Desert Adventures

Can’t give enough praise to this group. The folks who took my calls were friendly, helpful and efficient. The staff who drove, loaded and unloaded us were kind and patient. Our river guide, Reid, was entertaining, informative, and safety conscious all at the same time. The river and side hikes were just gorgeous. The Hoover Dam/​Black Canyon paddle was a terrific experience, and well worth the time and money.
One piece of constructive advice — the gear is clearly getting heavy use. Everything was nevertheless safe and comfortable with one exception — One of my guests had a malfunctioning seat back and I felt badly about that. A small equipment kit on the river may have allowed us to fix it on the fly. We are experienced outdoors folk and that is our only comment on improving the quality of the experience.
This is something we couldn’t have done so far from home without access to an outfitter. I was worried that it would be thrown together, watered down, touristy, but that most definitely was not the case. Everyone in our group had a wonderful time. Thank you!

Very pleased with my visit to Desert Adventures. The staff was warm and friendly and made the paperwork quick and easy! My friend and I decided to rent kayaks from DA and lucky for us they brought the kayaks out to the lake for us. We met Neil out on the lake the next morning and he was extremely helpful giving us tips about the area and how to handle out kayaks properly. Rented two kayaks for four hours and costed 70 $. Seemed very reasonable to me. I’ll surely be back!

My wife and I did the 4 day, 3 night kayak trip and i have to agree with most of the reviews. Reid was our tour guide and it was just the three of us throughout the 25 mile trip downriver. We had an absolutely wonderful time and would definitely do it again!
It started with a morning launch from the base of the Hoover dam, which is awesome, in itself. Reid has spent the weekend preparing food and menus. My wife is allergic to gluten and Reid, having found this out at the last minute, spent a great deal of time preparing and shopping for gluten free products. He came well prepared, we had everything we needed right from the beginning. And for anyone who knows me, that’s a miracle!
From the first night (the ground is very hard, make sure you have a good pad!), till the last bit on the river, we had a great time. It’s not an easy trip as we had to spend much of the time paddling into the wind, we made frequent stops to enjoy the scenery and enjoy the trip. Reid made sure we enjoyed ourselves and didn’t feel too stressed to make it down the river. He knew all the great spots to stop, and even when the river was high, would scout additional locations for us and future trips. When the river was calm and he felt comfortable, Reid would give us plenty of space to enjoy our time together and on the river, just experiencing all of the beauty of the canyon around us.
And let me tell you about the food. With one exception (had sandwiches the first day), every meal was home prepared and cooked by Reid from his own recipes. Absolutely wonderful! I would have lost weight on the trip had his cooking not been so good. We still want the chicken enchilada recipe he made! He definitely pampered us throughout the trip, lots of snacks, great food, great company! We sat at night and watched satellites in the sky, saw the Milky Way, learned about the constellations, on and on…
For future trippers, i would recommend the following:
Make sure you are prepared for the physical nature of the trip
Have a good sleeping pad (They do provided these!)
Bring something to flavor the water (four days of filtered river water can get boring) — Reid reiterated this several times, but i’m kinda dense
And most importantly, ask for Reid, he’s the best!

From booking my reservation to driving away after my Black Canyon Kayak adventure, my experience w/​Desert Adventures was top notch!
I did the Black Canyon Tour on a Monday that departed 6:30pm from the Desert Adventures storefront. From there it was a «hurry up and wait» sitch, but the wait was worth pushing off on the Colorado River from the base of the Hoover Dam!
I have been on several «kayaking adventures» of both the river and sea variety, but this was by far one of the more spectacular, even with headwinds and choppy water throughout the day.
I have to give super mad crazy awesome props to our guide Reid! He was absolutely spectacularly amazing! There were 5 people in our group (2 couples and myself) and he did a great job attending to all of us. He really made the trip informative and fun and included various «nature funfacts»; he was even a photographer from time to time and gave some great shots from a gorgeous vantage point towards the end of the trip. But, I really have to give him a HUGE thank you as there was a flash thunderstorm during the last mile of the trip and trying to paddle (in futility) against 50mph wind gusts while not capsizing because the waves were hitting the kayak on both sides, he helped tow me in and removed us from a pretty crazy dangerous situation (of course, Murphy’s Law, the minute we hit the pull-​out it was clear skies and calm waters).
That last mile made me glad I paid the extra $$ to have a guide rather than go the 12mile trek solo!
The scenery in and of itself is just unparalleled! There is something to be said to push off into the water of the legendary Colorado River with the Hoover Dam and gulch bridge looming above you as you paddle into the bowels of the Black Canyon. There are a few pull-​outs and the first stop we made was a quick little hike to some hot springs that was just gorgeous! But, a lot of the journey was just you, the river, and the towering Canyon walls, which for me made me feel mighty and insignificant at the time!
Another fav stop was Emerald Cave (which you have to see to believe as it really does live up to its namesake!), but I gotta say that with all the kayaking and rafting trips I have done, the lunch Desert Adventures provided was actually delicious! I had the Caesar Wrap, which was HUGE and they give you two Caesar dressing packets so you decide if you want to douse of dribble. It also included an apple, carrots w/​ranch dip, and a choc-​chip cookie (pro-​tip: while you are chowing down, put that bad boy in the sun so when you are ready for dessert it tastes like soft, gooey, doughy heaven!). This was the first time I have had a lunch provided to me on a trip that I was actually full from!
Chilling out at the marina (they have a great little convenience store where we got fruit bars and beers) after the trip and the drive back (we made a little detour stop that was a wonderful surprise) was great! Everyone that works at DA was so friendly and knowledgeable!
I cannot recommend this place enough!

