Hoover Dam Kayaking Trip, 6 Hot Springs, 6 Caves, 4 Waterfalls
Description
Our Hoover Dam Kayak Trip is one of the, if not the, Best Dam Trip in the World. Our trip is unique due to our above-and-beyond quest to see as much as we can on this absolutely amazing 12-mile stretch of the Colorado River. We make 4 extra Stops/Hikes/Rain Caves on this trip Guests could choose to experience ONE of these slot canyons on a day hike during winter, but it is not accessible during summer due to the heat. We see ALL via shortcut kayaking the Colorado River. Sauna Cave: We’ll stop here to discover hot springs deep inside the canyon Gold Strike Hot Springs: We'll hike 5 Minutes to these hot springs for a quick dip, and possibly hike further. Lone Palm Falls: Picture Opp with a 40-foot 96+ degree geothermal Waterfall Boyscout Canyon: We’ll explore to see multiple 300+ Foot Horizontal Geothermal Waterfalls Lunch and Ice Water at Arizona Hot Springs: We’ll hike about 10 minutes up to this open Hot Spring Slot Canyon Lastly, Emerald Cave Finish at Willow Beach
Tour Options
Itinerary
We are one of the few Outfitters approved to take you to the base of the base of the awe-inspiring Hoover Dam. There are restricted passes and guests do need to go through an approved outfitter like us to launch in kayaks from the base of the Hoover Dam. We see Sauna Cave, Goldstrike Waterfalls, Melt Your Shoes Hot Springs, Arizona Hot Springs, Boyscout Slot Canyon, and the Emerald Cave.
Kayak from Hoover Dam to the legendary Sauna Cave, a 140-foot geothermal tunnel of steam. This natural wonder reaches internal temperatures over 140°F, created by intense geothermal activity beneath the Earth’s surface. We begin by driving down a highly restricted road—normally reserved only for Hoover Dam employees—thanks to our exclusive, pre-approved access passes. The drive takes about 10 minutes. From there, we launch our kayaks directly into the Colorado River. Our first stop: a man-made hot spring that looks and feels completely natural. (We’ll explain the wild backstory in person!)
After soaking out all the toxins and jumping in the nice, refreshingly cool Colorado River, we stop at Two Spectacular Geothermal Rain Caves, including First Rain Cave, First and Last Emerald Cave, and Little Mermaid Rock.
Melt Your Shoes Hot Springs is our Third Stop. The underwater jacuzzi in the Colorado River leads us to a 120-130 degree waterfall where geothermal water is spewing out of the side of the cliff. The blend of hot water and lower river levels can create a perfect 98 to 108-degree Jacuzzi at the riverbank.
Goldstrike Hot Springs and Slot Canyon is our next stop, where we hike up the slot 95 degree stream, to a beautiful geothermal waterfall and Hot Springs with five layers of Hot Springs to choose your desired heat. Very light scrambling here. Very doable hike. Based on heat and hiking comfort level, we hike up to the top of the waterfall and see a 300-foot horizontal waterfall. Please note: You can hike all of these during winter and spring, but they are closed during summer due to the heat. You'd only have time to hike one each day. We get to see all of these with our backdoor pass from kayaking the Colorado River. + We get to drive down and launch in kayaks from the base of the dam, and see one of the most, if not The Most Beautiful, stretches of any river in the world.
Lone Palm Falls Geothermal Waterfall. You can hike all of these during winter and spring, but they are closed during summer due to the heat. You'd only have time to hike one each day. We get to see all of these with our backdoor pass from kayaking the Colorado River.
Boyscout Canyon: Year-round, the safest and easiest way to access the canyon is through the river with an outfitter like us. (Unless you have a 350-foot rappelling rope lying around and a car that off off-road). This is our favorite stop, weather and time permitting. It's not for the faint of heart, but kids in the 5th-8th grade can make it up the second geothermal waterfall rope climb and see the 400-foot horizontal rain cave and waterfall. We guide you and show you how to use leverage against both sides of the slot canyon to pull yourself up.
