Verde River Recreation Guide

Author Jim Slingluff has paddled every navigable mile of Arizona's Verde River, plus many of it's tributaries and his expertise really shows through in this book. Slingluff is a die-hard canoeist and this book is full of information specific to canoeists, though it's also a great guidebook for kayakers and rafters. Slingluff breaks the river down into sections that can be canoed, beginning with the headwaters at Morgan Ranch near Prescott, all the way down to the confluence with Arizona's Salt River, near Phoenix. He also describes every rapid and potential hazard encountered on the river. This information may be dated since the book was last revised in 1996, but it's a great way to get an idea of what you're facing in a trip down the Verde. I haven't yet made my own trip down the Verde, but when I go, the Verde River Recreation Guide is going with me.