What a great adventure! My husband and I took the Black Canyon kayak day trip and had a blast! Scheduling the trip was a breeze, the crew was on time and organized when launching. Our guide, Regina, was personable, funny, capable, and very knowledgeable in wilderness and history. The sites were fantastic! Launching from the secure side of Hoover Dam was a treat! The slot canyon stops with mini hikes were a great way to learn and see about the diverse ecological systems along the Colorado. We saw mountain goats along the way, too! Lunch was hearty and healthy which was a nice surprise. The Emerald Cave and historic site views were so enjoyable! The water was great and it was simply a perfect way to see the beauty of the mountains! I would recommend going on a Sunday when there is little motor boat traffic. It’s worth it especially if you aren’t an avid kayaker. Plus, it makes you feel like you have the river and canyons all to yourself. So peaceful! The 12 mile kayaking was a challenge at times. The wind can really be your friend or foe depending on its direction and strength. I wouldn’t plan much for that night … We were sore! But, the next day — felt great! Overall, I’d highly recommend this trip! The value for the cost is tremendous!

Desert Adventures made a horrible situation even worse. I was scheduled for a great weekend down the Colorado River, and few days before, I had a very unexpected death in the family. Considering it was days from the holiday weekend, I was amazed at every business that offered refunds due to bereavement cancelation, with the only exception of Desert Adventures. Hotels, rental car, and even an airline refunded my money less than 24 hours before the flight, even though their policy was «no refund.» Desert Adventure offered nothing and took all my money with no remorse. Shame on them!

My husband and I just got done with a 7 mile roundtrip hike to an overlook roughly 2000 feet above the Colorado River (I don’t remember the name, Arc something). Gary was our guide and he was awesome. He kept a brisk pace, but stopped often enough to point out rock formations, plants, insects, etc. We were supplied with a backpack, water bottle, & lunch that I preordered when booking the hike (chef salad or various sandwiches– each came with an apple, bag of carrots, & a cookie-​it came from a quaint little restaurant in the original part of Boulder City– it was good).
The hike was definitely a challenge for my husband and I. The trail is not paved or an intricately cleared path. With no experience in trails, we could not have done the hike alone. I lost my footing several times (I was wearing tennis shoes), I highly recommend hiking shoes for better traction. Physically, I work out maybe 2 – 3 times a week doing up to 30 minutes of cardio, but I definitely had to stop several times to catch my breath after an uphill trek– especially after hiking back after lunch. By that point my lungs were tired and my legs felt like anchors. Towards the last mile back my feet started hurting and my lower back had tightened up. It was a relief to get back to the van.
Overall, it was an excellent experience & the weather was perfect at 72, any hotter would’ve been more challenging or even unbearable.

On behalf of all nine (9) members of our canoe trip, I would like to complain about the awful and disrespectful way we were treated on Friday 04/​24, by your one of your employees.
We were told in an email you sent us, to make sure we were at the meeting location on time. All nine of us were at the meeting site at 8am.
Your not so kind employee communicated to us that there was a delayed with the launch time because of a large group that was being dropped off before us. Somehow, this became our fault and we were shouted orders so we didn’t make the next group late. REALLY!!!
When we arrived to the river, it was chaos, mostly caused by your crew trying to get us on the river and gone. In this stressful situation, one of our friend slipped and fell in between the rocks. Luckily all she suffered was some soreness and a bruise, but it was an unnecessary event.
While your unprofessional and disrespectful guide kept screaming at us, I finally lost it and shouted back demanding to settle down and stop stressing us out, ON FRONT OF MY UNDERAGE DAUGHTERS, which I don’t appreciate! One of the reasons we do this trip is to be stress free, we PAID you to provide a service, we COMPLIED with what you asked for and he has the audacity to disrespect us on front of our friends and children.
If you look in your records, Mr Ehrenstrom works with your company a lot, between 2 – 4 times a year, for personal and professional use. Well, I hope you understand why your company is losing his business this year. We sure don’t want to expose the 30 – 40 kids to the kind of situation your staff put us through.
Sadly, there are not too many companies that have the authority to go down to the Hoover Dam and most likely we will have no other choice than to have to call you again, but I assure you that I will look into other companies and I will spread the word about how unprofessional your company is.
By the way, throughout the canoe trip, we ran into many groups asking and complaining about your guy. I hope they also share their thoughts and experience.
If you have any questions, you can contact me by replying or calling me, you have me in your records as well.

