Boy Scout Canyon is a beautiful and super fun canyon located along the Colorado River, near Hoover Dam, Nevada. This canyon is home to hot springs, beautiful passageways, and a thrilling canyoneering route that features a 340-foot rappel. The canyoneering route is from the top down. You can also access this canyon from the bottom up by watercraft, like we did on our recent canoe camping trip. For the bottom-up route, you will be starting from the shores of the Colorado River, then scrambling and climbing to the amphitheater, aka the bottom of the 340-foot rappel. In this blog, we will show you how to tackle Boy Scout Canyon from the bottom up.
Warning: Boy Scout Canyon is not your typical stroll in the park. This is a technical canyon regardless of whether you are doing the canyonnering route or the hike in from the bottom. You will need to scramble and climb up and down a few 20-25 ft walls. When we went, there were fixed ropes on the main obstacles. However, there’s no guarantee that the fixed rope will be there and in good condition. So, we highly recommend bringing a harness, rope, rappelling devices, and grippy shoes. You also need to know how to set an anchor, just in case.
Boy Scout Canyon Trailhead:
35°59’05.8″N 114°44’39.6″W
There’s no fee or permit to do this canyon from the top down. However, if you’re doing this from the bottom up through the Black Canyon Water trail, there is a fee to access the water trail. And if you launch from Hoover Dam, you will need to get a special permit. You can check out more detail on our canoe camping on Black Canyon Water Trail blog.
There’s no restrooms
We don’t recommend bringing dogs unless you have experience and gear for rappelling and ascending with them.
1.4 miles R.T.
Difficult. This is a technical route if you’re planning to go to the amphitheater.
2-5 hours depending on the size of your group. We took 5 hours with 12 people.
The best way to access Boy Scout Canyon, in our opinion, is bottom up, from the Colorado River. Accessing Boy Scout Canyon from the top down involves backcountry hiking, route finding, scrambling over sharp volcanic rock, and unstable terrain. However, by accessing the canyon from the water, you’ll get to visit some of the other spectacular hot springs along the Colorado River, such as Gold Strike Hot Springs, Arizona Hot Springs, and Sauna Cave. You’ll also get the fastest way to access the most beautiful parts of the Boy Scout Canyon.
Your adventure to Boy Scout Canyon starts on the Colorado River, right below the Hoover Dam. This section is part of the Black Canyon Water Trail. If you’re interested in doing this route, check out our blog for canoeing/kayaking the Black Canyon Water Trail. If you are paddling down from Hoover Dam, Boy Scout Canyon is about 1.97 miles downstream on the right side. There is no signage, but if you are running a tracker, you can input the coordinates below:
Coords: 35°59’05″N 114°44’37″W
As we arrived at the mouth of the Boy Scout Canyon, we were greeted by a wide rocky beach. There was plenty of room to store 6 large canoes with more space to spare. As soon as we all reached the shore, it was time to harness up and begin the adventure. By the way, make sure to either anchor down your watercrafts or move them ashore. The water level here can fluctuate quite a bit during a short period of time. You might lose your watercraft.
We started by diving into an overgrown trail with tall weeds on both sides. Eventually, the brushes will clear out and leave you with a beautiful slot canyon. You mustn’t attempt this on days with rain in the forecast. Slot canyons are prone to flash flooding, and you definitely don’t want to be in there when that happens.
Soon, we got our first glimpse of the water coming from the hot springs. It was just a trickle at this point, but it was nice and warm. Not long after, we came to our first obstacle. It is a 4-foot-tall waterfall. You can climb up on the right side, facing up the canyon (RUC) of the waterfalls. This path can be slippery. An easier way is to go further to the right and scramble up the hill. We can not stress enough how important grippy shoes are. For some reason, hot spring water has a lot of algae. Even with our La Sportiva approach shoes, we were slipping and sliding around.
After the waterfall, the trail curves off to the right. This is where you’ll find the deepest of the hot spring pools, which is only about thigh deep. If you just want to get to the hot springs, this is it. However, if you decide to continue, Boy Scout Canyon gets a lot more technical. So, if you come to a section that scares you, you probably should turn back before it only gets more difficult. And don’t forget, if you go up, you’ll have to come back down. And unless you know how to rappel, the downclimb is usually more challenging. Even though the entirety of our hike was only about 1.4 miles, with all the climbing, scrambling, and rappelling involved, it took us about 5 hours to finish with a group of 12 people.
From the hot springs, the difficulty of the canyon increases almost immediately as we come to our first rope. Here, you’ll be making your way up a short, 45-degree waterfall. This waterfall is extremely slippery. So, it is quite a challenge not to slip and fall
At the time of our visit (late September), all of the ropes at Boy Scout Canyon that we encountered were in good shape. However, you need to be careful when putting your full body weight on ropes that have been out in the elements, especially in unforgiving climates like the Nevada desert.
