Eldorado Canyon Tour

Eldorado Canyon beckons to history buffs as well as those that are looking for the spectacular beauty hidden in the dessert surroundings. It is a place filled with a sordid and sometimes violent past. The Anasazi Indians were the first to discover this area, followed by the Paiutes and Mojave tribes. They lived peacefully for hundreds of years until the Spaniards invaded the territory in 1775 looking for gold. They formed a small settlement at the mouth of the Colorado River and called it Eldorado. Once settled, the silver they found was not enough to justify the operation and, missing the gold that lay beneath the canyon, they moved on.

Click here to book Eldorado Canyon Tour

In the 1850’s prospectors began working the streams that fed into the Colorado River . For a few years they managed to keep their find a secret until steamboats started making their way up the river from Yuma , Arizona . In 1858 the rush was on and the area was overrun with miners in search of their fortune. During this time there was a huge population boom and as many as 500 miners called this area home. Disagreements and gunfights over women and gold weren’t uncommon and claim jumping, vigilante justice and greed only fueled the fire.

In the mid 1950’s Davis Dam was completed and Lake Mojave began to fill up the steamboat landing, covering the remains of Eldorado Camp with water. Lake Mojave is only 4 miles across at its widest point but is more than 65 miles long. Located behind Davis Dam, most of its length is confined between the steep walls of Pyramid, Painted, Eldorado, and Black canyons. Lake Mojave captures and delays flash floods from side washes below the Hoover Dam and is home to fish and wildlife such as Largemouth and Striped Bass, Mule deer, black bear, bobcat, coyote, elk and mountain lion. 80 species of migratory and resident birds including Golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and prairie falcons all nest in and around the park.

On the Eldorado Canyon Tour guests will enjoy a look at Eldorado Canyon ’s rich history of the Old West. You will experience beautiful scenery, rare geologic formations and have some excellent photo opportunities at Lake Mojave. Through the fantastic narrations you’ll hear the tales of gunfights and lawlessness and imagine the back breaking work of the prospectors from over a century ago. Who knows, you may even spot ghostly apparitions as you tour an area where bloodshed was common and ghost stories of dead miners, Indians and pioneers abound.

This tour is great for everyone as you learn about some of the great history of the Old West. Filled with thrills and lots of adventure, it’s sure to provide memories that will last a lifetime.

Tour Info: