Black Canyon (Colorado River)

This is a fantastic backpacking trip paddling down the Colorado river and exploring slot canyons, waterfalls, hot springs and petroglyphs. The best time to go is Fall and Spring. Winter may be fine, but a bit too cold to enjoy the splashing water. Summer will be scorching hot, you may paddle the river but will only be able to hike at night. The Black Canyon part of the Colorado River is filled with spectacular scenery, steep cliffs, narrow river and swift currents give you the feel of the Colorado River, but, technically you are in upper Lake Mohave. The currents are mild, but they can be stronger near the dam when the dam is releasing. This trip does not necessarily require prior paddling experience, but it is recommended to have at least one experienced paddler in each boat. If you go with a commercial company they will charge you $400/person for such a trip (http://www.kayaklasvegas.com/kayak_two_day/). However, renting a canoe and doing your own trip will cost you 10 times less and you will get a much better experience going at your own pace and exploring more stuff.

To do this trip you will need some sort of watercraft, preferably something solid (not inflatable) that can haul lots of gear. You will probably need a place to overnight before starting your trip the next day and maybe also place to stay before driving back home. You will camp overnight in primitive camps and will have to be self sufficient for several days under any weather condition, so plan accordingly. In Winter Months:

The paddling route is broken up in 4 segments but you may want to join or split the route differently based on your own interests. There is enough non-technical canyon explorations to fill several days, you may also choose to bring technical gear and run some of the technical canyons from the river. The map has all the points of interest: where to land, where to camp, where to relax, where to hike. You should plan in advance but be flexible and adjust the plan as you go, as it is very hard to forecast how long it will take you to relax in the hot springs or how far up a slot canyon you will want to go or how fast you paddle. More information at http://blackcanyonwatertrail.org/trip-planning/self-guided-tours/a-black-canyon-river-trip/ If you plan to do any of the technical canyons in the area you should take a look at the combined map of the Lake Mead area. You can see this map by going to Lake Mead NRA and enabling the 'Show KML maps' option. You can download it by using the 'Download KML Map' link under the map box, then choosing the 'Locations + Routes' option.