Adventures Along the Colorado River

from Hoover Dam to Eldorado Canyon.

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THE COLORADO RIVER & BLACK CANYONThe Colorado River is massive and mighty, roaring at times and meandering to not much more than a trickle depending on seasons, weather patterns, geologic features and the operations of several dams. From its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado 1,450 miles (2333 km) to its delta in Mexico, this powerful river has carved through millions of years of rock and stone to create spectacular and scenic river canyons – Cataract Canyon, Glen Canyon, the Grand Canyon and Black Canyon below Hoover Dam. Welcome to Black Canyon. With dark cliffs of volcanic rock which soar above the river’s reflective surface, this is an exceptional place to navigate a kayak or canoe, or to be ferried by raft. This is a special place of rugged geology, complex desert ecosystems and colorful history.Glide along the calm and clear waters of this legendary river – waters made placid by Hoover Dam. Look up in wonder at the canyon’s rock walls that date back millions of years. Admire the canyon’s textures and formations. Rock eroded to resemble a human ear? A ridgeline that resembles a dragon’s back? Hike from the river into side canyons. Ease yourself into canyon hot springs of varying temperatures. Absorb some of the area’s history. Keep your eyes open for majestic bald eagles and great blue herons, as well as stately desert bighorn sheep. Explore and enjoy this delightful part of the Colorado River.

ON THE COVER

The wild Colorado River surged, flooded, raged

and frothed prior to the construction of several dams.

It also spurred on brave adventurers – John Wesley

Powell, Joseph Christmas Ives and George Wheeler – to navigate its whitewater

rapids and chronicle its unknown landscape. The

photo on the cover was taken by expedition photographer Timothy O’Sullivan in 1871.

It documents an ill-fated river trip conducted by Lt. Wheeler for the U.S.

Geological Survey which started with three boats and

ended with two. O’Sullivan took this photo near mile marker 54, where a now-

historic gauging station and perilous catwalk were later

constructed to daily monitor the river’s water quality and

flow.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Black Canyon was recognized by the U.S.

Department of Interior as a National Water Trail in June

2014, making this river corridor the 16th in the

United States and the first in the Southwest to receive

such an honor. The National Water Trails System

highlights distinctive waterways and promotes

recreation and stewardship.

Izzy CollettLibrary of Congress

NAVIGATE THE RIVER Note markers along the riverbanks. Green squares with odd numbers are located on the Nevada side of the river (on your right as you go downriver). Red triangles with even numbers are found on the Arizona side of the river (on your left). Markers measure the distance beginning with Mile One at Davis Dam going upriver to Hoover Dam at Mile 64.

BUCKLE UP & TIE UP! Life jackets are required to be worn by all paddlers. On rafts, life jackets must be worn by anyone under the age of 14. As you stop along the river, make

certain you secure your life jacket and your watercraft to the shore by fasteners or rope. Gusty winds can carry away a life jacket and changing water levels can quickly move a beached watercraft. Lake Mohave fluctuates quickly depending on water released from the Hoover dam.

BRRR...Water released from Hoover Dam stays a chilly 53 degrees F. (11 degrees C.) throughout

the year making this stretch of river extremely cold. Even on the hottest of days, prolonged immersion in the river’s cold water can result in hypothermia, a physical condition which can affect the body’s core - the heart, lungs and other vital organs-

and can alter mental abilities. Wearing wick away clothing and your life jacket provides some protections against getting dangerously chilled. Avoid staying in the water for more than a few minutes.

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Legend

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GETTING ON THE RIVEROutfitters rent all types of non-motorized watercraft and safety equipment and offer guide services. Black Canyon / Willow Beach Adventures provides comfortable seating on motorized rafts for full- and half-day narrated excursions. www.blackcanyonwatertrail.org/outfitters

FROM HOOVER DAM

Launch access below Hoover Dam is limited for

security reasons. Everyone must be escorted by an

authorized outfitter, and must have valid photo

identification. Paddlers must carry their watercraft

500 feet / 152 meters to the river’s edge.

Hoover Dam to Mile 62

Alan O’Neill

HOOVER DAMMillions of people visit Hoover Dam each year. Far fewer see the dam in all its glory from the river below. Hoover Dam is a National Historic Landmark and is considered a significant American engineering achievement.CONSTRUCTED BETWEEN 1931-1935 during The Great Depression the dam drew 10,000 to 20,000 construction men to the area looking for work.STARTED BY ONE PRESIDENT and dedicated by another. In 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt named the massive structure Boulder Dam to avoid reference to his predecessor President Herbert Hoover. In 1947, Congress officially designated it Hoover Dam.MASSIVE, with enough concrete to build a two-lane highway from Seattle to Miami. What you cannot see of the dam is the thickness of its concrete base which is equal to the length of two end-to-end football fields.TOWERING at over 70 stories, Hoover Dam is more than 171 feet (52 meters) taller than the Washington Monument in our nation’s Capital. DYNAMITE! More than 8.5 million pounds (3.8 kilograms) of dynamite was used to blast the foundation for the dam and to build eight miles (13 km) of tunnels through the canyon walls.

GOLDSTRIKE CANYON (NV-62 ¾)

Flecked with color, historic Goldstrike Canyon beckons

a short walk from the river’s edge to several warm

spring-fed pools and a delightful gentle waterfall.

Look for algae – dainty vegetation with distinctive

colors of orange, green, yellow and copper – which

grows on rocks below springs and seeps. The

more vivid the algae color, the hotter the water. Be

mindful that thermal water can scald. Cautiously test

the temperature of springs, pools and waterfalls before

entering them.

