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Just south of Hoover Dam, a scant few miles from Las Vegas, the Colorado River runs through a series of canyons and lakes for a distance of 275+ miles to the Arizona town of Yuma.  In this white water free route, the river visits both wild isolated canyons, large open lakes, as well as down right civilized spots, giving us some options to either camp or seek commercial lodging.  We expect to be on the water for just under 2 weeks and will paddle through Black Canyon, Lake Mohave, Bullhead City, Havasu National Wildlife Refuge,  Lake Havasu, Blythe,  to finally end up in Yuma, AZ.  A low skill trip that does, however, demand a fair amount of endurance.. 

"Details"

Physical & Skill Level Requirements: We will be paddling an average of 25 miles a day which under normal circumstances would be considered a very strenuous paddle.  However, this route consists of about 60% river flowing 2 to 3 miles per hour, with the other 40% comprised of large lakes of relatively calm water …. So the large distances we cover should not create an undue hardship for experienced paddlers.  However …. You still must be fit. If you have any questions about your ability to do this trip, then get a hold of us and we can talk things over a bit.   

Camping & Cabins/Motels Options:  The trip is based on having campsites of various qualities along the entire route.  Some sites will be primitive with no water or toilet facilities, others will be full service RV campgrounds with all the luxuries of life.  Because we will be passing through many towns on this route, you will sometimes have the option of breaking off from the group and spending an occasional night in a bed.  Sue and I will generally pick the campsites but we won't be upset if individuals want to find something better on their own.

Equipment:  You will need a sea kayak and all associated safety equipment including life vest, paddle float, pump, and an optional tow line in case somebody needs a little assistance.  A wet suit might not be a bad idea in case you go in the drink  …. The Colorado is very cold below Boulder Dam.  Also mandatory is a set of wheels so you can walk your fully loaded boat around the 4 major dams we will encounter.  Make sure the wheels are of good quality. The portages will vary from 1 to 3 miles …. So those wheels will be very important.  Have the capacity to carry up to 3 to 5 days of water and food.  The usual assortment of camping gear .  A lantern will be handy as it still gets dark quite early in March. Make sure you have warm clothing for chilly nights and rain gear in the remote chance that we get some early spring showers.   

Food: Food is readily available every couple of days along the route … so you don't necessarily have to load your boat up with 2 weeks supply of food.  We hit about 7 major towns along the route …. So you can see that this is not a true wilderness experience.

Maps:  We will supply you with an AAA map entitled "Colorado River - Lake Mead to Yuma".  This is a pretty detailed map indicating most of the developed camps along the entire route.  If I can get my hands on more sophisticated maps, I'll do so, although this AAA map should do the trick.  If any of you belong to  AAA you might be able to get an advanced copy from your

Web Sites and Other Sources of Information:

• Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory:   www.towd.com    This is a site that links you up to all sorts of tourist offices all over the world.  It has countless links to lead you in many directions.
  
• Down River Outfitters:   www.downriveroutfitters.com   These are the folks that haul us down to the river for our launch.  They provide a lot of background information on Black Canyon and the Colorado River below Hoover Dam.  They also can supply rental kayaks for those individuals who do not want to bring their own boat.
  
• Boulder City Chamber of Commerce:   www.bouldercity.com   Boulder City is the nearest town to the start of our paddle in case you want to look up lodging for prior to the trip.  The town has a large grocery store as well in case you need last minute supplies.
  
• Yuma County Chamber of Commerce:   www.yumachamber.org   We will be pulling out of the river at Yuma and some of you are going to have to wait a day or two while the rest of us head back to Boulder City to pick up our vehicles so we might need to locate some sort of lodging.
  

Our Charges and Your Other Expenses: 

• Our Charges:  The charge of $100 pays for planning and organizing this trip, web-site maintenance, telephone, email/mailing expenses, maps, river access permit, and transport with Downriver Outfitters from the staging area to the river launch below Hoover Dam . Plus you get us as guides. What a deal.
  
• Your Other Expenses:  You pay for everything else such as - transportation to Boulder City, camping fees, food, any motel fees, and car rental from Yuma back to Boulder City.   
  
• Payment Method:  You pay us on the first day of the trip. U.S. Dollars.
  

