Escape from Las Vegas to experience the Black Canyon on a gentle raft tour on the Colorado River. Board your motorized raft at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and relax as your guide steers the boat along the Colorado River, providing a smooth trip through the canyon landscape. Soak in the scenery of Hoover Dam, tall rock cliffs, caves, and riverside beaches as your guide shares commentary about the wildlife and history of the region. Includes boxed lunch, and hotel pickup and drop-off from Las Vegas.

3-hour Black Canyon River tour by motorized raft, from Las Vegas
See Hoover Dam and learn about its engineering
Explore the natural beauty of the Colorado River and Lake Mead National Recreational Area
Includes lunch, guide, transportation, and hotel pickup and drop-off in Las Vegas (if option selected)

What's Included

Float Trip
Lunch
Live commentary on board
Local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off (if option selected)
NPS Park Entrance Fee

Gratuities
Round-trip Transportation (depending on option selected)

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

268 Lakeshore Rd, Boulder City, NV 89005, USA
Lake Mead RV Village ( Coyote Room @ Village Hall)

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

** Please note that Check in for this tour is at 930 AM. Pick Up times begin 2 hours prior to the actual tour time of 10AM. Please contact the tour operator directly for specific time and location for your selection if you have chosen "With Transportation"**

What To Expect

Start your adventure with a pickup from select Las Vegas hotels, if you've chosen the transportation add-on, or alternatively meet directly in Boulder City. Then head to Lake Mead National Recreation Area to begin your rafting journey.

As you glide along the Black Canyon National Water Trail, enjoy scenic views inaccessible to bus tours. Marvel at the Hoover Dam, towering rock cliffs, caves, and riverside beaches. Your guide provides engaging commentary on the local wildlife and the history of the region, enhancing your experience with stories about the Hoover Dam and the Black Canyon.

Take a break at a beach along the Colorado River, perfect for a swim or relaxation. Lunch is provided in a souvenir insulated bag for a memorable keepsake.

Conclude your tour at Willow Beach Marina in the picturesque Mohave desert of Arizona, where a shuttle awaits to take you back to your starting point.

Boulder City

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Hoover Dam (Pass By)

Willow Beach

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Willow Beach Marina

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Infants must sit on laps

Most travelers can participate
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Vegetarian & Gluten Free options are available, please advise at time of booking if required
Total Tour time WITH Transportation is 6 hours door-to door
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

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Q:Is hotel pickup included in the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft with Optional Transport?

A:Round-trip transportation is offered (if option selected) from most major Las Vegas hotels. Please select the appropriate hotel upon checkout. If you choose the no-transportation option, you will have to make your own way to the departure point.

Aug 2021

Q:How far from Las Vegas is the meeting location for the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft with Optional Transport?

A:The Hoover Dam Lodge and Casino is about 30 miles from the strip/downtown Las Vegas. Drive time is about 45 minutes.

Aug 2021

Q:Is free parking available at the departure point for the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft with Optional Transport?

A:Yes, there is plenty of free parking at the Lodge.

Aug 2021

Q:Are there any age limits to participate in the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft with Optional Transport?

A:There are no age limits. This rafting tour can accommodate everyone from infants to seniors.

Aug 2021

Q:Do I need prior experience before joining the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft with Optional Transport?

A:No. The rafts are motorized and fully guided so all you need to do is relax and enjoy.

Aug 2021

Q:Will I get seasick during the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft with Optional Transport?

A:This is a gentle, smooth water trip. Unless you are prone to get seasick, you should not have a problem.

Aug 2021

Q:Are life jackets provided/required during the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft with Optional Transport?

A:Yes, as per Coast Guard regulations. Only children 12 and younger are required, but there are plenty for everyone.

Aug 2021

Q:Is there designated seating in the raft during the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft with Optional Transport?

A:No, the rafts have bench-style seating and seats are not assigned.

Aug 2021

Q:What is the included lunch and can I bring my own with me?

A:Standard lunch is a turkey pesto wrap, apple, chips, and cookies. Note: this menu is subject to change.

Aug 2021

Q:Do you offer vegetarian or other dietary options during the 3-Hour Black Canyon Tour by Motorized Raft?

A:Yes - you may opt for Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Peanut-Free, Dairy-Free, and Vegan lunch options if requested in advance. Please notate any dietary requests in the "Special Requirements" box at checkout.

Aug 2021

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

244 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 244 reviews

Fantastic adventure

Tim_R, Apr 2024

The entire experience was on time and well planned. It was very safe and enjoyable. We saw bighorn sheep drinking from the river.

Never book with Viator

Audrey_B, Apr 2024

Horrible experience with Viator. All their emails say arrival time 10:00 am when in fact it’s 9:30 am so we missed the tour and then Viator told us we could reschedule to the next day and then 30 minutes later said no and refused to refund our money. Total rip-off and I am now disputing the charges. Ended up booking the tour directly with the raft company. That’s the only way to do this. Stay away completely from Viator.