Desert Adventures is much cheaper than the other companies since you can kayak down the canyon without a guide. Price was the only good thing. Their pick up time of 4pm is way too late with a launch time of 7am. We saw everything there is too see and took out time but still arrived at Willow Beach at 2:45pm. When I booked I asked if there were later launching times available since I’ve read it takes 6 – 7 hours maximum to get to willow beach including sight seeing but they said no. I spoke to a man that arrived a few minutes after I did and he was with an 8am launch group. He said when he booked he requested a later launch time of 8 and they gave it to him. I booked months before him!
We were supposed to leave by 4pm but there was a large group with a desert adventures guide that had an 8am launch and they arrived exactly at 4. By the time everything was loaded we didn’t leave until 4:30. That’s almost 2 hours waiting to leave once we arrived at Willow Beach.
Desert adventures needs to either have a strict 3pm departure or launch times no earlier than 8am. I would only use them again if I was giving a later launch time and they move their departure times up.
DO NOT ACCEPT A 7AM LAUNCH TIME PUSH FOR A LATER LAUNCH.

Rented a two person kayak for a half day (2−6pm) to Lake Mead. It was my first kayaking experience and I didn’t really know what to expect except that I’d be tired. The staff that dropped off our kayak, Mack, was beyond helpful. He was genuinely passionate about the lake and nature it seems. He gave us several tips after going over the necessary rules/​safety. We took his advice and paddled to the Hoover dam and back, we stopped at a pretty slot canyon and I even got out to scramble among the rocks. The continuous paddling was hard! Even though my bf and I are fairly athletic, it was kicking out butts. Here on out, I would get a boat with an engine. :) The views were lovely… we chose to go on a weekday (Friday) to avoid the possible Spring Break/​weekend crowds… and it was a good call. It was such a quiet day and we didn’t have to worry about too many boats/​jet skiers.
The only bummer was that we had to pay an entrance fee even though we own a National Parks pass. The person with Desert Adventures kept stating over the phone and in person that there was a $ 10 fee for entry into Lake Mead. We had no idea it was a national park and I didn’t really look into it since they kept mentioning a fee. Maybe it’d be better to add, «If you have a National Parks Pass, it’s accepted». Otherwise, great experience and would recommend it to those who haven’t done it or are visiting.

The team at Desert Adventures did a terrific job of getting us in the Colorado River near the Hoover Dam. Sadly, we couldn’t afford the guided trip, but we rented 5 kayaks and headed downriver with good maps and some tips about where to stop. Boy Scout Canyon was terrific with hot springs and rope climbs. A definite must if you’re looking for a nice river adventure without white water. Thanks again!

This was a blast! My husband and I had a truly enjoyable day with Reed. This was a great ride! Thanks

Excellent great guide in Dan my wife and sister law went weekend before me and my friend had so much fun had to go following weekend drove from Laughlin to Bolder Dan very knowledgable. Thanks for GREAT TIME

There is no way I am going to rent from this place ever again and I would not even advice anyone to do so either. They are very unprofessional and very rude. When we called them to make a booking they were so eager to take our money that they did not even go through the «RULES» that they have or they can make when they want. They did not tell us that they will charge us for the early pickup. And when we call them early they said they will charge us $ 60 for the early pickup. And even when they told us that they will be there at 2pm they did not make it here till 2:20 and we were waiting in the sun in 95degree heat for them to come and pick their stuff up. EVERYONE IN THE COMPANY IS VERY MONEY MINDED.

Very friendly staff! I was going to lake mead and needed a kayak for the day. They were very helpful.