We hike up from the river and up a large ladder through a waterfall to get to the world-famous Arizona Hot Springs.
Technically, we are paddling through the Black Canyon water trail from the base of the Hoover Dam to Willow Beach, which is in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. We will be paddling with a nice, calm, and slow one mph current of the river. We will show you how to catch the current as it is coming down, avoiding eddy currents. We will see 6 caves in total, 11 Geothermal Waterfalls, 4-6 Hot springs, and also stop at some of the most beautiful beaches and emerald caves with crystal-clear, almost glowing water guiding our path.
We exit here at the dirt boat launch of Willow Beach. We can either pick you up there (If your a morning person) so you can hop in your car and go when we conclude our trip, or we can take you back to your car at the Hoover Dam Lodge (If your not a morning person)
We will pass by the Emerald Cave on our way back to Willow Beach. Lighting will be good July-September but we can go inside year round.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(43)
This was an absolutely beautiful paddle. Gino was an amazing guide. He helped both of us through some slippery areas and took a huge amount of beautiful pictures. I'll be telling my friends to ask for Gino when they're ready to paddle. I'll ask for him again when we come back for more. Thanks Gino!
We had an absolutely fantastic time on this Hoover Dam kayak tour! Launching right below the dam was such a unique experience and something you can’t do just anywhere. The scenery along the Colorado River was breathtaking, and the vibrant emerald-green color of the water was even more beautiful in person than we expected. The trip was packed with interesting stops, from hot springs tucked into canyons to waterfalls and caves that felt like hidden gems. Every stop offered something different and made the day feel like a true adventure. A big part of what made the experience so enjoyable was our guide, Gino. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and kept the group engaged throughout the trip. He shared interesting information about the area, made sure everyone felt comfortable, and helped create a fun, relaxed atmosphere. This was one of the most memorable outdoor experiences we’ve had. Between the incredible scenery, unique access to areas only reachable by kayak, and Gino’s excellent guiding, this trip exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and unforgettable way to experience the Colorado River and Hoover Dam!
We had an absolutely fantastic time on this Hoover Dam kayak tour! Launching right below the dam was such a unique experience and something you can’t do just anywhere. The scenery along the Colorado River was breathtaking, and the vibrant emerald-green color of the water was even more beautiful in person than we expected. The trip was packed with interesting stops, from hot springs tucked into canyons to waterfalls and caves that felt like hidden gems. Every stop offered something different and made the day feel like a true adventure. A big part of what made the experience so enjoyable was our guide, Gino. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and kept the group engaged throughout the trip. He shared interesting information about the area, made sure everyone felt comfortable, and helped create a fun, relaxed atmosphere. This was one of the most memorable outdoor experiences we’ve had. Between the incredible scenery, unique access to areas only reachable by kayak, and Gino’s excellent guiding, this trip exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and unforgettable way to experience the Colorado River and Hoover Dam!
This amazing day of kayaking starts at Hoover Dam and continues 12 miles to Willow Beach. Along the way, you make multiple stops to enjoy hot springs, coves, and the beauty of the Colorado River and canyon walls. The clear green water is indescribable. Ask for Gino!
Six of us had a fabulous experience on this kayak tour of the Colorado River. Highly recommend you do this with Gino. The scenery is unforgettable and the mix of activities along the way is a perfect blend: paddling, hiking, hot springs, and access to places many will never experience. My favorite part of the day was seeing the beauty of the area. You won’t regret this adventure. Ask for Gino!
Had an awesome time on the Hoover Dam Tour with Luke as our guide. It was a very long day fighting the wind even though we were going down stream, but Luke had us in great spirits and kept showing cool new things on the tour. All the hot springs, history, local facts, and animals we saw made the day. 10 out of 10 would recommend.
This was one of the best days we’ve ever experienced traveling, and we travel a lot! Our guide Shawn was absolutely the best. He took hundreds of photos for us so we could enjoy. He adapted the day and modified plans to our wants and was so friendly. I cannot say enough kind things about how his personality, demeanor and adventurous spirit and helpfulness made the day so unbelievable. Everything was thought out and prepared. I felt safe the entire time. I will be recommending this trip to my friends and will hopefully be back with our teenage kids and I want to do the exact same thing again.
