Paddling near Chandler, AZ

A southeast-valley city in Maricopa County, Chandler sends paddlers up the Salt and Verde drainages to a string of dam-built reservoirs and the region's signature float, the Lower Salt River in Tonto National Forest. The closest serious water, Saguaro Lake, sits about 38 miles northeast; for a quick after-work session, the no-motor Tempe Town Lake impoundment is roughly 15 miles north. Because Arizona has no natural large lakes, every nearby flatwater destination is a reservoir.