PADDLING TIP: To access Goldstrike

Canyon, stay right of the rock-covered sandbar

to glide into a small and shallow lagoon. Tether

your watercraft right of the canyon entrance.

NOT UP YOUR NOSE Naegleria fowleri, an

amoeba common to thermal pools around the world, has

been documented on this stretch of river. The amoeba

can enter the human body through the nose and cause

a rare infection and possible death. Do not allow water

from hot springs or streams to enter your nose. Do not

dive into or submerge your head in any of the area’s

warm waters.4

Izzy Collett

Izzy Collett

Sugarloaf Walking Route

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Lower Portal Road

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Goldstrike Canyon Route

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Lone Palm Canyon

BLACK CANYON rightfully earns it’s name from its dark canyon walls of volcanic rock near Hoover Dam. On your right, as you go downriver, are the Eldorado Mountains of Nevada. On your left are the Black Mountains of Arizona.

“HANGING GARDENS” ON CANYON WALLS Look up and to your right as you maneuver downriver. Within the first few hundred yards from the launch, you will see fragile “hanging gardens” which cling to the canyon’s vertical walls. Delicate ferns and algae are nourished by hot and cold water that is pushed through porous rock. Look for other hanging gardens downriver, on both sides of the water trail.

STEAMY STOP AT SAUNA CAVE. (NV-63) Nearly hidden by a stand of tamarisk is Sauna Cave. Tether your watercraft securely and make your way up a slight embankment to the cave entrance. Step into the cave’s mineral-rich spring water. As you slosh through knee-high water, the water becomes warmer as the cave becomes darker. Inside, breathe deeply and listen to the sounds of dripping water. During the building of Hoover Dam, construction workers started to drill a tunnel in this area. When they encountered the water’s intense heat, they abandoned this site.

TIP: Wear a headlamp or take along a flashlight to safely maneuver the cave.

TIP: Avoid touching the cave walls to preserve the cave’s inner coating of minerals.

LONE PALM CANYON (AZ-62 ½) Palm trees are not native to the area. How one lone palm was transported here remains a mystery. The original palm tree fell years ago. Now, a small grove of palms mark the

route to a popular waterfall not far from the river’s edge.

(Closed during summer months)

Boy Scout Canyon to Mile 60

All Photos Izzy CollettCourtesy Smithsonian Institution

John Wesley Powell

FISH-DIVING BIRDS The black long-necked birds

with bright orange around their bills are double-crested

cormorants. Surprisingly these heavy-boned birds are

brilliantly engineered for diving deep to catch small fish.

Their secret? Unlike other birds, they have no oil in their feathered wings, making them

less buoyant. Cormorants must spread their wings in the sun

to dry.

15 MILLION YEARS AGO Black Canyon’s dark rock was being formed by a series of volcanic eruptions. Magma –a complex, extremely hot mixture of molten and semi-molten rock and chemicals – bubbled beneath the earth’s surface (as it does now) pushing its way up through the elements to become lava which formed hard igneous rock. Water, over millions of years, carved these canyons through dense and solid rock.

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BOY SCOUT CANYON (NV-61 ¾)Boy Scout Canyon is a popular stop for day-boaters, overnight campers and hike-in-and-out adventurers. The canyon offers a variety of terrain to explore and the reward of several hot springs and warm waterfalls. From the river via a wide and gravelly beach, wend your way into the canyon as it narrows and becomes shaded. Soon you’re in an enchanted oasis where lush vegetation clings to rock walls and spring-fed pools invite a soak.

THE UNKNOWN COLORADO RIVER

John Wesley Powell – an intrepid one-armed U.S.

soldier, geologist and explorer – is noted for his

expeditions on the then-unknown Colorado River. In

1869, Powell and a group of nine men launched four

boats from Green River, Wyoming to navigate to

the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers in Utah. The going was so

rough, one man quit in the first month. Three others

left soon after. Two years later, Powell retraced his

Colorado River explorations with a new team of men and documented the expedition

with photographs.

“THE EAR.” (NV-61 ¾) Check out this rain cave which is shaped like a human ear. Seeping water, pushed through rock, has gradually eroded an indentation in the canyon wall to form a cave that uniquely supports lush delicate ferns in a desert setting.

RAPIDS & A SINGLE RING BOLT (AZ-60) Once the wildest and roughest section of the lower Colorado River, Ringbolt Rapids was tamed by the construction of Davis Dam downriver when the backed-up water deepened the river and smoothed out churning whitewater rapids. Today on this stretch of river, the water quickens and the current tugs but what remains of the “rapids” is manageable and easily navigated.Before entering the visible rifts and swells of Ringbolt Rapids, scout the river wall on your left (on the Arizona side of the river) for a large iron ring set in stone. The ringbolt, located about 8 to 12 feet (2 to 4 meters) above the river, is the last remaining remnant of a bygone area when steamboats traveled up and down the river hauling loads of gold, silver and copper and supplies for towns. Boatmen pulled ropes through the ringbolts to draw the steamboats through the river rapids.

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Ring Bolt

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SILENCE. Black Canyon is an exceptionally popular area within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and is shared by kayakers and canoeists, guided raft trips, boaters, hikers and anglers. To honor all interests, the National Park Service has developed a schedule which limits motorized watercraft from operating on the river between Hoover Dam and Willow Beach on Sundays and Mondays. For detailed information: www.nps.gov/lake

JAGGED ROCKS along the river’s edge are sharp and piercing. Sneakers or water sandals that can be laced or otherwise firmly fastened are recommended for all walks and hikes.

