One of the most gorgeous gems in Arizona is the Emerald Cave, a cavern that’s carved into the red rock of a deep canyon, with crystal clear water that glitters a vibrant green color.
Getting to this natural wonder can be a bit confusing—after all, it requires a two and a half mile kayak (one way!) down the Colorado River. So, if you want to visit this unique landmark for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about kayaking to the Emerald Cave, right outside of Las Vegas.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may receive a small commission, for which we are extremely grateful, at no extra cost to you.
What is the Emerald Cave?
Emerald Cave, also referred to as the Emerald Cove, is located along the walls of the Black Canyon in the Colorado River. Over millions of years, the river’s rushing waters eroded a cavern into the wall of a canyon, leaving behind a grotto that’s carved into the volcanic rock.
What makes Emerald Cave so interesting, though, is its water, which, true to its name, is a stunning emerald color that glows in the sunlight.
When my husband, Justin, and I went on a kayaking tour to the Emerald Cave, our guide told us that the Hoover Dam, which is just upstream of this area, filters the Colorado River and removes most of the particulates in the water.
This filtered, crystal clear water then absorbs longer light wavelengths, like reds and oranges, and allows shorter wavelengths, like green, to penetrate deep, down to the river’s bottom. This green light then reflects off the yellowish rocks, lining the floor of the cave and the Colorado River, creating a glowing green hue.
When the sun hits the water in the Emerald Cave, the beautiful green water lights up and looks even more stunning against the red rock walls of the cavern.
How to get to Emerald Cave
As mentioned above, Emerald Cave is located in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, with most people launching from the Willow Beach Marina in Willow, Arizona.
This marina is located a little under an hour from Las Vegas or a little over two hours from the southern portion of Grand Canyon National Park. Given its proximity to Sin City, I think taking a daytrip here is one of the best things to do in Las Vegas during the daytime!
You have a few options of getting to the Emerald Cave.
Take a tour from Las Vegas
The most popular way to get to the Emerald Cave is to join a day tour from Las Vegas.
On these tours, your guide will pick you up on the Las Vegas Strip, drive you to the launch point about an hour away, and give you a kayak and life jacket. After a quick paddling lesson and safety briefing, you’ll kayak two and a half miles (one-way) down the Colorado River to the Emerald Cave, pointing out flora and fauna along the way (we saw a few big horn sheep here!).
During your trip, your group will explore some points of interest along the canyon walls, like the ruins of the old Willow Beach Gauging Station or Echo Cave, a unique cavern where you can hear (you guessed it!) an echo if you’re in the right spot.
This is exactly how Justin and I visited the Emerald Cave.
We were picked up at the MGM Grand Hotel on the Strip, were shuttled with about 8 other guests to the launch site, and then paddled with our group to the Emerald Cave. We had SUCH a fun time on this day trip from Las Vegas, from taking a cold plunge into the surprisingly chilly waters of the Colorado River to marveling at the stunning hue of the water inside the Emerald Cave!
Here are a few tours for you to consider:
- Las Vegas: Colorado River to Emerald Cave Half-Day Kayak: This is the exact tour that we took, and we LOVED it! Our guide was super friendly (he even surprised us with cold beers after our tour, which tasted SO nice after being in the sun all day!) and was always checking in on all of the guests to see if they needed help or had any questions.
- Half-Day Emerald Cave Kayak Tour: This option has a 4.9 star rating across over 5,100 reviews, thanks to the patient guides that are knowledgeable about the history of the area, from the Hoover Dam to the geology of the Black Canyon. They’re also great at taking tons of photos during the tour, which are shared with the guests afterwards. If you’re looking to save a bit of money, this tour also provides you the option of driving yourself to the launch site for a cheaper price point.
- Emerald Cave Kayaking Tour: Again, this option has a 4.9 star rating with over 3,000 reviews, with the ability to prebook whether you want a single or tandem kayak AND whether you want a transfer from Las Vegas. This tour operator is so on top of their game, from communicating with you after booking to their enthusiastic guides, who clearly prioritize the guests’ safety and fun.
Drive yourself to the Willow Beach Marina and join up with a tour group
If you’re not staying in Las Vegas or you’d just prefer to drive yourself to and from the launch point, there are several group tours that provide everything, but for the roundtrip transportation from the city (i.e., a guide, kayaking gear, life jackets, and usually snacks and drinks).
For example, we even had a few people that met up with us at the launch site for our tour, even though the price included roundtrip transportation from Vegas. We chatted with them for a bit while we were paddling, and it turned out that they were on a big ol’ Southwest road trip and it was easier for them to just continue on their trip from Lake Mead, rather than head all the way back to Vegas.