After the first rope, we got a breather as we scrambled our way up the canyon. There are a couple of 3-4 ft climbs and some rock hopping, but nothing major. This will lead you to one of our favorite parts of the Boy Scout Canyon. Here, you will find dripping green moss-covered walls reaching up towards the sky. There is something about this spot that seems surreal. But soon, we had to snap out of our amazement because we reached our second rope section
This rope section at Boy Scout Canyon is about 15 feet tall, with a waterfall flowing on the side. You’ll be climbing up the water course, so once again, it’s going to be slippery. This climb is trickier than the first rope section. Most of us, being rock climbers and canyoneers, have no issues. However, Phil, our group leader, ran a belay rope for a couple of newbies that we have in our group. If you have inexperienced people with you, we recommend running a belay to help them get up safely.
The technical section is now officially in full swing. From here, Boy Scout Canyon is fairly action-packed all the way to the amphitheater. After leaving Rope Section 2, we worked our way further into the canyon before reaching a neat alcove. This is where Rope Section 3 is.
This rope section is one of the more difficult ones in the Boy Scout Canyon. It is about 20-25 ft tall, almost vertical. Certain parts of the rock surface are polished by water, making it extra slippery. That’s why this climb is more difficult. That being said, it is not that bad if you’re an experienced rock climber or canyoneer. However, we found that having a belay rope is extremely helpful.
While we were climbing up, another group came up behind us. They took one look and the climb and said “Nope!” It is really important to know your limitations. Not only do you have to climb up, but you also have to climb back down! It was really impressive to watch our group navigate the climbs. While most of us were climbers and canyoneers, there were a few newbies. We were really proud of our group. There was definitely a lot of good vibes and words of encouragement going around in the canyon that day.
Right after Rope Section 3, it was a short, 2-stage climb. This is Rope Section 4. This section is easy. We climbed halfway up the rope before entering the water course. From here, it was a short climb to the top.
After Rope Section 4, there is a relentless series of smaller waterfall climbs. While they might not be as technical, they are back-to-back. We found it really fun, but it will put your skills to the test. Make sure to give your inexperienced adventurers a boost or a hand if they need it.
At the end of the waterfall series is Rope Section 5. It is an easy, 45-degree climb. Immediately right after, we dived back into an overgrown area. This overgrown area is really short. You will soon be at Rope Section 6, the second-to-last climb on Boy Scout Canyon. The rope will be on the right side of the trail. On the left, there is a small cave with a waterfall in it. This cave will come into play on the way back.
To get to the climb, we had to make our way through a tight gap in the rock that we affectionately nicknamed the birth canal. This rock is slick. We were all flailing around as we tried to squeeze our way through. The climb is right above the birth canal.
This climb is around 20 feet tall. You have 2 options here. Option 1 is to use the rope that runs up the right side of the rock. There is a “ceiling” right above it, so make sure you don’t hit your head. Option 2 is to climb up the left side. This climb is full of huecos and really great holds. Once again, we sent Phil up first to run a belay rope. Most of us opted for option 2, using the belay rope. Even though it wasn’t as slippery as previous climbs, it was a long way down if you messed up.
We are almost to the turnaround point! After the climb, you will be making your way up a sandy wash. As you turn right, you’ll have your first look at that monster 340ft rappel in the amphitheater. We may just have to attempt that one day! Before we can see the amphitheater in all its glory, we still have one climb left to do. Thankfully, this is one of the easier ones along the route. There are 2 options here. The one on the right is a little bit easier, but the one on the left is more fun, so that’s the option we went with.
We have made it to the amphitheater! If you really want to, there’s a way that you can scramble up a giant hill to get to the top of the 340-foot rappel. However, since we were canoe camping, this was the end of Boy Scout Canyon for us. After taking a nice little break, we were ready to head back.
If you’re into canyonneering, you’ll love the way back. While the rappels aren’t long, it is really fun. This is an out-and-back trail. So, you will be heading back towards the climbs with the huecos. Once again, we had 2 choices. We could either rappel down the side we climbed up, or drop into the cave with the waterfalls. The cave is way more fun in my opinion. The last 6 or so feet will be overhang, so you will be dangling. The only challenge is that you might want someone to grab your leg and pull you away from the slippery hill at the back of the cave.
The rest of the canyons are the same way. You will have to either downclimb or rappel off the same sections you climb up. If you know how to rappel, we recommend doing so instead of downclimbing the bigger climbs, just to be safe. Once you reach the sandbags that make up the pool, you are almost done. You still have one more down climb, but it is nothing tricky compared to what we had already done.
All in all, this is an amazing adventure if you have the experience, gear, and team needed to take it on. Thank you so much to our crew for making it such a fun experience! If you’re looking for more things to do in the area, we recommend checking out Gold Strike Hot Springs and Arizona Hot Springs. These two canyons are way less technical. White Owl Canyon is another fun one. We also love Cathedral Wash, but this one is in Arizona. It is such a fun canyon to explore.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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