Boy ScoutCanyon

MoonscapeCanyon

Boy Scout Canyon Trail

Alan O’Neill

Anthony Ross

“The Ear”

Ringbolt

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Arizona Hot Spring to Mile 58

ARIZONA HOT SPRING (AZ-59 ¼)Perhaps the most popular thermal spring in Black Canyon, Arizona Hot Spring is easily accessed from the river’s edge or by a strenuous three-mile (4.8 km) hike from Highway 93. From the river, beyond the tamarisk, enter a twisting slot canyon. The trail leads to a warm waterfall, 20 feet (6 meters) high. A steel ladder, bolted into canyon rock, provides access to the shaded mineral pools above. Nestled in volcanic rock, the hot spring water (111 degrees F (44 C)) is pushed through rock fractures.

LEAVE NO TRACETM

Honor your river experience by being

responsible and respectful:

• Travel & Camp on Hard Surfaces. Walk on rock, gravel and sand to avoid

fragile desert vegetation. Use existing trails and

campsites. Walk single file on trails. Leave shorelines

and campsites clean and natural looking.

• Dispose of Waste Properly. Use restrooms. All human

waste, toilet paper and sanitary supplies must be

packed out. Use a tarp in food preparation areas to

capture food scraps.

• Minimize Campfire Impacts. Carry a fire pan or use a camp stove for cooking.

Elevate fire pans and stoves, and use a fire blanket to

catch embers. Bring your own firewood or charcoal. Keep fires small. Pack out

ash with other garbage.

• Be Considerate of Other Visitors. Respect other

visitors. Let nature’s sounds prevail.

(Excerpted from the member-driven Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor

Ethics, and edited to the specifics of Black Canyon’s desert environment.)

PADDLING TIP: Kayakers and canoeists who are meeting afternoon shuttles at Willow Beach should leave the Arizona Hot Spring beach no later than 11:30 a.m. / 11:00 a.m. if there is a headwind.

Izzy Collett

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Alan O’Neill

WHITE ROCK CANYON (AZ-60) A striking and steep trail between Highway 93 and the river, this canyon offers an impressive display of volcanic rock, granite boulders and hardened ash deposits sprinkled with a wide

variety of desert plants, such as gravel ghost brush and globe mallow.

WEEPING SPRINGS COVE (NV-58 ¾) Paddle into this scenic cove and see a gentle trickling waterfall.

CAMPING SPOT: Arizona Hot Spring is a popular camp spot – so popular that, depending on the season, you’re likely to have neighbors. Keep the noise down and trash picked up and packed out.

Izzy Collett

Izzy Collett

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Peridot Cave

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RIVER OR LAKE?The Colorado River once surged through this area, churning with whitewater rapids and intimidating those who tried to cross it or travel it. The completion of Boulder Dam in 1935 (later renamed Hoover Dam) surely tamed this part of the Colorado River. And so did the completion of Davis Dam in 1951 near Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona. The downriver dam created Lake Mohave, a reservoir which essentially stores water between the two dams. This stretch of water may seem like a river but as the water surface broadens near Cottonwood Cove, Nevada, you get a better sense that you’re on a lake. Both Lake Mead and Lake Mohave are popular boating and houseboating destinations.

TIP: Make certain you’re drinking plenty of water. It is important to know that dehydration occurs slowly and the effects are not profound until you’re sick. Bring plenty of drinking water.

DAMS ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER

Several major dams – like Hoover Dam and Davis Dam

– which were constructed to provide manageable

water storage and generate hydro power. There are also

several diversion dams on the Colorado River which

redirect and manage water resources that support

farm communities.

Dams can affect natural habitats in some areas

by trapping essential sediments necessary for

building and maintaining aquatic and riparian wildlife

species. In some cases, dams can alter natural

water temperatures that affect native fish, requiring

the constant monitoring and oversight of the Bureau

of Reclamation and the National Park Service.

Hoover Dam

Davis Dam Spillway

Alan O’Neill Alan O’Neill

Dave Lawler

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Dragon’s Back

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ABE LINCOLN. Keep your eyes on the Arizona ridgeline. See if you can spot Abe’s profile. Hint: He’s lying down, looking up at the sky.

Anthony Ross

Anthony Ross

Hiking Opportunity

Hiking Opportunity

SEE THE DRAGON’S BACK? Look up, on the ridge of protruding rocks as you navigate downriver, keep your eyes on the ridgeline.SPRINGS OR SEEPS?

Within Black Canyon there are dozens of mapped springs and an undetermined number of smaller springs and seeps. What’s the difference? Both are formed by groundwater. Springs typically have flowing water while seeps tend to leak from rock surfaces. Seeps are often covered with a algae-type vegetation that ranges in shade and color depending upon the temperature and the mineral content of the water.

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Crane’s Neck Wash to Mile 54

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MAJESTIC DESERT BIGHORN SHEEPBlack Canyon offers exceptional opportunity for viewing desert bighorn sheep. Notably, desert bighorn sheep need little water during winter months when green vegetation is available. As the weather warms, small herds of six to ten sheep move closer to the river. During hot summer months they tend to visit watering spots more often and conserve their own water output by resting under shady overhangs. Generally smaller and lighter colored than Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mature male rams can be identified by massive horns that convey a “full curl” over the ears and extend near the ram’s cheeks. The horns of female ewes never exceed half a curl.

EXPLORING TIP: Desert bighorn sheep

blend in well with their surroundings. Use

binoculars and spotting scopes with the sun behind

you. And look for their white rump patch that stands out against the

desert terrain.

HOME ON THE RIVER The Lower Colorado

River supports a variety of mammals, birds

and reptiles, including mountain lions and coyotes

and a variety of lizards, rattlesnakes, herons and

peregrine falcons. Observe all wildlife from a distance,

in silence. Do not follow or approach them. Avoid wildlife during sensitive

times – particularly when they are mating, nesting and raising their young.

