LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — It’s a sight not many get to see.
Four days a week, Hoover Dam Rafting Adventures takes visitors and locals on a tour of the Colorado River that launches at the base of the Hoover Dam.
“You get to see the Hoover Dam from the bottom looking up,” said Chad Taylor, Director of Operations for Hoover Dam Rafting Adventures. “In a word, it’s serene, peaceful and calm.”
The rafting company offers tours that are all day or half day and give people the opportunity to get a close-up look at the Colorado River and Black Canyon.
Water levels at Lake Mead may be falling, but in front of the dam, they continue to be stable.
“There is a continual flow of the Colorado River because a certain amount of water has to be let out of the dam every day to ensure that downriver continues to get the water that it needs,” said Taylor.
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During the tour you’ll see wildlife, history, archaeology, and the rock formations of the Black Canyon. One person who has an intimate perspective of the canyon and dam is Kathleen Wood, one of the company’s raft pilots.
“My maternal grandfather helped direct power lines that run along the desert carrying electricity to Southern California. My paternal grandfather was one of the first security guards down here,” she said.
Her favorite moments are seeing the bighorn sheep standing above the river along the Black Canyon.
“The bighorn sheep will always be a wild factor,” she added.
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