Sunday, April 26th, 2026 with tour guide: Shawn My boyfriend and I had an incredible time and 100% recommend this trip! Kayaking 12 miles down the Colorado River in the Black Canyon was such a one of a kind adventure. So breath-taking and stunning! Shawn (& our driver, Luke) with Adventure Child were great! We had some technicalities at the beginning but they were so accommodating and able to troubleshoot, resolving the issue. Shawn definitely has you in his best interest as he also provided subway sandwiches, some snacks, and tons of water. He also had a dry bag of warm clothes as we didn’t think it would only be a high of 72° and windy that day. Luke let us borrow his warm fuzzy jacket as well. Shawn is very chill, laid back and go with the flow, yet very knowledgeable and passionate. On our 8 1/2 hour trip, he showed us many hidden hot springs, caves, and waterfalls. He also shared some history throughout the tour. Without a doubt, you wouldn’t be able to find these gems without the help of Shawn. He’s also an amazing photographer as he took hundreds of action shots and photos of my boyfriend and me. He shares them with you via text or WhatsAp at the end of the trip. While this trip was absolutely incredible & I would recommend to anyone, I will say that it can be rather challenging and strenuous. Kayaking 12 miles isn’t easy. Also, the minimal hiking to hot springs requires climbing up and down slippery rocks. My boyfriend and I are in our 30s and relatively fit, but still got a good workout in and felt sore afterwards. Shawn is so accommodating and will set the trip to match your needs and physical abilities, but you may miss some hidden gems. Regardless, taking in the amazing views of the palm trees and canyon walls was phenomenal! We did see many different kinds of ducks, a mountain goat, and a rattlesnake. All in all, I strongly recommend this trip if you love nature and adventure. Request Shawn as your guide!
What a great day we had. The weather was excellent and the guide AKA Shawn, was incredibly knowledgeable and what a great personality, the guy should do stand up.. he made the whole trip worthwhile. He thought he was gonna have a bad day because my girlfriend never kayaked before but with his expertise and her skills she was like a pro within a half hour. She paddled eleven miles out of twelve . A beautiful memory and incredible scenery.. Thank you Shawn.. God Bless. We'll be back....
Horrible, horrible, horrible company. If you’re considering doing this experience, can you please go with other small businesses who have actual empathy. This is obviously not a cheap excursion, which I planned for in advance. The night before I ended up getting food poisoning and was up throwing up all night. I contacted the company as soon as I could (5am) to inform them of this emergency and that I was not going to be able to make it to which I was told by the male worker that I would receive a refund. Then I received a text from an extremely rude woman saying a refund was not possible. I tried to reason with her and tell her this was a huge part of my trip and we were very excited and obviously I had no intention of canceling and that because I live states away, it was not possible for me to reschedule. This was my one day to do this and then unfortunate emergency happened. I have worked with/in enough customer service to know that she could have refunded me, but she chose to just be greedy. I cannot control an emergency happening, but one thing I cannot stand this poor customer service and greedy humans, especially in today’s society, we truly need more people with empathy. I had to reach out to my credit card company and explain an emergency and make a dispute with them due to this company’s greed. Please do not support them. Horrible customer service and I’m sure they’re much better companies to go with.
Hi Erika, we are sorry to hear you were unwell, but we must clarify the timeline for the record. You mentioned being ill 'all night' and having a multi-hour drive from out of state, yet you waited until 5:00 AM—just two hours before the tour—to notify us. By 5:00 AM, our team was already at the staging area with your equipment prepared. Our commitment to guest experience and 'above and beyond' service is reflected in our many 5-star reviews; this is the first 1-star review for this specific experience. Our 24-hour policy exists exactly for this reason: we cannot fill spots or recoup costs for staff already on-site with such short notice. We have provided all time-stamped communication to the merchant bank regarding your dispute.
