Bogley

[jumar]

Thought I'd post some pics of a canoe trip we did down in Black Canyon. Very cool!! Hot springs, rain caves, sauna caves, slot canyons, emerald green water....


Emerald Cave




Side slot canyon that leads to hot springs

[jumar]

Here's some video clips of Emerald Cave

Our camera was having issues automatically adjusting for lighting.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jumar/misc/DSCF0092.AVI

http://photos.imageevent.com/jumar/misc/MVI_0771.AVI

http://photos.imageevent.com/jumar/misc/MVI_0769.AVI

[accadacca]

Yes, very cool! :five: Now where is this again?

[jumar]

You put in just below hoover dam, in Black Canyon. It was definitely one of my favorite canoe trips. I probably still have info on it somewhere if someone is interested in doing it.

[Shan]

That looks awesome!

Is this a day trip or an overnighter?

[jumar]

You can do either. It's easy to do it in a day, but a lot of people camp part way down near some hot springs.

I'm trying to remember how long it took us to do the whole canyon....maybe 6-8 hours? The main 'attraction' is about 12 miles. It really depends on how much time you spend exploring all the side canyons etc.

I have the rest of our pics on my webshots page
http://community.webshots.com/album/128971173aPnovU

[jumar]

There was one group who didn't have a watch, and they were concerned about getting to the pick up spot in time. So they skipped most the good stuff and did the whole route in about 3 hours. Ended up sitting around at the pickup point for hours until their ride showed up. Poor guys missed most the fun!

[Iceaxe]

That is really cool.... Black Canyon has several good hot springs. AZ and Boy Scout are supposed to be two of the best from the river. You do this through an outfitter who has canoes, takes care of the shuttle, all that crap? I'd be really interested in doing this trip, post more details.... cost, shuttle service, yada, yada....

Also... what time of year do your recommend? My kids would probably love to do this as an overnighter....

Ice

[Sombeech]

Wow, that is sweet. Did you get in the water? That looks like it would be a great swimming hole.

[jumar]

I don't remember a lot of the logistics because I was studying away during the planning. My wife did most of the arrangments I just went along for the ride. LOL

An outfitter is a good way to go. It's easier to get through the security they have near the dam, they provide the boats along with drop off and pick up. They generally give you a map too for exploring the different places.

During the summer it's obviously REALLY hot, so the hot springs are not as inviting. We went during the spring and it was a little chilly. We didn't actually get in the river water because it was too cold. But the hot springs were sure nice then! I would say spring or fall would be best.

The water levels can really make a difference on some of the features. For example the emerald cave if the water's really low, you might not be able to float into. Or if there's a lot of water it might be too high to enter the cave. Since the water comes from the dam, I'd imagine the best way to find out the water levels is to talk to one of the outfitters.

I think we paid something like $50 a person or something like that. I don't remember which outfitter we ended up going with. But here's some different links with information.

http://downriveroutfitters.com/trips/selfguided/
Some good photos
http://www.downriveroutfitters.com/photos.htm

http://www.nps.gov/lame/bcan.pdf this one is a map, we started below the dam and ended and the willow beach.

http://www.birdandhike.com/Wilderness/BlackCyn/Black.htm
http://www.offbeattravel.com/LasVegasRaft.html
http://foreverlodging.com/destination.cfm?PropertyKey=130
http://www.aliensonearth.com/place/us/nv/blackcanyon/

[jumar]

Oh, my wife just reminded me that we had a bad experience with Downriver Outfitters.

She said, "Basically we paid the deposit which was over $300. They canceled the trip because they didn’t have enough people sign up, but they never told us that they canceled. We found out when we called the the day we were leaving. And they wouldn’t refund us at first. But after a while somehow we got our money back. "

So you might want to avoid them. She's going to try to find the info on the one we ended up going with.

[Iceaxe]

:frustrated: Down River Outfitters :frustrated:


The rest of the info sounds good..... $50 a person is cheap if they provide the shuttle and canoe. Heck, I'll pay $50 just so I don't have to deal with the hassle.

Lets see now.... a cooler filled with beer.... dad in the middle of the canoe next to the cooler of beer.... a kid at each end of the canoe to paddle dad and the cooler of beer...... yup.... the way I see it this is a trip from heaven. :2thumbs:

[jumar]

We want to do it again sometime and take more time exploring the side canyons. My list of trips I want to take is too big methinks

[Iceaxe]

My family would be interested in joining the party if you want the company. Might be interested in doing the trip as an overnighter :five:

I'm guessing not really much paddling... mostly floating along?

[jumar]

That'd be fun :friday: