Black Canyon Willow Beach River Adventures

So Much Fun! Couple of hours on the river with a breeze in your face and time to swim if you want. Lots of history to be seen from the building of the Hoover Dam. (Spectacular water level view of the Dam too) wild life, hot waterfalls, an «emerald» cave and knowledgeable pilots make the trip fun. Bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen!

We took the 1.5 hr postcard tour of the Hoover Dam. They have an exclusive access to the wayerway outside the dam for a fantastic photo tour. The trip was informative educational and very entertaining! We got to see the dam and the bridge, go down the original road used to build the dam and all before lunch so we can still do tons of stuff that day.

This is such an amazing find! If you have a day off, take the hour drive out of the city and rent a canoe or some kayaks and feel like you are far far away from the desert. The water in the river is cool and blue and the canyon itself is awesome. Plus, when your rental time is up, post up at the beach and go swimming. There is a rock that you can get to and jump off into the water. It is so amazing and such a thrill!

Stay alive, wear a life vest if you are going to kayak. I highly recommend kayaking on a Sunday or Monday when motorboats are not allowed going towards the dam. I’m an experienced kayaker and still had issues with the rented kayak navigating the narrower sections while speed boats flew by me! Other than that, pretty cool place.

Spent 4 hours cruising the lake near the Colorado River. Vessel Cf-​1 boat rental $ 40 bucks per hour plus $ 195.00 refundable deposit. Upon return, cost of gas was $ 27.35 taken out of deposit. Received $ 167.65 refund. Total cost with gas plus tax $ 129.96. Not bad for a time well spent with the family. It was relaxing.

This was well worth it. Brian our guide was fantastic and very informative. He took the time to explain Hoover Dam and the way it was back in 1930’s when the dam was being built. My son enjoyed riding on the raft edge getting splashed by the water. We stopped at a couple of coves and Brain even pointed out where the hot springs are. I will certainly take this trip again. Oh, just a note this is not recommended for small childern (under 8).

This place is awesome! I flew out to Vegas with my BFF for my birthday last weekend, and I did a quick google search of places not to far to go canoeing, as it’s one of my all-​time favorite activities. I found a few places, but decided ultimately on Willow Beach. This place is GORGEOUS! It’s a beautiful drive into Arizona, about an hour from Vegas, Once we arrived, we were met with friendly staff. Despite having a power outage, they were able to get us set up right away and out on the river.
I literally wanted to cry the entire time. The views were UNREAL! I was in BIRTHDAY HEAVEN! We came at the perfect time (late October) and the weather was just gorgeous. We spent six hours out on the water, with stops to sunbathe on the shores of the Colorado River, and of course about 45 minutes yelling out into the canyons to hear our voices echoed back (we are super lame). There weren’t many people out there, so it was like we had the whole place to ourselves!
I recommend this place to everyone, novice or pro when it comes to being out on the water. They rent kayaks as well as motor driven boats. COME HERE! Escape from the strip! You won’t regret it!

Its not what you expect. Its more. We did the five hour Black Canyon float tour with family from out of town and had a great time even in 117 degree heat. Our captain Steve did what he could to keep us cool and having fun.
Stopping several times for us to get wet and enjoy the scenery. Lunch was served on an island. Basic box lunch, Delicious as it was. But we are there for the scenery and that did not disappoint!
Being out in nature and in the sun, people let their guard down and we met some wonderful people that made it that much more fun.
This is not meant as a luxury outing. Its mother nature with some of her best work while you also enjoy seeing some of man’s best work from the base. (The Hoover Dam and the bridge) .
The raft has adequate seating. We chose to ride the on the tubes and kept our seats wet with the 55 degree river water felt great!
Its amazing to be so close to metropolitan Las Vegas, yet see nothing from the modern era. Just a few relics from the Dam construction era and a lot of wildlife.
Historical projects, natural history, millions of years of geology and its effects, hot springs, wildlife, beautiful scenery, wildlife, and not a casino in sight! Did I mention the wildlife and photo opportunities?
If you have a problem with the age of the hotel, the narrow rode to the boat launch, just think of the era all this was built in! History is what you are experiencing.

I love the Black Canyon River Adventures. I am a local and have done this tour twice. Both times were a really neat experience. You really get to go out and experience a different side of Nevada/​Arizona.
The tour begins at the base of Hoover Dam. It is so amazing to look up at the dam, instead of over the side like most people. It is really cool to have a different point of view of such an awesome work of engineering and manpower. You then get to float down the Colorado river, which is 55 degrees year round, and see fish swimming beneath your feet, big horn sheep on the cliffs, and all sorts of interesting birds flying just above your head. You also get to go see natural hot springs coming right out of the mountain sides, an emerald cave with the clearest water I have ever seen, and just get in touch with nature, but without too much work on your part.
On top of the wonderful float ride down the river, is your tour guide. These guys know everything about the area and are pretty funny too. You will learn some neat stuff and laugh a lot too. They totally make your day.
Overall, I think this is a total must do if you are visiting town or live here. Get out and do something different!