Izzy CollettAlan O’Neill

Alan O’Neill

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Cranes Nest Wash

Unconformity

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FEEDING CRITTERS IS JUST PLAIN WRONG. Pack along a gourmet picnic of French brie, crisp apples and rye crackers. Or munch on chips and submarine sandwiches loaded with pickles and sweet peppers. Whatever your preference, make certain you collect and pack out all food and trash. Feeding wildlife – including leaving scraps of leftovers – is actually harmful because:• Human food doesn’t provide the correct nutrition.• Wild animals lose their natural fear of people, making them vulnerable.• Wildlife learns to depend on people for food, setting up unhealthy reliance.

THE UNCONFORMITY. (AZ-55 1/2) Check it out. This unique geologic formation is rare - found in the Grand Canyon, here in Black Canyon and a few other locations. What makes it so special? Geologists document the formation of the North American continent by layers of rock strata which were formed more than 1.7 billion years ago. But right here 900 million years of geologic history is missing. Yes, missing. Earning its “unconformity” name.

CRANE’S NEST WASH (AZ-56) offers camping, hiking and exploring.

IT’S WHAT YOU DON’T SEE THAT IS ENDANGERED. Desert Tortoises live in the canyon but a sighting is rare. Native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the Southwest, desert tortoises can live up to 80 years – if they can survive the first few years of life. Predatory birds, human factors and environmental conditions such as droughts, wildfires and floods make desert life extremely perilous for this slow moving creature. Desert tortoises survive in burrows during the summer’s intense heat and winter’s cold. DO NOT TOUCH. Desert tortoises are threatened and protected by federal “endangered species” laws.

Phainopepla

Alan O’Neill

Alan O’Neill

Crane’s Nest Trail

Hiking Opportunity

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Mile 54 to Willow Beach

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DIVE BOMBERS: PEREGRINE FALCONSKeep a lookout. You may, if you’re lucky, experience a rare sighting of a peregrine falcon. Once endangered through the use of pesticides, peregrine falcons were not seen in Nevada for 26 years until, in 1995, they were spotted within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Today the 1.5 million-acre recreation area is home to several nesting pairs in the high cliff walls of Black Canyon.Considered the fastest animal on earth, peregrine falcons soar to great heights and then dive downwards at speeds of more than 200 miles (320 km) per hour, hitting their prey – small and much slower birds – with such force that often what is left is a flurry of feathers.

EMERALD CAVE (AZ-54)

When the light is just right, Emerald Cave becomes

a radiating, glittering, shimmering grotto of

brilliant green. Photographs of this cove have graced the

covers and inside pages of several travel magazines.

NOW & THEN Check out the photo on the

cover of this guide and then survey your surroundings.

Look familiar? Probably not. With the construction

of both Hoover and Davis dams, the river has changed

a lot. This was where the Wheeler Colorado River

Expedition beached their bulky wooden boats in

1871 as they daringly maneuvered up the

unknown Colorado River.

Izzy Collett Alan O’Neill

PADDLING TIP: Kayakers and canoeists should paddle

into the shallow cave, beneath the rock overhang

to fully experience the cave’s brilliance and

serenity. From the cave, look outward and across

the river for a unique perspective of the river’s

wondrous geology.

ENDANGERED SPECIESIn 1973 Congress passed the Endangered Species Act to protect wildlife, like the peregrine falcon. The goals of this law are to identify species that face possible extinction to restore healthy populations of all types of wildlife.

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Gauging Station

Gauger’s Homesite

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EVERY DAY. RAIN OR SHINE. A Bureau of Reclamation employee known as the river gauger would leave a government-owned home more than a mile downriver to his “office,” a tiny monitoring station perched high above the other side of the river. Getting to work involved using two hand-powered carts to pull himself, suspended on cable tramways, over the yet-to-be tamed waters of the Colorado River. The second cable tramway is downriver from the gauging station, in a side canyon on the Arizona side of the river (left).

THE PERILS OF RECORD-KEEPING. Monitoring water flow in the 1930s was no easy task, evident in the gauging station mounted on the canyon walls on the Nevada (right) side of the river. Check out the cable tramway above the river, and the hazardous catwalk which clings to the steep canyon cliffs on the Arizona (left) side of the river.

FANCY FOOTWORK. Getting to work also required the river gauger to negotiate a catwalk that is not much more than, in many places, planks of wood laid on top of supports driven into the cliff walls. All, despite the risk, to accomplish the important responsibilities of monitoring the river’s flow.

GAUGER’S HOMESITE (AZ-53 ½) In 1931 a small group picked this location for an all-important gauging station as Boulder Dam was being built. The gauging station, cable tramways, catwalk and a residence called the gauger’s homesite were a vital part to collecting important information about the Colorado River between 1935 and 1939, until another gauging station was built nearer the dam. While the gauging station and other structures are in relatively good condition, only the concrete foundation and rubble retaining walls of the homesite remain. Because of their importance, the structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Alan O’Neill

Alan O’Neill

Alan O’Neill

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Fish Hatchery & Willow Beach

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WILLOW BEACH NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY (AZ-53)You may want to give a thumbs-up as you float by the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery on the Arizona side of the river (left) and upriver from Willow Beach Marina. U.S. Fish and Wildlife ichthyologists, scientists who study fish, are doing important work in helping bonytail and razorback suckers, survive extinction. Both types of fish once thrived in the Colorado River. In recent years, both fish have faced possible extinction. The hatchery also raises trout for stocking.

