Salt River Canyon, US 60: Bridges & Permits

Part of Whiteriver, Hon-Dah & Sunrise, our guide to visiting the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, home of the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

The Salt River Canyon on US 60, about an hour south-west of Show Low on the way to Globe, is the southern boundary of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation; the highway drops into it and crosses on a bridge built beside the 1934 steel arch, which the NPS-filed record calls one of the state’s most famous structures.

1934arch bridge finished

162 ftarch span

455 ftold bridge length

$25tribal special-use permit, daily

The bridges

The inventory card for the National Register’s “Vehicular Bridges in Arizona” listing (1988) says the bridge carries US 60 over the canyon at milepost 292.91, 43 miles north of Globe. It was built in 1933-34 for $58,050: a riveted steel two-hinged arch with a 162-ft span, 455 ft long in all, and the state highway department’s first girder-ribbed steel arch. A newer bridge now carries traffic beside it, and the old arch is used by walkers.

Permits in the canyon

The Tribe defines the canyon corridor of the Black and Salt rivers as a special-use area. Anyone 15 and over needs a special-use permit for fishing, camping, hiking or sightseeing there; the Tribe’s vendor list prices it at $25 a day (other tribal pages show $15 and $45). Rafting is allowed only on the Salt River downstream of the US 60 bridge, year-round, with best flows usually March to May, on a $25 daily rafting permit and a signed waiver. Cibecue Falls was closed until further notice, and the upper Black River above Big Bonito Creek closes after Labor Day until April 1.

Two highway bridges, an old steel arch and a newer span, crossing a rocky canyon — The old arch bridge (now for walkers) beside the newer US 60 bridge, 2006. Photo: Thad Roan, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The US 60 crossing of the Salt River. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What we could not verify

The year the newer bridge opened, and parking and rest-area details at the crossing (the state highway department’s site could not be read).
The special-use permit price (three different amounts on the Tribe’s pages).

Questions people ask

Do I need a permit to stop in the Salt River Canyon?

For fishing, camping, hiking or sightseeing in the canyon corridor, the White Mountain Apache Tribe requires a special-use permit for adults; the vendor list price is $25 a day.

Can you walk on the old Salt River Canyon bridge?

Yes, the 1934 arch beside the newer US 60 bridge is used by walkers.

Where can you raft the Salt River?

The Tribe allows rafting only downstream of the US 60 bridge, with a $25 daily permit and a waiver.

Sources

Checked October 22, 2026 by It’s Show Low. Cite this page: It’s Show Low (itsshowlow.com), checked October 22, 2026. Free to quote with a link; tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.

Salt River Canyon on US 60: bridges and permits