Great experience

Jose_G, Apr 2024

I really enjoyed the tour. I enjoyed the staff and the atmosphere. Ron was a great guide. I will be definitely returning with my family next year

Good trip

Doug_B, Mar 2024

Good trip. Relaxed. Great guide. Lots of history. Not very crowded on the river. Saw some wildlife and lots of water fowl.

Awesome tour with a great guide!

Ellie_B, Feb 2024

Really good tour, tour guide was friendly and lots of fun. Very professional tour company would highly recommend this tour to anyone!

Enjoyed whole trip.

Susan_H, Dec 2023

Enjoyed whole trip from start to finish with booking agent Lisa, bus driver Marty, and raft pilot Matt. As there's always room for improvement, here's our suggestion in order to enhance the ride to the dam: clean the bus windows every morning. ;-)

Nice float!

adrienne_w, Dec 2023

It was a good tour mostly because it allows you to get close to the Hoover Dam. It is a relaxing float down the river.

Excellent tour with an excellent guide Kathleen

Arnold_A, Nov 2023

Very good tour, and our tour guide Kathleen was great and very knowledgeable. She was also great at handling the raft, with soft and precision landings every time and works the trim system to perfection depending on shallow areas too

Not just Vegas!

Robin_S, Oct 2023

The beauty of the countryside! Mother Nature at her best. Tour guide always attentive to our comfort.

Black Canyon river ride

Kathryn_K, Oct 2023

It was a beautiful day! The water was refreshing (we got sprayed sitting up front). And the scenery was gorgeous. The not so good part was that we were unable to complete the entire journey due to very low water level. We were bussed to the loading location and our bus driver Marty was the BEST! He told us the history of the area with great stories interspersed. On the boat ride, we only went half way and were unable to see the Hoover Dam or access a beach that we did not have to walk thru muck to get to. We were told it had to do with govt water release not being enough to raise the water level to an acceptable level to travel the entire length of the trip. The bad is that we were only told when we got to the office area meeting place (we drove ourselves) and not before. There should be a notice or warning in the description that this could happen. It shortened our trip by half. Captain could have been a little nicer. Wish we could have experienced the entire trip… but Marty was GREAT!!

This was a waste of our...

Renee_V, Oct 2023

This was a waste of our morning. The company did not call to tell us that they lowered the water levels 2 days before the excursion and the excursion was canceled. We rode 30 minutes out for them to tell us our options, which none of those options were anything we would have done. The office said they did not know the water level was low until that morning, but the store next door said they have known for 2 days. We had to wait for the van to come back to pick us up. I am expecting a full refund for this hot mess.

Amazing day out

Melanie_R, Oct 2023

Amazing day out. Beautiful views. Plenty of water on board and wet and dry towels as very hot. Mitch our guide was very informative. Nice packed lunch. Viator were great keeping us informed of pick up time and location. Would highly recommend.

Great Experience

Debra_T, Oct 2023

This was a great tour. Kathleen, our raft driver was full of interesting facts & was very knowledgeable about the Colarado River & the surrounding area. Stunning scenery. I would highly recommend this tour

Great adventure

Tana_L, Aug 2023

We enjoyed Victor the driver and Eugene the tour guide. They both had a great sense of humor and knew a lot about the area. The tour was very interesting and informative. We learned a lot. We thought it was pretty cool to get to go down into an area that is off limits to the public.

Terrible

Gillian_L, Jul 2023

I didn’t receive my email, because it went to my junk, so I didn’t receive the time for the bus. All of the emails for this, my hot air balloon and hoover dam all went to the inbox, I have 4 emails about hot air balloon, but only 1 for this. I really really wanted to go. No refund for the £669

Our tour guide Russell...

Brenda_K, Jun 2023

Our tour guide Russell was amazing and the scernery was beautiful. Very relaxing and fun, Favorite part was the dip in the Colorado River!

Great experience!

HeatherM_S, Jun 2023

Great trip, very much recommend to others! Tour guide Bob was knowledgeable and fun. Scenery was spectacular!

An Amazing day on the Colorado!!

debbie_h, Jun 2023

What an amazing day spent on the Colorado!! Our tour guide was so informative and fun. We even got to stop on a sandy beach to swim and have lunch. A wonderful and adventurous day!!

Informative, relaxing trip

Richard_T, Jun 2023

Fantastic trip! Smooth raft cruise. Really informative and relaxing. Sarah, our guide was so lovely and knowledgeable and made the whole trip so interesting. We loved it and had the best day, thank you!

The Colorado and its Canyons, an unforgettable trip!

Vasco_R, Jun 2023

Black Canyon Rafting Tour is a well organized, properly supported, very hospitable and enjoyable experience that will elucidate you w historical facts and local knowledge. Seeing Hoover Dam from an unique perspective, traveling along the Colorado River, learning about geological and lesser known facts about this region and landing at previously preserved beaches (w the option to swim in the river) are unique to this tour. Thank you Matt for sharing your knowledge as we celebrated your 1000th trip into the River. C and I will now turn the lights off in the boat and travel thru the starry heavens reflected on the tranquil surfaces of the Colorado river.

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