Where to see the salt river wild horses in arizona

As an Arizona based nature and landscape photographer, I began my journey back in late 2022 of discovering the best locations and times to photograph the beautiful and famous Salt River wild horses that roam the Tonto National Forest near Mesa, Arizona. I can share now that it was a rough start. On my first 3 visits to find the horses I had little or no success other than finding a lot of horse poop and meeting other photographers in the field informing me that I just missed them. However, with a little persistence and regular visits during the early Spring of 2023 I finally was able to start finding the horses consistently. Most of my renewed effort was spent hiking in the hills and along the Salt River in the lower Salt River recreation area of the Tonto National forest near Mesa, Arizona, which is about 35 minutes from where I live In the Phoenix metro area.

In this post I will share some of the general locations, best times of day, seasons, and personal tips to find and hopefully capture some great images of these charismatic and very photogenic animals. Its important to note, that the bands of Mustangs that make up the Salt River wild horse herd are for the most part constantly on the move and come and go in their daily travels. So, I have found you have to be pragmatic and willing to explore and hike in a very rugged desert environment either early in the morning or late in the day to have the most consistent success photographing them. Which as most photographers know are the best times of day to shoot anyway…

A Little Equine History:

The Salt River wild horses of Arizona have a long and storied history, dating back to the 17th century. Many believe these horses are descendants of Spanish colonial horses, brought over by explorers and settlers including the famous Spanish Jesuit missionary and explorer Father Kino. Over time, they formed free-roaming herds along the Salt River, adapting to the rugged and arid Sonoran Desert landscape. Despite facing threats such as habitat loss and government efforts to remove them, the Salt River horses have survived and are actively managed via birth control to regulate their population growth in their limited range in the Tonto National Forest. Today, there are approximately 300 horses in the herd and are protected for the time being.

Easiest Place and Best Time of Year To See The Salt River Horses

In my experience the best time of year to easily see bands of wild horses in the field and hills in the lower Salt River recreation area is early to late Spring. You can often see them grazing right along the Bush Highway after you exit Highway 87 (exit 199) on the right-hand side for a few miles as you approach the entrance to Saguaro Lake. This is a good option for people who have mobility issues or are not comfortable hiking into the desert. There are a number of unpaved pullouts on this section of the highway you can pull over to shoot some images including one larger pullout that has a decent amount of parking spaces and gate where you can enter the forest and hike into the desert hills. However, its very important to note that these dirt pullouts and shoulders are right up against the highway so you need to be extremely careful using them. This is especially true if there is a strong spring wildflower bloom as this is very popular stretch of road for visitors to experience this colorful and natural phenomena.

In fact, during the Spring super bloom of 2023, there were a number of serious accidents on this busy section of Bush highway because of the heavy traffic and careless driving. Personally, I choose to avoid pulling over along the highway here during this time of the year unless its early morning or there is a larger pullout with safe and adequate parking space.

Another location where you can sometimes easily view the horses out in the field is the few miles on highway 87 heading North (the Beeline highway) in between the Fort McDowell Indian reservation and exit the exit for the Bush Highway. This stretch is part of the Tonto National forest and Its not uncommon to see vehicles pulled over on the shoulder here that have stopped to photograph or shoot video of horses if they are in close proximity to the fence.

Recreation Areas To View The Salt River Horses

Below are three well know designated recreation areas along Bush Highway that have parking lots, restrooms, and picnic areas in the Lower Salt river recreation area that I have has success finding and photographing the horses at various times of the year. I generally don’t look for or photograph the horses in the summer months because of the extreme heat. As I stated earlier, the horses come and go so it can be hit or miss finding them. But the bonus with these locations is the chance to possibly see the horses on the river or even crossing it which is my personal favorite scene to shoot. It should be noted that the flows of the Salt River are regulated for a number of reasons and can fluctuate through out the year. Personally I look shooting the horses on the river when the flows are lower which tends to be late fall and winter.

