A Paddlers Guidebook to the Lower Colorado River; Hoover Dam to Cottonwood Cove

By Richard Johnson

For all the people who have wanted to paddle a canoe or kayak down the Colorado below Hoover Dam but could not find a guide, or for those who read the, often terrifying, descriptions of the brain eating amoeba or the lack of rescue and so were afraid, this book is for you.
I try to ease your fears and show you the interesting places to see from the Hot Springs to rock formations to historical sights along that 40-some mile stretch of the Colorado River below Hoover Dam.
Plus I include things to ignore, things to prepare for and even what kind of boats and gear are best taken along.
Included are maps with GPS and River-Mile locations and plenty of photos.
So relax, read and get ready for a beautiful experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Johnson
• Release date: Apr 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310403729

Richard Johnson

Descended from Irish Nobles and a Barbary Coast Pirate, my interests are, by breeding, strange.After 28 years as a USAF Civil Engineer building hospitals and schools around the world, I find that knowing how to say "Please" and "Thank you" in the native language and being polite to be the best PR a person can have.I've been writing since the 1970's though only recently seeking a mass market for my material. I am famous in my own circles so Smashwords is an experiment in expanding myself.I am a single father who enjoys Martial Arts, Kayaking, Geocaching, Astronomy, reading, building things, inventing, brewing Mead, traveling and dressing up. I am also a Third Degree Gardnerian High Priest (Witch) of Desert Henge Coven in Tucson.Likes include a good pizza and Godiva Chocolate.Anything else I should include? Let me know.

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A Paddlers Guidebook To The Lower Colorado River

Hoover Dam To Cottonwood Cove

By Richard Johnson

A Paddlers Guidebook To The Lower Colorado River

Hoover Dam To Cottonwood Cove

By Richard Johnson

Published by Richard (Rick) Johnson (Desert Dragon Productions) at Smashwords.

Copyright March 2016 Richard Johnson

ISBN 9781310403729

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

CONTENTS

PART ONE

Introduction

History

Boats

Companions

Maps

Boat Restrictions and Times

Gear to Take

The Evil Brain-Eating Amoeba

Campsites

Shuttles

Camping before the Trip

Rapids

Helpful Terms

PART TWO

Hoover Dam to Willow Beach Marina

The Sauna Tunnel

The Waterfall

Goldstrike Canyon Hot Springs

Boy Scout Hot Springs

Lost Man Hot Springs

White Rock Canyon

Arizona Hot Springs

A Few Extra Things to See

Crane’s Nest Wash

Emerald Cave

The Cable Car

The Guage Master’s House

The Fish Hatchery

More Things to See

Willow Beach Marina

PART THREE

Willow Beach to Cottonwood Cove Marina

The Caves

Extra Sights

Burro Wash

More Sights to see and Places to Visit

Big Horn Cove and Monkey Hole

Still more Sights to see

Squaw Peak Cove and The Chalk Cliffs

More Sights to see

Nelson’s Landing

Even More stuff to see

Aztec Wash and Power Line Wash

Sand Cove

More Sights to see

Cottonwood Cove

Other Books by the Author

About the Author

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

When people talk about the Colorado River, they are generally not referring to the Colorado River in Texas, they mean the river that flows through the Grand Canyon. If you are above Hoover Dam near Las Vegas, you are on the Upper Colorado, if you are below Hoover Dam, you are on the Lower Colorado which separates Arizona from Nevada and California. This Guidebook consists of a few thoughts on what to see and expect on the Lower Colorado for the 40-some miles from Hoover Dam to Cottonwood Cove in the Black Canyon up to Lake Mohave. There is a lot to see and plenty to enjoy so relax, have some good chocolate, a glass of good wine and paddle on! Oh, and don’t forget to bring a good waterproof (IPX-7) camera and extra batteries and memory chips.

I’ve been paddling various sections of the Colorado River for some years and the trip is always different, mostly beautiful and generally fun. Ok, when the wind is channeling up the canyon and you are trying to pull a kayak loaded with 172# of gear down that river, it loses a bit of the fun, but those are simply stories we tell to get free beer but mostly, the trips are well worth the trouble because we keep going back.

My first time on this particular section was with Maria and Gregg and we arrived a day early, camped at Kingman Wash, then parked at Willow Beach (exit 13 off Hwy 93), then paddled upriver to Goldstrike Canyon Hot Springs (aka Nevada Hot Springs), then back to Willow Beach, taking a few days to relax and enjoy the trip. After that trip, we would camp at Willow or at Lake Mead National Recreation Area which is behind the Hoover Dam Casino and Lodge near Hoover Dam and shuttle down to the river, paddling and camping along the River until we took-out at Willow Beach Marina (13 miles) or Cottonwood Cove Marina (40 miles). I am afraid to go much lower as the river opens out into Black Canyon Lake and every time I am on that water, we get weather and I am a Rec-Paddler, NOT some crazy thrill-seeker…. Though I have Started at Davis Dam and gone upriver a dozen miles or so into said lake before time and weather forced me back to the marina.

Basically, what you will read here is a collection of many trips to enable you to see what to expect if you do this river.

HELPFUL HINT: IPX is the dust/water/shockproof rating of your camera and phone. IPX-7 means that you can drop it into 3 feet of water for 20 minutes and it will survive. IPX-7 means that you can drop it from three feet and it will survive. NOTHING less that IPX-7 belongs on the river!

Return to Contents

HISTORY

No, this isn’t a history of Hoover Dam and the Colorado River, you can get that info from so many places that anything I would say would be redundant. Suffice to say that the Colorado River was tamed with the construction of not only Hoover Dam but those below from Davis to Parker to Headgate to Palo Verde to Imperial to Morelos Dams.

Now Dams are vital to the ecology of the river for many reasons that range