Black Canyon Canoe Camp Hot Springs with Kids

My family just had the adventure of a lifetime canoeing the Black Canyon! We launched at Hoover Dam and zig zagged between Arizona and Nevada. We stopped at all the riverside hot springs, camped overnight on the river and then finished the 12 mile “Upper Water Trail” canoe at Willow Beach. On our adventure we saw bighorn sheep, ringtail cats, lizards and even a tarantula (thankfully no skunks!). Aside from tired kids, some hangry moments, slow moving river water, and a run-in with a stinging nettle plant exploring off-grid went pretty smooth. Desert Adventures made our Black Canyon canoe launch and take-out easy. Also, did I mention there was a full moon?!

River trip resources are aplenty online. However, before our launch I wasn’t really able to find tips from anyone taking young kids along. One overnight canoe trip in the Black Canyon absolutely DOES NOT make me any kind of expert but I hope sharing our experience and notes can make this trip possible for other families. Experiences like this are memorable and life changing at any age. Start ’em young!

BLACK CANYON NATIONAL WATER TRAIL – Our Experience

Based on recommendations from a friend we reserved our launch permits and booked our canoes through Desert Adventures (see notes below). We opted for canoes but you can also kayak or SUP (stand-up paddleboard) the Black Canyon. What the canoe lacks in speed it makes up for in space and stability! Our trip was self-guided, but after interacting with many of the Desert Adventures guides I wouldn’t hesitate to go on a guided trip with their crew. They are patient and kind, truly water ambassadors, leading adventure, and having a ton of fun.

With our Waystream trailer in tow we opted to camp near our morning meeting point at Boulder Beach Campground in Lake Mead National Park (10 minute drive). The morning of our trip we left our trailer there with all valuables in it and met the Desert Adventures crew at Hoover Dam Lodge at 8am. There we loaded gear, had our IDs checked (just adults), reviewed rules and pro tips, and loaded up into vans. At 9am we briskly got our canoes to the water, loaded gear and pushed off. Launch is quick (10-30 min, sounds like it depends on the outfitter and security detail), but you can stop and re-pack just minutes down the river at “rearrange beach”. We enjoyed stopping at every hot spring and canyon, camped at Arizona Hot Springs beach at night, and then continued on to Willow Beach for takeout the next day at 4pm.

Weather was perfect for us in October with clear skies. Daytime temperatures were around 75°F with early morning lows around 50°F. There was even a full moon! You can take this trip year round, it’s just a different adventure depending on the time of year. Consider day and night temperatures, water level and river current, and sun intensity. We didn’t experience strong winds, but a headwind would make paddling much harder.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Hoover Dam (mile 64): sitting below the dam is epic.
• Sauna Cave (mile 63): pool and natural sauna, a result of 50′ of tunneling during Hoover Dam’s construction, don’t touch the walls
• Nevada Hot Springs at Goldstrike Canyon (mile 62 3⁄4)
• Boyscout Canyon (mile 61 3/4)
• Arizona Hot Springs (mile 59 1/4)
• Emerald Cave (mile 54)

National Park Service Black Canyon Map (download this small map to print and laminate in advance)

OUTFITTER RECOMMENDATION: Desert Adventures

Since the Hoover Dam is a secure area, reserving a paddle craft launch permit from an authorized outfitter is a must. NPS offers a full list of authorized outfitters. We used and would recommend Desert Adventures. Through them we reserved our self-guided canoe trip, which included launch permit, canoe(s) with seats and rope, PFDs (life jacket), launch and takeout, and return shuttle service. Outfitters rent dry bags, tents, etc and offer wag bags for sale at reasonable prices.

• Canoe Rental: $320 total ($40/day x 4 people x 2 days) – charge is per person, not per canoe (we used 2 canoes)
• Permit $27 per person (reduced to $12/each with our National Park Pass). Launching at Hoover Dam requires a permit and is a secure area. It’s smart to reserve permits in advance, as only 30 permits are available per day with launches at 7am, 8am and 9am.

CANOE & CAMP LOGISTICS

• 12 miles from Hoover Dam to Willow Beach. Miles are clearly marked on sides of river.
• Arizona on the left side, Nevada on the right. Depending on time of year you may be paddling in two different time zones!
• River water temperature is 53°F degrees year round.
• Hot springs temperatures reportedly vary between 55-136°F.
• River water is moving but flat… plan to paddle.
• Motor boat traffic is limited to 65hp Labor Day to Memorial Day (“semi primitive zone”) with no motor boats permitted Sundays and Mondays year round.
• Hoover Dam water release can lead to unexpected fluctuations in water levels, as much as 4-6 vertical feet daily. Paddle craft should be pulled up well out of the water and secured, but you also don’t want to get stuck when water is dropping (try to prevent excessive watercraft dragging on rocks).
• Camping locations are plentiful along Black Canyon’s Upper Water Trail. Arizona Hot Springs is the only location with toilets. It wasn’t busy when we visited, but I was told it can get crowded.
• Willow Beach (mile 52 1/2) takeout is at the paddle craft area, which is past the boat marina. Our takeout was 4pm, but earlier options were available.

CANOE, CAMP & HOT SPRINGS WITH KIDS

Before launching our canoes in the Black Canyon I couldn’t find any blog posts about families embarking on this adventure. There isn’t a minimum age for launch, but our outfitter, for example, does not recommend this trip for children under 6. We took our 4 and 6 year old boys along, neither capable swimmers nor paddlers. However, both love adventure and are very agile, independent and tough. I did have some anxiety in embarking on this journey with young kids who couldn’t swim and no guide. It had been several years since I’d been in a canoe myself. We ended up having a wonderful time! Parents know their kids best and should determine if this is a smart trip for their children. There are some adults who aren’t suited for an off-grid, overnight canoe trip after all.