Amazing! If anyone is thinking about going out to the lake to kayak. I highly recommend this place! They are very helpful and efficient. You can also rent other stuff but my experience is solely on the kayaks.
It is $ 60 to rent a two seater sit in kayak for 4 hours. There’s also one seater kayaks and ones where you sit on top which are cheaper, but I suggest you get the «sit in» ones. You might not think 4 hours is a long time but boy is it! It is the perfect amount of time.
Bob had us follow him to lake. It really wasn’t too far from the actual store. Probably a 7 minute ride to the destination. He dropped our kayaks off and did a quick tutorial for us. Kayaks for Dummies.
The day we went it was windy and cloudy. So the paddling against the currents was a mission but so much fun! The sun was hiding behind the clouds most of the time and it even started raining for a little bit which I thought was beautiful. We made pit stops at various locations. We even stopped at this little cliff and did some cliff jumping. Very safe cliff with our life vests on of course!
We got back to shore exactly 4 hours later and Bob returned shortly after us to pick up the kayaks. Very efficient!
It was a great day! And a good workout too!

I take local friends and out of town friends on this trip 3 – 4 times a year. All the people I’ve met who work for the company are friendly and super knowledgeable!

We booked a ½ day kayaking trip that included being picked up/​dropped off at our hotel in Vegas, lunch/​snacks/​water provided. We put in at Willow beach and kayaked up the river to Emerald Cave, stopping for a short hike and lunch, before returning down river. It was a spectacular way to see the Colorado River. Beautiful scenery every where you look. Our guide was Mack, who had the perfect personality for the job. He was entertaining, friendly, safe and knowledgeable. I asked many questions about our surroundings and such and he answered all my questions. Easy conversationalist. These things are important when you are stuck with this person that is responsible for your safety and your enjoyment of this trip. I had never been on a kayak in my life and was a tad nervous. The website we went through to book the trip (incredible adventures) listed it as being for beginners but I still wasn’t sure. Once I got accustomed to the kayak and didn’t feel like I would tip over (haha) it was smooth sailing, or paddling, after that. Lunch was provided from a local diner and was delicious. We had options to choose from and it included fruit, a cookie, and carrots with ranch. Thw sandwich itself was huge. We ate lunch in a little cove under an old cable car some surveyors used years and years ago. Pretty neat to see their trail and home (that’s the hike you take). Then we kayaked into Emerald Cave. This little cave while beautiful to look out of is little. When you are inside of it the sun on the water outside of it makes the water glow this amazing green color. But only one kayak at a time really fits in. Not the four to five we tried to fit in! haha! Then we ended our up river adventure under the tower the surveyors I previously mentioned used back in the day. Very cool history along this stretch of river. It was smooth sailing with little paddling on our way back down. Spent a lot of the time chatting and looking for wildlife. There’s supposedly and eagles nest along the hillside next to the river. We didn’t get to see any eagles though. We saw plenty of long horned sheep. So neat to see them navigate the rocky hillside with little effort.
Tips*
Sunscreen, sunscreen, bring sunscreen! The sun reflecting off the water will get you every time!
I personally don’t recommend children do this particular trip (up river). They have trips you put in up river and spend the day going down river. You are going with the current then and much easier-​if the wind cooperates. Maybe if your kids are more athletic and adventurous than most.
Don’t forget the waterproof camera. But if you do, or you just don’t want to risk yours, I think you can rent one from the guide.
Hat and sunglasses!
No flipflops!
Gloves. Not everyone may need them. But I wished I would have gotten some gloves.
Check out kayaks before you reserve your trip if this is new to you. My husband, who is not a large man, did not comfortably fit into the particular kayak he was given. He was very uncomfortable to the point it left bruises on him. He needs a sit on top kayak. We didn’t know that. And being comfortable can make all the difference in the world when you are in the middle of paddling down a river. Just go to an outdoor store and try some out. Find what fits you.
Relax. Enjoy your surroundings. Look down into the clear water and watch the fish swim beneath you. A trip I will never forget.

I called Desert Adventure to reserve my kayak and the lady on the phone was very helpful. She made my reservation experience very easy and quick. As part of their good customer service they sent me an email reminder with some little tips so that you can enjoy your experience. pretty much tons of sun screen and water. On the day of the rental we went to the store and signed some paper work, they already had all the info ready for us so we did not have to wait at all. We then proceeded to follow a guy to the marina and he gave us our kayak. So for just $ 60 bucks, we enjoyed a four hour trip to the lake mead in our double kayak. I know they also have paddle board and canoes
Tip of the day: try not to go when is windy and it makes it very difficult to come back to land.

We rented canoes from this company for a camping weekend on the Colorado river. They picked us up from our hotel early Friday morning, dropped us off at the Hoover dam, and were waiting for us at the Willow Beach marina when we were done on Sunday. They even had ice pops ready for us to help us cool down from the heat.
The guy who drove our van gave us historical information about the area, answered questions, and was overall a pretty fun dude.
The company is reliable, the equipment is in top shape (they are replaced every few seasons), and the maps they provided of the river was super helpful in figuring out which slot canyons to explore.