Vehicle Shuttle: Once we get to Yuma, AZ we have to somehow get ourselves and our boats united with our vehicles back in Boulder City, NV.  Rather than trying to shuttle private vehicles back and forth prior to the trip …. We will simply rent a car or two in Yuma, and send a crew of drivers back the 300 some odd miles to Boulder City to pick up cars.  Everyone else lounges around at a motel or campground in Yuma. We'll split the cost of the car rental which should be pretty reasonable. Should be a pretty quick affair.

Roster:  We'll send out a roster by email as soon as we have a pretty firm idea of who is going.  Sometimes, knowing who is on the roster lets you share equipment, travel, etc. The roster is usually sent out when we have a pretty firm idea of who is going   …. Usually 2 to 4 weeks before the trip.

Sign-Up Limit:  The maximum number of folks we can have for this trip is 15 including Sue and myself.  When you sign up, indicate if you want to be placed on a stand-by list if the trip is full.  For those of you who have never been on one of our trips, we would like to talk to you on the phone somewhere along the line before you are officially accepted.  Call or sign up by email.

"Daily Itinerary"

• Mar. 2 (Sat.) - Pre-Trip Meeting.  (Boulder City, Nv.) This meeting is not absolutely necessary but will be helpful if you can make it.  I'll send an email to everyone as soon as I know when and where.
  
• Mar. 3 (Sun.) - Staging Area & River Launch.  We'll meet at the staging area at 8:00 am so we'll have plenty of time to unload our kayaks and equipment to be reloaded onto the trucks and trailers of Downriver Outfitters.  We are not allowed to drive to the launch area which is why we need to hire a licensed outfitter to get us to the launch site below Hoover Dam.  My understanding is that we have secure parking at the staging area.   So …. Here is how you get there:  From Boulder City take Hwy 93 towards Hoover Dam until you see Lake Mead on your left. Shortly after you see Lake Mead there will be a hotel/casino on your left called "The Hacienda". Drive approximately 1.5 miles past Hacienda and the staging area (BLM Warehouse) will be on your left. The staging area is a light green metal building with a gravel parking lot.  We will actually load up with Downriver Outfitters around 9:00 am and with any luck be in the water by 10:00 am.  We won't be all that concerned with making big miles our first day out …. Rather drift down the river, stop at some hot springs, and then find a campsite.
  
• Mar . 3 - 15  (275 Miles) The Adventure Begins.  I don't have any predefined destinations assigned for each day ….. Rather we will let the river, elements, and conditions dictate our progress.  The river canyons tend to be quite interesting and we might want to spend a little more time in them.  The wide open lakes tend not to be  all that interesting and we might spend more time paddling on those days.  At any rate, we'll sort it out as we go along …. Just keeping in mind that we need to average 25 miles per day.  Whew …Following is a rough mileage log to give you an idea where some of the points we will be passing our located
  

96 …. Toplock, AZ
104 …. Lake Havasu
114 …. Lake Havasu City, AZ
132 …. Parker Dam (End of Lake Havasu)
144 …. Headgate Rock Dam
145 …. Parker, AZ
192 …. Blythe, CA & Interstate 10
238 …. Picacho State Rec. Area
258 …. Yuma Military Proving Grounds
274 …. Yuma, AZ & Interstate 8

Mileage

0  …. Hoover Dam & Black Canyon
10 ….. Willow Beach
26 …. Lake Mohave
38 …. Cottonwood Cove
58 …. Davis Dam (End of Lake Mohave)
60 …. Laughlin, Nevada
62 …. Bullhead City, AZ
84 …. Needles, CA

• Mar. 16 (Sat.) - Pick Up Rental Cars.  Depending on how many people we need to get vehicles back to us, we'll rent one or two cars and drive the 300 miles back to Boulder City and Las Vegas to pick up our own cars .  Non-drivers will stay behind with the boats and gear at either some pitiful campsite or a luxury hotel on the river.
  
• Mar. 17 (Sun.) - Cars Return to Yuma from Boulder City/Las Vegas .  Well guys …. This is the end of the trip. Hope we are still friends after this mini odyssey.   Sue and I will take off a few days and then start our Death Valley Bicycle Trip.   
  

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