My canoe had a third seat added for Walter (4) to sit closer to me. He did end up napping in the canoe both days. The first day he napped on me while I awkwardly paddled. The second day he napped in the bottom of the canoe, leaning against a dry bag.

Both boys loved paddling. Neither could really contribute much to moving the canoe forward efficiently. Sometimes their paddling was counter productive, but it was important for them to join in. Thankfully canoe paddles float!

Day 1 with all the hot springs stop was incredible for everyone. Kids loved every stop. Climbing ropes in Boy Scout Canyon was a highlight. We didn’t get to climb the ladder at Arizona Hot Springs as it had been taken down for replacement, but I know they would have enjoyed that too. If the ladder were in place John and I would have sandwiched the kids between us with one parent atop the ladder and the other at the bottom for the boys to go up and down on their own.

Day 2 we spent a lot more time paddling in the river. It wasn’t as fun for the kids as day 1. Snacks and adventure stops were important.

Visiting hot springs with kids can be difficult. Often kids want to play and adults want to relax. Because of the nature of the hot springs locations in Black Canyon we were often alone, and never felt like we were in a situation where our family was disrupting another’s peaceful moment. At the pools in Goldstrike Canyon we encountered hikers, but everyone could have a good time. There was substantial space and waterfall noise so I didn’t feel like we needed to be super quiet.

On any family adventure our kids aren’t just tagalongs. They are active participants… hauling gear, tying up boats, scouting and tracking our location, setting up camp, cooking, starting the fire, etc. Parenting like this can be painful and stressful. Some tasks require oversight, take twice as long, or need done over. Kids thrive and learn so much when given these extra responsibilities.

Pro tips for parents: pack glow sticks for fun and to keep track of your kids at night, track the sun and moon, make hot cocoa with breakfast, and remember ALL the snacks.

This is truly a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about geological wonders, an awe-inspiring dam, and being a respectful steward of our planet. As a family, spending time really living in the moment, without cell service and ANY distractions from the outside world is special.

This adventure with (or without) kids will be hard at times and won’t always be fun. It will be incredible and memories will be made. As Aunt Em said before we left, “Chocolate and whiskey make any situation better”.

What we’d do different…

• Pack kids fishing poles. Casting would have been fun while canoeing along.
• Solo canoe with double-bladed kayak oar instead of single blade canoe oar (talk to the outfitter about paddle length/canoe width)
• 2 nights for more hot spring fun!
• I wouldn’t plan around AZ Hot Springs bathrooms. These bathrooms were convenient but pretty unpleasant. Planning to use wag bags for solid waste would have been no problem.
• Knee pads and a seat cushion would have been luxurious, particularly on the second day with more paddling.
• For real pack kids layers that aren’t all cotton.
• Camelbacks rather than water bottles for easier hydration while canoeing and hiking.
• Ensure a full charge on radio batteries (yep, they didn’t last long).
• Pack more! We packed very minimally, but had a lot of extra space in our canoes.

BLACK CANYON CANOE SAFETY

• Don’t allow hot springs water to enter your nose. Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba common to thermal pools around the world, can enter the human body through the nose and cause a rare infection and possible death.
• Wear PFD (live jackets) at all times on water for safety and to avoid a fine.
• Keep in mind in the Black Canyon you are adventuring off grid without cell service, few other people, and no easy evacuation. Help is not just a phone call away. Proper planning and smart decision making is crucial.
• Listen to your body and know your ability. Paddling is a full-body, physical activity.
• Drinking Water – depending on when you go Black Canyon can be very hot, and hydration is incredibly important. Plan to filter water and/or bring along 1 gallon per day per person.
• SPF – sunscreen (reapply mid-day), wide brim hats, and consider long-sleeve
• First Aid Kit – it’s better to have it and not need it, right?! Walter grabbed a stinging nettle plant, and thankfully we were able to borrow tweezers from a nearby camper to remove all the stinging “hairs”.

LEAVE NO TRACE

• Pack it in pack it out (and pack out some extra please!)
• No gathering firewood and use existing fire rings.
• No glass or styrofoam.
• Human waste: ALL solid waste must be packed out (pack wag bags, even if planning to stop at AZ hot springs toilets), pee goes in the river (not on shore).
• Respect plants and wildlife. A ringtail cat watched our camp closely at night. We had to pack-up food and trash well to make sure animals couldn’t get anything.

Resources: Leave No Trace, How to Poop in the Woods (wag bag and portable toilet instructions)

FOOD IDEAS

• Lunch wraps: tortilla, cream cheese, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers
• Zatarans jambalaya rice + pre-sliced andouille sausage (Jet boil)
• Ramen (Jet Boil)
• Mozzarella sticks + prosciutto
• Salami, cheese and crackers
• Marshmallows to roast
• Instant oatmeal cups (Jet Boil)
• Cold brew coffees or instant coffee (Jet Boil)
• Hot cocoa (Jet Boil)
• Granola bars
• Chocolate bar

“Chocolate and whiskey make any situation better.” – Emily Sierra

BLACK CANYON CANOE PREPARATION

• Watch YouTube videos to dial in your canoe skills: strokes, getting in, preventing and dealing with flips
• Review knot tying skills (I was worried about losing a canoe!)
• Unsure if this trip is for your family? I’d suggest both paddling and tent camping with kids elsewhere before embarking on this journey.

National Park Service – Black Canyon National Water Trail

National Park Service Black Canyon Map (download this small map to print and laminate in advance)