About Cliff Creek Outfitters
Established in 1984 in Arizona as Desert Voyagers Guided Raft Tours, Cliff Creek Outfitters has been offering quality kayaking, rafting, and paddleboarding river tours on the Lower Salt River and nearby lakes for almost four decades. Formerly known as the REI Adventure Center, we continue to uphold a tradition of excellence in outdoor experiences, ensuring adventurers receive top-tier service, expert guidance, and unforgettable excursions. In fact, we were the first river tour company to utilize the beautiful Lower Salt and Verde Rivers for commercial tours. We have served close to 200,000 guests by taking them out on our beautiful rivers and lakes while teaching them about Arizona's unique Sonoran Desert ecology.
Cliff Creek Outfitters has an ongoing priority permit with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Tonto National Forest and with the Fort McDowell Indian Community. We are proud to say that we have maintained a spotless safety record for over 39 years, the entirety of the existence of the tour company. We are also active members of Experience Scottsdale, Visit Mesa, and America Outdoors, the nationwide association for outfitters and guides.
Our guides strive to inform guests about the local flora, fauna, geography, geology, and history of the area while providing an entertaining and challenging raft, kayak, or paddleboard tour. They are trained, professional, experienced, and friendly. Some of our river guides have been with us for more than ten years. Every guide is certified in First Aid and CPR and may have higher wilderness medicine certifications. Our guides come from many different backgrounds that give them a unique viewpoint when interacting with guests on and off the river. Some are ecologists, wildlife preservationists, emergency medical technicians, firemen, survival instructors, whitewater guides, teachers, fitness instructors, rock climbers, retired military personnel, and many are college graduates, some with master's degrees. This interesting and unique mix of people adds enormously to the experiences our clients have on the water.