Blue Point Recreation Area

This is a very popular and scenic recreation area with easy access to the river and with large parking lots on both sides of the river. The parking lot on the Southside is actually called the Pebble Beach recreation area. I have seen the horses here in the river and along the banks but its not my favorite location to shoot them because it can be very crowded at times as it also very popular with anglers, paddle boarders, and people who want to recreate and picnic right on the water. When late Spring and summer arrive, it can be incredibly busy and crowded especially on weekends. So the best advice I can share is try to visit this recreation area very early in the morning and try hiking along some of the trails that parallel the river to get away from the inevitable crowds.

Goldfield Recreation Area

A few miles away from Blue Point and off the highway a bit, Goldfield is another large recreation area that can be a good access point to find and photograph the horses without crowds of people. The main caveat at this location is you have to be willing to hike (as much as 2 miles) in a desert environment to find the horses. There is a decent trail (very rocky at spots) and rough forest road you can follow parallel to the river that heads up river. If you are lucky and visit at the right times (early morning and late afternoon are the best) you may even catch a band of horses drinking or crossing the river. Again, this location Is probably not for everyone as you need to invest time and effort to find the horses. But the rewards of a lot less people and some great river landscape scenery can make it worth it.

Coon Bluff Recreation Area

I am going to guess based on my experiences that Coon Bluff is by far the most popular location to view and photograph the Salt River horses. I have seen more photographers here than all the other locations combined. And for good reasons. It strikes a good balance of fairly easy access along with a great, colorful, and very scenic desert mountain backdrop. From the parking lot there is a short hike (1/2 mile maybe) through the forest to get down to the river. Here most people make a right and then follow a sandy and fairly wide path up river to see if they can find the horses in or along the river. If the horses are present, I have generally have not had to hike much more than a mile or so up river to find them. The biggest draw back at Coon Bluff is its very likely you will have some company other than very early morning time. I prefer late fall and the winter months visiting here as the river flows are lower providing more access to shoot images along the river bank. In addition, fall colors can stick around into January along the river making for some vibrant and scenic backdrop.

Conclusion

Anyway, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about finding and photographing these beautiful Mustangs. As I noted earlier, these animals are for the most part always on the move so being willing to hike and arrive at a likely location at the right time is one of the keys to finding them consistently. Starting out very early in the morning or visiting in late afternoon should help increase your chance of seeing them at some of the locations I have mentioned. Below you can see a series of photos I have captured of Salt River Horses with descriptions. Most of these images are for sale.

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Starting out late in the afternoon and hiking along the banks of the Salt River does have its advantages. This was one of the 2 or 3 horses I spotted along the river on this particular late afternoon day after hiking a few miles. I was fortunate to capture this sunset image as I was heading back to where my truck was parked.

In the Spring time it not unusual to see the horses grazing right along the Bush Highway in the lower Salt River recreation area.

Its not for everyone, but one of my favorite scenes to shoot these Mustangs is in the hills during Springtime. This location required nearly a 2 mile hike with inclines from where I was parked along Bush Highway. The bonus is the elevated views are excellent and its very quiet with no crowds.

A band of horses grazing in the hills. There are no designated trails back into the hills other than trails created by horses themselves. I would also recommend wearing long pants when hiking here for a variety of reasons including Rattle snakes.

River crossings are my favorite scenes to shoot of the Salt River herd. Particularly at or near sunrise or sunset time. This is a rare new born foal trailing her Mom.

Band of horses crossing Salt River just before sunrise. Vibrant fall colors can often be seen into January along the river.

Sunrise river crossing…

Aerial view of a few horses drinking and cooling off in the river near Coon Bluff during a hot 2024 summer season. The river flows are at their highest during the Summer months which sometimes can make it a little more challenging getting good captures from the banks.

A band of horses near the banks of the river in late afternoon.

Its not too unusual to see the horses fighting. This was a misty morning in the forest along the Salt River near Coon Bluff if I recall, Its best to keep at least 50 feet away from these beautiful but wild creatures.