Black Canyon River Adventures
Categories: Tours, Rafting/​Kayaking
½/​2013
So Much Fun!!!
Check in is inside the Hacienda Hotel adjacent to the Hoover Dam, it’s a bit smoke filled, but we spent money in the gift store, waiting for the bus.
It’s AWESOME! You get out on the Colorado RIver which is about 55 degrees, blue water and hot summer days.
This is a wonderful tour with adventure, rafting and Hoover Dam history. Our guide was a retired school teacher, he knew EVERYTHING. He was fun too, he drenched us a few times, catching the wake of a jet skier… so much fun!
You end up in Arizona, they bus you back.

Super awesome! Look past the decrepid hotel and horrifying cigarette smoke when you check in, inside the Hacienda Hotel adjacent to the Hoover Dam.
It’s not the most organized or professional business set-up…but that’s not what this review is for… it’s for the tour itself. It’s AWESOME! You get out on the Colorado RIver which is about 55 degrees in contrast with the hot summer day is most refreshing. This is a wonderful tour dashed with adventure, peaceful rafting and history about one of Nevada/Arizona’s historical mammoths.
You end in Arizona, they bus you back.
Bring a hat, good shoes that have grip on them, camera with water-​proofed wrapping, lunch is provided (not that great :/​) and sunscreen, you’re in direct sun 99% of the time.
Bring your bathing suit if you want to take a dip, they stop the raft for lunch and you can swim and/​or eat.
Love it, check this out for something unique ;)

My wife had heard some good word-​of-​mouth about the Colorado River rafting tours, so she chose Black Canyon River Adventures to take us and my parents on our first rafting «adventure» (mild though it was). We left the Hacienda casino by bus at around 10 a.m. and returned around 3 p.m., with the actual time on the water lasting about three hours (and that was more than enough).
After a potentially harrowing bus ride (if you’re afraid of heights), the tour started at the bottom of the Hoover Dam, which was easily the most visually interesting section. Our captain, Dennis (nice name!) was funny, easy-​going, and had a plethora of interesting information about the history of the dam and the people who built it, as well as tidbits on the O’Callaghan-Tillman Bridge and, later, the geology of the canyon. The scenery was pretty, if not spectacular, for the rest of the long sojourn down the Colorado, and though we didn’t see any wildlife (save birds and a dead ram being eaten by vultures), there was enough natural beauty to keep my eyes flitting. The raft also stopped twice at tiny beach areas, and some people chose to wade in the water, but I opted not to.
The tour came with a boxed lunch, and I was expecting the worst, but it was actually pretty darn good. Nothing special: a turkey sandwich, chips, an apple, cookies and water. You get to keep the (cheap) lunchbox.
A few negatives: As alluded to before, I thought the tour went on a bit too long, though there’s nowhere to dock between the dam and Willow Beach, so I guess there’s nothing they can do about that. The seating isn’t exactly comfortable; your choices are long benches or blazing-​hot rubber pontoons. The people sitting on the front half of the raft got soaking wet, and even in the back we got more than a few splashes, so be prepared.
Overall, it was a memorable experience, and we met some interesting people (not only Dennis and the other employees, but also the people around us on the raft, including folks from China and New Zealand). I would recommend this trip to anyone seeking a scenic, mild «adventure.»

The 90-​minute «tour de aqua» as the Groupon stated, was actually an hour of waiting around and being transported each way, and about 20 minutes of actually being on the raft.
The tour itself was pretty interesting, getting to see the dam from the river and seeing firsthand how things were transported while building the dam.
It was worth the Groupon price, but I would have been pretty upset if I paid full price for this.

The staff wasn’t overly friendly considering the money that was being put down to rent a power boat. They made sure to stress they weren’t accountable for ANYTHING. It was explained we would pay for gas and oil upon our return. That’s fine. However, we paid $ 85.00 for less than a half a tank. End result: staff was rude and the hidden costs = RIP OFF! That said, the area is beautiful. I’ll go back and try the canoe, or just buy a blow up boat and paddle around.

I got the groupon special on an hour and half of rafting on the Hoover Dam. On a 100+ degree morning, I was looking forward to sticking my legs into some water, and getting some relief for my wife and the lil guy. IIt never happened.
First, it took a half hour to move 50 yards down the crowded fwy. Being down in the canyon was way cool: the canyon sides were scenic and the river was gorgeous, but it was hot. They stuck about forty of us on one large rubber raft, so there isn’t much maneuverability. Basically, we got a history lesson about the Hoover Dam, moved from one side of the river to the other side, and inhaled some fine petrol, as in gas. It was hot. In the end, we rushed back to the air conditioned bus which dragged our sorry asses back to the Hacienda Hotel to hightail it out of Boulder City.

Groupon, I think it’s gonna be a love hate relationship. Yes, you bring me great deals. Yes, I get to try some things that I never would have otherwise tried. But sometimes, there are just lemons.
Like this one.
An hour and a half Hoover Dam rafting tour. An hour and a half tour on a raft that doesn’t allow short asians like myself to feel the nice cool clear waters of the river without really leaning out into it while straddling a piping hot rubber tube.
Oh, and the rafting tour seriously does not move more than a quarter mile from where we launch. The tour is just some history of the Dam while we hover in the same general location on the water.
This place was well out of Vegas with tours departing from the Hacienda Hotel from 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 11:30 am. I was aware of this, but thought the 1.5 hour river thing would have been worth it.
It was not.