, get a copy of “Arizona Highways” magazine, the March 1951 issue. Allen C. Reed and friends did a 7 day float from just below Camp Verde to Horseshoe Dam located northeast of Carefree and Cave Creek. Their journey covered a 60 mile stretch through some of the most intense and remote river scenery Arizona has to offer. They report and photograph a prolific number of ancient Native American cliff dwellings and petroglyph sites that line the river’s course for mile after mile. When the party returned, Dr. Harold S. Colton, then director of the Museum of Northern Arizona and a world-famous archaeologist specializing in Arizona pre-history, provided Reed and party with an expert examination and description of what they had discovered and photographed. I collect old Arizona Highways magazines and find them an excellent source of inspiration, information, and guidance to out-of-the-way Arizona places, some forgotten and most rarely visited.

All About Rivers
http://www.allaboutrivers.com/rivers_in_Arizona/Camp_Verde_to_Horseshoe_Reservoir-RUN513.html/state/AZ

A fantastic resource for planning white water river rafting and kayaking journeys. This link takes you right to the section on the Verde River to Horseshoe Resevoir trip. Top rankin'.