Here are a few tour options that meet up at Willow Beach:
- Small Group Guided Colorado River & Emerald Cave Kayak Tour: I like that this tour option has two departure times—one in the morning and one in the afternoon—so that you can choose a slot that works for your schedule. The guides on this tour are super helpful and have even helped tow guests back to shore if they get too tired to paddle. If you’re a beginner kayaker or nervous about paddling, this is a great option!
- Self-drive kayaking tour to Emerald Cave: On this tour, you’ll meet up with your wilderness safety certified guide, who will provide your kayaking gear and lead you out into the water. There’s a couple of great things about this tour—it’s one of the most affordable options out there; you’ll be in a small group of just 12 travelers; and it has a lot of inclusions that more expensive tours don’t, like dry bag/phone pouch rentals and snacks!
Drive yourself and go without a group
If you’re an experienced paddler, you’re absolutely allowed to launch from the Willow Beach Marina on your own and paddle the two and a half miles upstream to the Emerald Cave.
You’ll obviously need your own kayak or, alternatively, you can rent one from Willow Beach Harbor (although it’s worth noting that rentals here are generally more expensive than going on one of the self-drive kayaking tours!).
While I’d suggest going with a guide if you’re not an experienced kayaker or if you want to learn more about the landscape that you’re paddling through, going by yourself may help you skip some of the crowds by hitting Emerald Cave outside of the times when tour guides usually visit (e.g., 10 AM-2 PM). If you’re renting a kayak here, just be mindful of the time you need to return your rental (i.e., 4 PM)!
Entrance fee to Lake Mead National Recreation Area
To enter Lake Mead, it’s $25 per private vehicle if you drive there on your own. On our group tour, we were charged $15 per person (the rate of an individual entering without a vehicle).
If you have an interagency pass, like the America the Beautiful Pass, be sure to bring it so you don’t have to pay the entrance fee—I was kicking myself that we left ours in our car!
What to expect while kayaking to Emerald Cave
From the Willow Beach Marina to Emerald Cave
From the Willow Beach Marina, you’ll launch and start paddling upstream.
One of the first things I noticed when I got in the water with my kayak was how clear and GREEN the water is here. I’d seen tons of videos of the Emerald Cave on social media, so I know the water in the grotto had a beautiful emerald hue, but I had no idea that this ENTIRE section of the Colorado River looked like that!
Beyond just the water, the scenery here is absolutely spectacular, with red rock walls that can stretch up to 2,000 feet tall.
There are usually ducks in the water (be prepared—the ones that we met were AGGRESSIVELY trying to get snacks from us!) and you might luck out and spot big-horned sheep or bald eagles on the rocky outcroppings above you.
Usually, you’ll paddle on the left hand side of the canyon—i.e., on the Nevada side. The current heading upstream isn’t super strong here, although it will depend on how windy it is that day.
Justin and I have kayaked dozens of times and, while I wouldn’t rank this as a challenging paddle at all, you do have to use some muscle to make your way up the river. From chatting with beginner kayakers in our group, they thought this was a great route to start off with—gentle enough to be approachable, but still providing a bit of challenge and adventure.
Tour groups usually stop at this small beach about halfway to the cave to take a snack and drink break.
You can also jump in the water to cool off here, but be prepared—the water is surprisingly FROSTY! We went on an unusually hot day in March, and the water was a balmy 55 degrees.
There’s also a short trail at this beach that leads up to the ruins of the old Willow Beach Gauging Station and a beautiful overlook of the Colorado River, snaking through the Black Canyon.
Once your breaktime is over, you’ll get back in your kayak and paddle the rest of the way to Emerald Cave.
Emerald Cave
About two and a half miles into your paddle, you’ll approach the Emerald Cave, on your right-hand side.
Depending upon what time of the year you visit and whether you come on a weekday or weekend, you might have to wait a bit to actually enter the cave—I’ve heard of people waiting in lines for up to three hours on weekends!
Once you’re inside the cave, you’ll have a few minutes to paddle around, get some videos, and enjoy the spectacular views of the stunning water and the surrounding cavern walls.
In full transparency, I wasn’t quite as wowed by the cave as I was expecting, given that we’d been paddling through crystal clear, emerald green water for hours by the time we had reached the cave. Plus, you usually don’t have that much time to enjoy yourself in the cave, given that other visitors are waiting outside.
Still, it’s uniquely beautiful and an excellent reason to spend a few hours kayaking down this jaw-dropping section of the Colorado River.
From Emerald Cave back to Willow Beach
Once you’re out of the cavern, you can paddle straight across the river to Echo Cave, on the Nevada side of the canyon.
