Where is Emerald Cave?

Where is Emerald Cave?

Emerald Cave is on the Arizona side of the Colorado River in Black Canyon, inside Lake Mead National Recreation Area, about 2 miles upstream from Willow Beach Marina. It is about 48 miles from the Las Vegas Strip by road, a drive of 50 to 60 minutes to Willow Beach, and the last stretch is on the water by kayak.

The river is the state line in Black Canyon, with Nevada on one bank and Arizona on the other. The cave sits in the Arizona wall, roughly river mile 54, about 10 river miles below Hoover Dam. It is a small volcanic alcove, not a big cavern, so from the middle of the river it is easy to miss. Many people call it Emerald Cove, and tour listings use both names for the same spot. If you have seen "Emerald Cave Las Vegas" or "Emerald Cave Nevada", it is the same place too: Las Vegas is simply the nearest city, and the cave itself is in Arizona.

So the short answer to "where is Emerald Cave in Arizona" is: on the Arizona bank of Black Canyon, reached by boat from Willow Beach, a launch you can drive to yourself.

How far is Emerald Cave from Las Vegas?

Count it in two parts. The drive from the Strip to Willow Beach is about 48 miles and takes 50 to 60 minutes without traffic. From the launch ramp, the paddle to the cave is about 2 miles upstream, and most people take 45 to 60 minutes each way at a relaxed pace. Door to cave, plan on roughly two hours, and more if you stop for gear, sunscreen or a coffee on the way out of town.

The route is simple. From the Strip, take I-11 south toward Boulder City and Hoover Dam. I-11 becomes US-93, which crosses the Colorado River just below Hoover Dam and enters Arizona. Stay on US-93 heading south toward Kingman. Willow Beach Road branches off US-93 about 15 miles south of Hoover Dam and runs down to the river and the marina. Once you leave the highway, the road ends at the water, so there is only one way to go.

One trap catches visitors every winter: Arizona does not use daylight saving time. From early November to mid-March, Willow Beach is one hour ahead of Las Vegas. A tour or rental that starts at 10 AM Arizona time starts at 9 AM on your hotel clock, and if you leave based on the wrong clock you arrive an hour late. From mid-March to early November the two clocks match. When you book, check which time zone the start time uses and write it down in hotel time.

Distances and times at a glance

These are the numbers that matter for planning. Road figures are for driving without traffic; paddle times are for a relaxed pace on flat water with no strong headwind.

The Hoover Dam to Willow Beach road trip is longer than the river trip because the road has to climb out of the canyon and follow US-93 around it, while the water takes the direct line. That matters if you plan to visit the dam and the cave on the same day: allow about 45 minutes between the two.

Getting to Willow Beach

Willow Beach Marina is at 25804 Willow Beach Rd, Willow Beach, AZ 86445, according to the marina operator. Put that address into your map app before you leave Las Vegas, and download the area for offline use: there is little to no cell service at Willow Beach or out on the water, so you may lose your signal on the way down to the river.

Willow Beach is inside Lake Mead National Recreation Area, so driving in means paying the park entrance fee, per the National Park Service:

• Vehicle pass: $25 per vehicle, valid for up to 7 days.
• Individual pass: $15 per person for visitors 16 and older who arrive without a private vehicle. Children under 16 get in free.
• Annual Lake Mead pass: $45, covering the passholder and one private vehicle for a year.
• Interagency passes: America the Beautiful annual, senior, access and military passes are accepted instead of the fee.

If you drive yourself to a meet-there tour or a rental, the fee is usually yours to pay. The most-reviewed rental without transportation lists the national park entry fee as not included, for example. On a Strip pickup tour, check the listing: some cover park entry and some do not.

At the bottom of the road you will find the marina and a paved launch ramp. According to the marina operator, there is ample parking for cars, boat trailers and RVs. Next to the launch is the Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery, run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1962. It raises rainbow trout in the cold water released from Hoover Dam and breeds two endangered native fish, the razorback sucker and the bonytail chub. It makes an easy extra stop before or after you paddle.

Pack water and sun protection before you leave Las Vegas. Summer air at Lake Mead often runs from about 89 to 103 F, and the canyon floor can feel hotter still, so carry more water than you think you will drink.

