Seldom do I have any interest in repeat visits to locations but a slightly different variation on a Black Canyon packrafting trip was something I thought my dad would enjoy on a rare day off. We went Sunday/Monday to hit the two motor-free days of the week (yet somehow park rangers are still allowed to race up and down canyon at 30mph...) and to hopefully reduce the number of people in the canyon the weekend before Thanksgiving. Packing the night before and an early start driving got us to crepes in Vegas and the Gold Strike Canyon trailhead by a little after 9am. There were already nearly a dozen car by the time we pulled up and we passed several groups as we hiked down the wash. Gradually the freeway bridges and powerlines faded from view and the canyon narrowed. The many downclimbs were more annoying than I remember, undoubtedly because we had large packs to deal with. I found the many Gold Strike hot spring pools to be in the driest and coldest conditions I had seen them in before but that did not stop me from a quick soak and dipping my feet into each pool we encountered.
The lower portion of Gold Strike is certainly my favorite with its towering cliffs and a great weeping wall of hot springs with delicate ferns and precipitated crystals. With care my dad was able to reach the mouth of Gold Strike with mostly dry feet.
Here we carefully sorted gear, putting everything we didn't need for the rest of the day deep in a packraft tube and keeping the few other items in drybags on our bows. We first paddled upstream to see if we could find the sauna cave, passing several other grottos along the way. We got a great view of the bridge but unfortunately would have to go into the restricted area to get a view of the dam. I found the Sauna Cave (actually man-made) easily enough, which was a great first time visit for me. It went in further than I thought (perhaps a hundred feet) and was a genuine sauna with moist hot air to clear sinuses. At the back were copious volumes of pristine white draperies, flowstone, and rimstone dams. The entrance provided an incredible framed view of the river and Black Canyon.
We had the quickest look at Secret Canyon, which unfortunately was filled in with sediment and then floated past the palm oasis waterfall spring as we could see there was someone camping there. So we next pulled into Boy Scout Canyon, which was overrun with, you guessed it, boy scouts. We walked past them and strolled up, enjoying the warm water on my teva-clad feet. I led my dad up all but the final chockstone climb getting a little wet in the process (all warm water fortunately). I ran ahead to have a quick look at the amphitheater headwall of the canyon before we worked our way back down. I couldn't resist a quick soak in the main hot pool.
We pushed off from Boy Scout and drifted on, spotting a bighorn carelessly scrambling its way across a cliff-face. The short winter day had nearly escaped us but we had time for one last side hike up the next major tributary on the Nevada side. We hiked as far as the hot waterfall with its pool and also marveled at the salt crystals precipitating on the ground like frost.
Despite two large boy scout troops and plenty of smaller groups, we managed to find an agreeable campspot at Arizona hot springs away from the others. We both enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot springs which thankfully were in excellent shape. Despite the popularity this remains a particularly special hot spring. Not many places allow you to sit in perfectly temperatured water in a slot canyon as you glance up at the twisting, swooping curves of the narrows above, and a small sliver of night sky. I ended up going for a second evening soak after dinner and again in the morning. The air temperature was a little cool in the morning but remarkably comfortable overall.
We made good time pushing off in the morning, loaded and paddling by 7:45a. We decided to make the most of the mirrored calm water by gaining some river miles rather than stopping for side hikes. The first and only stop was at Ringpin where I had never had a chance to stop before. I walked and climbed up as far as the terminal chockstone rappel- a really nice section of canyon and spectacular exposures of normal faults.
Shortly we approached Emerald Cave and the catwalk at the final narrows of the river leaving us only the flat 2 mile slog to Willow Beach. Even this was not as bad as I remembered in the past thanks to the calm conditions. Though we both would be sore later we paddled pretty consistently while also taking in the last of the sights.
We made excellent time and managed to score the easiest hitch ever with friendly local Kurt who was just pulling his kayak out from the end of his paddle. Before noon we were back at the car and on our way home! Thanks to my dad for a fun trip and a new variation on the Black Canyon classic. It was a great time of your to enjoy it with almost perfect temperatures the whole way through.
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