Bonytail. Changes in water temperatures when Boulder and Davis dams were built resulted in a loss of aquatic insects, a prime food source for bonytail. Once abundant, they are now the rarest of endangered native fish on the Colorado River. An identifying feature is a thin pencil-like tail.

Razorback Sucker. Once hearty with lifespans up to 40 years, razorback suckers have not adapted well to biological change. Known through fossilized imprints to have existed tens of thousands of years ago, this fish is surviving by being raised in protected coves and fisheries and being released in rivers and lakes when they are large enough to escape most predators.

WILLOW BEACH MARINA (AZ-52 ½)

This is the place to end a paddling or rafting trip, or

launch a kayak or canoe and start a new journey,

or take a rest and stock up on snacks. The full-service

marina offers:

• A café and grocery store

• Picnic tables and restrooms

• Nearby campsites for tents and RVs

• Several types of boat rentals – runabouts, kayaks

and canoes – and fuel

• Boating and fishing supplies

IMPORTANT PADDLING INFO

Guided kayak and canoe groups and those who have

rented kayaks or canoes need to meet shuttles by 3 p.m.

Paddlers who are ending their trips at Willow

Beach should bring their watercraft to the shore at

the south (downriver) end of the parking lot.

Alan O’Neill Alan O’Neill

Willow Beach Takeout

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Willow Beach

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FISH IN BLACK CANYON Rainbow troutLargemouth bassSmallmouth bassStriped bassCrappieSunfishChannel catfishCommon carpThreadfin shadRazorback sucker (endangered)Bonytail (endangered)FISHING LICENSES ARE REQUIRED. Licenses, bait and equipment are sold at the Willow Beach Marina. Online, check out: www.takemefishing.org

THE INVADERS! As small as a fingernail and sharper than some knives, quagga mussels have invaded dozens of western waterways Lakes Mead and Mohave and parts of the Colorado River. Their reproduction is prolific and their damage is fierce as they rapidly populate and affix themselves, like cement, to water intake valves, dams and marinas. If you own any kind of watercraft, do your part. Drain, clean and dry your vessel and equipment at the marina before transporting it.

Willow Beach is accessed 14 miles / 22.5 km south of Hoover Dam on Highway 93. Look for well-marked signage.

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Willow Beach to Mile 50

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COLORS IN THE DESERT At all times of the year the desert displays an artist’s palette of color with bright seasonal blooms, hearty colorful cacti and vibrant shades of algae. Look for the contrast of colors against the canyon’s dramatic rock and the river’s hues. Plants that survive and thrive in the desert have adapted to the desert’s often-scorching climate and limited water. REDS & LAVENDERS: BARREL & BEAVERTAIL CACTI Scout barrel cacti, spikey with red-tinged long spines, on the canyon’s steep rock cliffs near Hoover Dam and downriver on rocky, dry hillsides. (Note: less mature cacti are round rather than barrel-shaped.) And look for beavertail cacti, low spreading with plump and thorny gray-green stems. Between March and June, look for the beavertail’s brilliant showy flowers in red and magenta.VIVID GREEN: MORMON TEA Scraggly and near leafless, this plant of brilliant green branches stands out in contrast to the muted colors of the desert. Native Americans discovered several uses and mashed the plant’s seeds to make flour and a coffee-like beverage. Early settlers in the area steeped the plant’s twigs to make medicinal teas, inspiring its name of “Mormon tea.”ALSO LOOK FORArrow weed along the river banks, with silky delicate leaves and long straight stems; Princes Plume with its feathery stalks and bright yellow blooms; and bushy desert rock nettle with serrated leaves and stinging hairs that cling to socks, shoes and skin.

TINY BUT MIGHTY BEETLES

In some areas, river managers have introduced

the tamarisk leaf beetle (Diorhabda elongate) to

eat the plant and control tamarisk from spreading.

PESKY TAMARISK

Prolific in reproducing and taking over ecosystems,

each small tamarisk tree can produce as many

as 500,000 seeds each year. Transported from Southern Europe in the

1800s to North America, tamarisk now imperil

many waterways and are considered a nuisance

invasive species on the Colorado River. Tiny tamarisk seeds with

feathery tufts float long distances on wind and

water, germinate quickly in alkaline (chalky and

salty) soil, and grow into dense thickets that squeeze

out native vegetation and make it difficult for wildlife

to reach the river’s edge. Moreover, water-thirsty

tamarisk suck up precious water resources. Efforts to

control this invasive species involve hard physical labor

and chemical treatments.

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Quehos Cove

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Quehos Cave

Diane AZ via Flickr

ORANGE SPOTS OF COLOR: GLOBEMALLOW. Found throughout the canyon, this drought-resistant perennial can be easily identified by its dazzling orange color and scalloped-edge leaves.

DISTINCTIVE DESERT TRUMPET, easily identified by its very small pink or yellow flower and its inflated stem, can be found along the river in dry sand and gravel. Female wasps often pack the inflated cavities of these plants with larvae and lay their eggs within these plants.

CAVES FOR SHELTER & TRAPS. Early area Native Americans used caves for temporary living quarters, to store foods and also to trap game.

Izzy Collett

David O via Flickr

National Park Service

SEASONAL VIOLET: INDIGO BUSH. This seemingly delicate shrub blossoms with violet-blue flowers in the spring, when conditions are right. Look for this on the hillsides and in river canyons from the south upriver.

