Hoover Dam Raft Tour

The Hoover Dam Raft Tour is a calm-water float down the Black Canyon stretch of the Colorado River, on the flat water immediately below the Hoover Dam. Run by Black Canyon River Adventures, it pairs round-trip transport from Las Vegas with a motorized (not paddle) raft, so it plays as easy scenic sightseeing for all ages rather than a whitewater trip.

After hotel pickup the group descends Lower Portal Road, the service road the dam's builders used, to launch right at the base of the dam. Over roughly three hours on the water you drift about twelve miles beneath canyon walls that rise nearly 2,000 feet, stopping at hot springs and a sheltered side beach for a swim; bighorn sheep, osprey and herons are often spotted along the way, and a box lunch is included.

The trade-off is that it is a long day for a short amount of river time: much of the six-hour window is the drive and staging, and the float itself is gentle, not an adrenaline ride. You see the dam from below at its base, not the famous downstream face, and summer heat in the canyon is intense. For travelers who want the Hoover Dam from water level with minimal effort it is a relaxed, memorable half-day; thrill-seekers should look elsewhere.