We had to paddle around a bit, but we eventually found a spot that caused our voices to reverberate down the canyon. I bet kiddos would LOVE this spot.
The rest of your kayak trip is pretty chill, just allowing the current to carry you back to the Willow Beach Marina.
When to visit Emerald Cave
Best months to visit the Emerald Cave
The best months to visit Emerald Cave are from March to May and October to November (typically from low 70s to low 90s), when the weather is pleasantly warm and the sun is a bit at a lower angle in the sky to light up the emerald-hued water in the cave.
Kayaking to the Emerald Cave in the summer months, especially June and September, could also feel nice. Given the year-round chilly water temperature, it feels significantly cooler while you’re out paddling than it would if you were standing on the Las Vegas Strip.
We visited during an unusually hot day in March (like, 95 degrees!)—the breeze off the water felt SO nice and a quick swim, during our time on the beach, cooled me right down!
In July and August, it’s not unusual for the temperature to soar above 110 degrees in Willow. While it will still feel a bit cooler while you’re out paddling, it can be dangerous to be outside in such high temperatures, especially when you’re exerting yourself by paddling.
I generally would be cautious about going during this timeframe, bring TONS of water, and only go with a guide, who can keep an eye on you and help if you become heat exhausted.
Conversely, the Las Vegas area can be surprisingly cool in the winter months, with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. So, if you’re visiting during this timeframe, be sure to bring along several warm layers, as it can get downright chilly in the canyon!
Best time to visit the Emerald Cave
Generally, the best time to visit the Emerald Cave is the early afternoon, when the sun is shining down into the mouth of the cavern and lighting up its water.
This will change a bit, depending on what time of the year you’re visiting. During the wintertime, you’re better off visiting in the earlier afternoon, whereas it’ll be a bit later (around 3 PM or so) in the middle of summer.
And if you can swing visiting on a weekday I’d strongly recommend doing so. While the Emerald Cave used to be a hidden gem, it’s become much more popular in recent years, due to social media. As mentioned above, it’s not uncommon for there to be a queue (which I’ve read can be up to three hours long!) on the weekends to get into the cave!
Tips for the Emerald Cave
Don’t schedule anything immediately afterwards
Most tour operators offer half day tours that are supposed to last somewhere around four hours.
However, I don’t think this time accounts for roundtrip transportation to and from Las Vegas, because our tour (from the time we were picked up to the time we were dropped off in the MGM parking lot) took almost seven and a half hours.
We had a GREAT time, but we did get back later than we had originally planned. So, we were a bit pressed for time before we headed off to see an 6:30 PM performance of the “O” Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio.
So, I’d give yourself a bit of breathing room in your Las Vegas itinerary and not commit to doing anything until around 8 PM or so, just in case your tour runs long. I’ve read a few reviews about people doing the Emerald Cave tour on the day they’re scheduled to fly out of Vegas—I definitely would have been way too nervous about missing our flight to have actually enjoyed kayaking!
Come prepared
If you go with a tour group, your guide will usually provide your kayak, paddle, life vest, snacks, and water (double check the last two as not all tour companies provide these!). But here are a few other things you should pack along with you:
Sun protection
The sun here can be INTENSE, especially in the summer months. Bring sunscreen, a hat with a brim, and sunglasses to protect yourself.
Extra water
Your tour guide will likely have some water for you to drink, but I’d suggest bringing a big bottle of your own so you can stay hydrated. We each have one of these comically giant Nalgene bottles that we take with us on every outdoor adventure that we LOVE.
Dry bag
If you have electronics that you don’t want to get wet (or just don’t want a soggy sandwich), I’d suggest bringing a dry bag. We’ve had this one for years and it did an awesome job while we were out on the water, kayaking to the Emerald Cave!
You might want to check if your tour operator provides them—while most don’t, a handful do!
Swimsuit
If you’re visiting in the warmer months, I’d recommend wearing a swimsuit under your clothes, so you can jump in the water if you want to cool down.
It was more of a cold plunge when we visited in March, but it still felt super refreshing on our unusually hot day.
Lunch
Most tours are out on the water from around 10-2 PM, squarely during lunchtime.
Our tour guide stopped at a grocery store on the way to Willow Beach, so we could pick up some heartier snacks if we wanted to, but I’d suggest packing along a sandwich or something easy to eat, just in case.
I hope you enjoy kayaking to the Emerald Cave—it’s one of our favorite things to do around Las Vegas! Do you have any questions about visiting this beautiful corner of the Southwest? Let us know in the comments below!
Thank you for reading our post! Check out our latest stories here and follow us on Instagram (@UprootedTraveler), YouTube, or on Facebook to see what we’re up to next!