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CANYON STORIESIf only these canyon walls could talk. Black Canyon’s human history is colorful and compelling with thousands of stories over thousands of years. Early native people made their homes in this area, hunting and gathering

their food. Spanish explorers headed here believing they would find a legendary city of gold. Indeed, there was something that attracted mining prospectors, ranchers and early settlers. And that something was the power and mystique of the Colorado River. Joseph Christmas Ives – a soldier, botanist, and topographical engineer for the U.S. Army – was so intrigued by the Colorado

River, he designed, built and tested a 54-foot steamboat he named Explorer to survey what was then unknown. From 1857 to 1858, Ives and his fearless crew navigated the river’s wild rapids, traveling from the Colorado River Delta in the Gulf of California to the lower end of the Grand Canyon. The Ives’ expedition produced the first early map of the river and an impressive report. Notably, within a year of concluding his Colorado River expedition, Ives went on to design and engineer the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.

FOSTERING STEWARDSHIP

This guidebook is published by the Lower Colorado

River Water Trail Alliance, an association of public

agencies, authorized outfitters, local businesses,

non-profit organizations and river enthusiasts

who are committed to the protection and

enhancement of Black Canyon River Water Trail

within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The

Alliance serves in a support role to the National Park

Service and Bureau of Reclamation.

INITIAL PRINTING of this guidebook is funded

by the National Parks Conservation Association

and Black Canyon outfitters. It was written by Lynn

Davis and designed by Anthony Ross with

contributions from Water Trail Alliance members.

“The region ... is, of course, altogether valueless. Ours has been the first and will undoubtedly be the last, party of whites to visit the locality. It seems intended by nature that the Colorado River along the greater portion of its lonely and majestic way, shall be forever unvisited and undisturbed.” - Joseph Christmas Ives

The Black Canyon Water Trail Alliance members receiving the official designation plaque.

Black Canyon Water Trail Alliance

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Burro Wash

Monkey Hole

Big Horn Cove

Monkey Rock

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Alan O’Neill

National Park Service

PETROGLYPH OR PICTOGRAPH? Petroglyphs were made by pecking or scraping rock surface. Pictographs were made by painting on rock – most often, in this area, by painting on sandstone that had been naturally stained or darkened by the rock’s mineral content. Both are considered priceless art work for the stories each image conveys. Respect and revere the ancestors of this land by simply looking and not touching.

BURRO WASH (NV-49 ¼) Notice as the river widens and flattens, so does the topography. Burro Wash is a broad side canyon which offers excellent exploring and camping options for boaters and those who travel by high-clearance vehicle along a National Park Service-approved road to the river’s edge. The road can become unpassable. Expect the likelihood of other campers.

MONKEY ROCK & MONKEY HOLE (AZ-48 1/2) Use your imagination, squint and keep studying the rock formation high on canyon walls of the Arizona river edge. See the monkey?

BIG HORN COVE (AZ-48) Named for routine sightings of desert bighorn sheep in the area. While desert bighorns get most of their moisture from the plants they eat, surface waters are important to their health.

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Mile 48 to Nevada Sheep Cove

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ONE RIVER + TWO WILDERNESS AREASWhat makes this river trail special are a number of natural and cultural attributes and the opportunity to travel through two wilderness areas – the Black Canyon and Eldorado Wilderness Areas. Combined, these two wilderness areas encompass, and protect, nearly 50,000 acres of unspoiled desert landscape on the Nevada side. The Black Canyon Wilderness Area starts below Hoover Dam and extends to the power line corridor, where the Eldorado Wilderness Area begins. Navigate under the power line which crosses the river and you’re now traveling through the Eldorado Wilderness Area, on the Nevada side, a landscape similar to Black Canyon.Here, note the stark and craggy cliffs that line the river. Now, imagine paddling down this river 50 years ago or 50 years in the future. The goal of wilderness: retain natural beauty.

KEEPING SPECIAL PLACES WILD

In 1964, Congress recognized the value of keeping some places in their natural wild state with the establishment

of the Wilderness Act. Within Lake Mead National

Recreation Area there are nine congressionally

designated wilderness areas, which means these areas receive the highest

level of conservation protection for federal

lands. In addition to the Black Canyon and Eldorado

Canyon Wilderness Areas along this part of the

Colorado River, additional wilderness areas preserve

remarkable petroglyphs and forests of teddy bear

cholla, as well as honor areas with significant

Old West history. Massive land formations like Spirit

Mountain, considered sacred to regional Native American tribes are also

protected land.

President Johnson signing the Wilderness Act in 1964.

National Archives Alan O’Neill

57a

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Big Horn Cove

Painted 8 Cove

Grotto Wash

Windy Canyon

Nevada Sheep Cove

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Izzy Collett

PADDLING TIP: Expect strong up-river winds on this stretch of water. In the winter, north winds move downriver. In the summer, winds blow from the south upriver.

MEAD-LIBERTY POWERLINES (NV/AZ-48) Where the power lines cross the river distinguishes the boundary of the Black Canyon and Eldorado Wilderness areas on the Nevada side.

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Nevada Sheep Cove to Copper Basin

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FLYING THROUGH THE NIGHT, SLITHERING IN THE SUNBats and snakes are essential to the ecosystem of the Colorado River. Both bats and snakes feed on insects and rodents that can swarm a picnic lunch or invade a campsite. At least 19 species of bats have been found within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Known to live in caves, many bats in the area also inhabit abandoned mines and tunnels. As the sky darkens, watch bats dip, skillfully, over the river to feed on moths and mosquitos. Watch them swoop along the banks picking up ants, beetles and even scorpions.Snakes, too, do their part in sustaining a balanced environment, devouring small rodents. Look for non-poisonous and commonly seen red racers in colors that vary from gray and tan to light red. They have a distinctive crossbar pattern near their neck. Also look for king snakes – long with stout bodies, black or dark brown with cream-colored rings – peacefully sunning on rock ledges. Be mindful of rattlesnakes. In the area, there are four types of venomous rattlesnakes. All have hollow, hypodermic-like fangs in the front of their upper jaw which is connected by a duct to enlarged venom glands. All have the familiar noise-producing rattle that gives them their name. Treat these snakes with respect. Keep a safe distance and do not attempt to handle.