From Willow Beach to the cave

The paddle from Willow Beach to Emerald Cave is about 2 miles upstream, which is the figure the National Park Service gives. Leave the ramp, turn north toward Hoover Dam and stay close to the Arizona bank, the same side as the launch. There is no crossing to make. The cave is a small opening in the canyon wall, and paddlers who drift to the Nevada side are the ones who go past it.

Most people reach it in 45 to 60 minutes. The current runs toward you on the way up, which makes the return the easier half, unless the wind has picked up. Afternoon headwinds of 15 to 25 mph are common in Black Canyon, especially from March to May, according to operators and trip reports, and they can make the paddle back slow and tiring. Starting in the morning and heading back by early afternoon avoids most of it.

The water stays cold all year, in the mid-50s F, because Hoover Dam releases it from deep in Lake Mead. Even on a 100-degree day, a capsize means a real chill. Arizona law requires a wearable, Coast Guard-approved life jacket on board for every paddler, and children 12 and under must wear theirs while the boat is moving.

The river is also quieter on some days than others. The National Park Service closes Black Canyon to motorized boats every Sunday and Monday all year. If you want the most time on this water without motorboat wakes, those are the days to pick. For the hours when the water inside turns brightest, see our guide to the best time to visit Emerald Cave.

Can you hike or drive to Emerald Cave?

No. We know of no road, trail or overlook that reaches the cave. It is set in the canyon wall right at the waterline, and everyone who goes in arrives by kayak, canoe or paddle board. From Willow Beach that means the 2-mile paddle described above.

The other way in is from the top of the canyon. Guided trips launch at the base of Hoover Dam and paddle about 10 miles downstream to the cave, then on to Willow Beach. You cannot drive to that launch yourself: it sits in a federal security zone, and only authorized outfitters take paddlers and boats down. Our Hoover Dam kayak tour guide explains how those full days work.

You may also see hiking trails in the same area, such as the one to Arizona Hot Springs. That is a separate trip well upstream of the cave, and the National Park Service closes those trails from May 15 to September 30 for extreme heat. The closure does not affect the river or the Willow Beach launch, which stay open all year.

Emerald Cave on a map

There is no street address for Emerald Cave, and the National Park Service does not publish a coordinate for it. The best estimate we have puts it at about 35.8909 N, 114.6856 W. Treat that as an approximate pin, accurate to a few hundred yards, not a surveyed point.

For comparison, the Willow Beach launch is at about 35.8688 N, 114.6563 W. On a map, the cave sits a little north and west of the marina, upriver along the Arizona shore. If you drop both pins in your map app, the gap looks like roughly 2 miles, which matches the paddle distance.

The wider route has a name, too. The Black Canyon National Water Trail runs about 30 miles along the Colorado River and in 2014 became the first National Water Trail in the Southwest, and the first through a desert. Its most popular section is the 12-mile stretch of flat water from Hoover Dam down to Willow Beach, and Emerald Cave lies near the lower end of it.

Search tools can mix things up here. Emerald Cove Resort is an RV resort on the Colorado River in Earp, California, far to the south near Parker, Arizona, and has nothing to do with the cave near Las Vegas. If a search for "where is Emerald Cove" points you there, you have the wrong place. Our page on Emerald Cove sorts out the two names.

Getting there without a car

Without a car, you need a tour or rental that includes the ride to Willow Beach. The most-reviewed option is the From Las Vegas: Emerald Cave Guided Kayaking Tour, from about $143 per person, rated 4.9 from 477 reviews. It lasts about 4 hours, with start times of 11:15 AM and 11:50 AM, and handles the drive both ways. Other Strip pickup tours start from about $107. Our Emerald Cave kayak tour comparison lines up the pickup options side by side.

Pickup saves more than the rental car. You skip hotel parking fees, the drive back in afternoon traffic and the time zone math, because the operator sets the schedule. The trade-off is a higher ticket price and a fixed start time.

Which trip fits your route

If you have a car, the cheapest way to see the cave is to drive to Willow Beach. The Willow Beach: Black Canyon Kayak Half Day Tour-No Shuttle, from about $110 and rated 4.9 from 365 reviews, meets you at the launch with a guide. To paddle on your own, the Las Vegas: Kayak Rental without Transportation starts from about $69 per person, and our Emerald Cave kayak rental guide covers how to find the cave without a guide. Without a car, pick a Strip pickup tour. For the whole canyon from the dam, go with a full-day Hoover Dam trip.