EXTREMELY TOXIC, BUT RARELY SEEN.

Distinguished by the pre-historic shape of its head and its mottled coloring,

the Gila Monster is one of only two known poisonous

lizard species in the world. Unlike snakes, this

venomous lizard chews through flesh injecting a toxin that affects the

respiratory system causing paralysis. While this

species can be found in the area, you are unlikely to

encounter this reticent and rather shy reptile. If you do,

stand back.

COMMONLY FOUND SUNNING ON ROCKS

Desert Iguanas have smaller heads and longer tails from

their poisonous relative, the Gila Monster (above).

Large, common, and often found stretched out in the

sun, the overall color of this lizard varies with its

internal temperature.

Gila Monster

National Park Service

Wilson

National Park Service

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Windy Canyon Cliffs

Malpais Wash

Windy Canyon

Copper Basin

Copper Basin Cove

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Alan O’Neill

REPTILES ALONG THIS DESERT RIVER. Look for banded geckos, collared lizards, side-blotched lizards, desert spiny lizards and chuckwallas.

SNAKE BITE? Seek immediate medical attention. Do NOT cut the wound, attempt to suck out the venom, apply a tourniquet or ice, or drink alcohol or caffeinated drinks. Instead, follow these five steps.1. Move beyond striking distance of the snake.2. Lie down with the bite wound lower than the heart.3. Stay still to keep the venom from spreading.4. Cover the wound with a loose, sterile bandage.5. Make note of the snake’s appearance and be ready to describe it to emergency help.

PUFFED UP FOR A REASON. Chuckwallas can skinny into a rock crevice and then inflate their body as a wedge against a hungry predator.

CAUTION, BUT DON’T WORRY. Rattlesnakes bite about 1,000 people a year in the United States. Still, the risk of being killed by one is 20 times less than the risk of being struck by lightning.

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Mile 44 to Squaw Peaks Cove

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A “CLIFFS NOTES” VERSION OF BLACK CANYON’S GEOLOGY

MEAD & MOHAVE & MORE

Here, where the banks of the river spread, you

gain perspective of Lake Mohave, one of two scenic

man-made lakes within 1.5 million acre Lake Mead

National Recreation Area. With startling contrasts

- chalky desert against the brilliant blue waters

of its lake, narrow and winding canyons against steeply rising mountains

– Lake Mohave offers many recreational options.

Boating, fishing, hiking, camping, exploring, or

simply driving its scenic byways are among the more

popular choices.

NATIONAL PARKS ON THE COLORADO RIVER

Nine national parks are part of the Colorado River and its major tributaries: Rocky Mountain National

Park, Dinosaur National Park, Black Canyon of

the Gunnison National Park, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Arches

National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Glen Canyon

National Recreation Area, Rainbow Bridge National

Monument and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

What you’re seeing here is dramatic geologic theater that was sculpted by water. About 1.8 billion years ago this area was actually near the western edge of the continent, near a massive ocean and a chain of volcanic islands that erupted sporadically, spewing ash and volcanic debris that collected in thick layers on the ocean floor. What followed was a collision between land masses, which created intense heat and pressure and, in turn, changed volcanic rock in to hard crystalline metamorphic rock. Four hundred million years later, another geologic event created hot magma which intruded into the older metamorphic rock, and cooled to form an igneous layer of rock, both of which formed the core or basement foundation of our continent.One of this area’s most fascinating periods of geologic formation occurred between 210 and 185 million years ago in what is known as the Jurassic Period. Then, a widespread sand sea covered most of Nevada and surrounding states, and huge wedges or rock thickened and uplifted. More recently (18.5 million years ago), volcanic activity again blanketed this region with ash as the earth’s crust stretched and thinned. Eventually the Colorado River would erode hard and soft rock, revealing the layers of geologic activity you see here.

National Park Service

Alan O’Neill

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Fenlon Bend Cove

Squaw Peaks Cove

Double Neck Cove

Fenlon Bend

Chalk Cliffs

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Chalk Cliffs

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RUGGED. Take a look to your right and left. In this section of the river you will notice markedly different terrain on both sides of the river. To your right, the landscape is rugged with volcanic cliffs.

GENTLE. On the left note how the terrain stretches out in gently flowing hills.

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Chalk Cliffs to Two Rocks

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BALD EAGLES & BURROWING OWLSIn the winter months, many bald eagles migrate south to this area. It is during those gatherings that young eagles may meet their life mates, and find themselves returning to this area to nest year after year. National Park Service staff, biologists and volunteers conduct an annual count of bald eagles and have generally found that the number of wintering eagles in this area is increasing. Early European settlers nearly wiped out bald eagles by offering bounties for the dead bird. By the 1960s - the result of pesticides, hunting and loss of habitat - the number of successfully nesting bald eagles was reduced to fewer than 450 pairs. Recent annual eagle surveys at Lakes Mead and Mohave have counted more than 100 eagles.While both male and female bald eagles and burrowing owls tend to their nests and care for their young, overall populations of burrowing owls have not been imperiled. In this desert region, burrowing owls thrive. Feeding on large insects, small rodents, lizards, seeds and fruits, burrowing owls are active night and day, unlike other owl species. Nests are made in abandoned burrows, and often lined with cow dung to attract insects.

FLYWAY ZONE More than 240 different kinds of birds have been

recorded within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Water habitat which was

restricted to the Colorado River and its tributaries

was greatly expanded when Hoover and Davis Dams were constructed

and, in turn, created two vast expanses of water conducive to multiple

species of birds. In addition, new vegetation

sprouted along each lake’s shoreline and has become exceptionally fine feeding

grounds for numerous birds. The area is now

considered one of a few significant flyaway zones in

the western United States.

SAVING BIRDS & OTHER WILDLIFE

Sustaining and restoring habitat – specifically

protecting riparian areas and wetlands where fish,

amphibians, mammals and birds congregate – is key to sustaining healthy wildlife.

Volunteers make a difference cleaning up areas and re-

vegetating land that has been over used. Typically, the

results are noticeable within a short period of time. For

information on how you can volunteer: nps.gov/lake/

getinvolved/volunteer.htm

Quail

Burrowing Owls Bald Eagle

Alan O’Neill National Park Service

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Lonesome Wash

Pope Mine Cove

Russian Cove

Oil Pan Cove

Two Rocks

Waterspout Cove

Dixie Cove

Fortune Cove

Elizabeth J Cove

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Eldorado Jeep Trail

WHO-WHO? An owl typically makes a who-who sound when it is defending its territory or when a male is trying to attract a female. Other sounds include clucks, clattering and even screams. Juvenile owls sometimes make a rattlesnake-like hiss.

NIGHTIME & DAYLIGHT. Most owls are nocturnal and hunt their prey only in darkness. Others are crepuscular which means they are active at dusk and dawn. Very few owls – like the burrowing owl which is found in this region – are active during the daylight.

Larry Lamsa

Greg Hume

SOARING CIRCLES IN THE SKY.Red-tailed hawks, the most common hawk in North America, are mostly seen in wide open areas. You’re more likely to see red-tailed hawks – large with darkish red tints to their tails or their chests - in this area, as the river widens, than in the narrow confines of Black Canyon near Hoover Dam.

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Two Rocks to Eldorado Canyon

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A MINE OF GHOSTS? The Techatticup Mine

(pronounced Ta-chat-a-cup) was one of the more

successful mines in Nelson, despite its shifty start. Once owned by California Senator

George Hearst, father of publishing magnate

William Randolph Hearst, the name for the mine was

derived from the Paiute word for hungry. These Native Americans from

the area were displaced by gold-rush development.

Long abandoned for actual mining, tours are now

offered of this mine and the nearby Savage Mine.

Admission includes plenty of stories of ghosts and

hauntings.

Techatticup Mine entrance.

Izzy Collett National Park Service

Miners from the late 1800’s.

Mine entrance.

SILVER, GOLD & GREEDAt one time, within the narrow confines of Eldorado Canyon lived a couple thousand brawling, gun-toting, gold-driven men – more men than in the nearby town of Las Vegas. In the late 1700s, in overly ambitious quests for gold, Spaniards settled along the Colorado River and named their camp “Eldorado” for the legendary city of gold. When they found only silver, they moved on. What the Spaniards missed, prospectors discovered 75 years later – a rich, thick vein of gold that could make ordinary men extraordinarily rich – and greedy. Within little time, the area was teeming with men intent on hauling away bags of money, many of whom were Civil War deserters. Mines were built on shady deals and mining claims were settled by gunfights. Reportedly, during one period, there was a gunfight death every day. Eldorado and nearby Nelson became notorious for gold rush greed.

National Park Service

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Two Rocks

Dolly Hill Cove

Oro Cove

Techatticup Cove

Millsite Cove

Montana Wash

Eagle Wash

Morning Star Cove

Placer Cove

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Placer CoveRoad

Montana WashRoad

Oro in Spanish (and Italian) means gold.

National Park Service

Placer Cove

REMEMBER! WASH IT, DRY IT.Stop the spread of quagga mussels. Do your part. Clean, drain and dry your watercraft before transporting it.

Take-out option. Paddlers must carry their watercraft one-quarter mile up a desert wash to a vehicle. Shuttles should take exit 165 to Nelson, Nevada 165 on Highway 95.

Eldorado Canyon Takeout

Takeout Option 2

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EXPLORE THE COLORADO RIVER & BLACK CANYONBlack Canyon, below Hoover Dam, is intriguing and compelling. The U.S. Department of Interior honored this stretch of river with a designation as a National Water Trail. Paddle along placid waters between sheer cliff walls of dark volcanic rock. Or sit back as you are ferried by raft. Gain a river-view of the enormity of Hoover Dam and the contrast of delicate hanging gardens and trickling warm waterfalls. Stop to explore side canyons and hot springs. Ponder the hard life of the area’s early inhabitants or the adventures of steamboat operators in the 1800s. And keep a look out for blooming flowers, colorful cacti, and wildlife – herons, cormorants and desert bighorn sheep - along the river’s edge.

THE BEST WAY TO ENJOY THE RIVER? LEARN ALL YOU CAN. This guidebook provides you with information on how to paddle your own watercraft – kayak, canoe or paddle board – from Hoover Dam to Eldorado Canyon, including maps of hot springs, and hiking options as well as interesting facts. For those who prefer a guided rafting experience, this guidebook offers photos to easily identify wildlife and foliage with supplemental information on the canyon’s history. Plus, it is a perfect souvenir to recall your Black Canyon trip.

32-PAGE WATER-RESISTANT GUIDE INCLUDES:• Water-resistant paper • Maps from Hoover Dam to Eldorado Canyon • Interesting facts about the area’s natural resources

A publication of the Lower Colorado River Water Trail Alliance. © 2015 www.blackcanyonwatertrail.org