Seeing the Colorado River rise on the Continental Divide at La Poude Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, you might not think twice. It looks like a tiny stream that drains into a wet meadow.

But that is only the beginning for the Colorado River system. Its watershed covers 246,000 square miles. More than 20 major dams have been built upon it for irrigation purposes and to control the greatest river system in the American Southwest.

It may be the greatest river in the United States, when you consider the geology it is responsible for creating across the Southwest. Created by the formation of the Rocky Mountains some 75 million years ago, the river originally cut toward Wyoming and into the Great Basin. The route it takes today, from Colorado to the Gulf of California, created the Grand Canyon 65 million years ago (or 5.4 million years ago as a new theory suggests).

Three peak places to enjoy the Grand Canyon. 

The Black Canyon

Starting at the base of the Hoover Dam, one of the more popular Colorado River tours is a 12-mile rapid-free trip down the Colorado River to Willow Beach. While it is possible to get wet, the calm waters through the narrow Black Canyon provide a mostly dry tour.

Along the trip, guides point out area wildlife that frequently travels to the river for water. During warmer weather, there are even an abundance of desert lizards that scale the vertical walls. The favorite animals in this area are the bighorn sheep.

The full-day Black Canyon - Colorado River tour, with complimentary hotel pick-up and drop-off from Las Vegas, includes a picnic lunch. The return trip includes luxury transportation back to the hotel, with a stop at Hoover Dam.

Grand Canyon West

While there are other places to see the Colorado River, one of the most immersive tours offered anywhere includes the best full-day adventure in the Las Vegas area. It includes a private flight to the Hualapai Indian Reservation, where guests transfer to a helicopter for a rare bird's eye glimpse of the Grand Canyon.

The helicopter then descends 4,000 feet below the base of the Grand Canyon, where visitors enjoy a 20-minute scenic pontoon river boat ride on the Colorado River. Unlike our wilder adventure with rapids, this particular trip is relatively tame and family friendly.

The river boat tour ends at the Grand Canyon's famous Skywalk, where visitors can walk out over the canyon and enjoy a barbecue-style lunch before heading back to their hotel in Las Vegas. This tour, the All-In-One Grand Canyon Tour, is almost the same price as other helicopter tours over the canyon.

Grand Canyon South

There aren't many affordable options to reach the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, but we happen to have the best overall value. In fact, this day trip includes more than three hours inside Grand Canyon National Park, which is the longest in-park time of any tour from Las Vegas.

Although the tour includes an extended stay in the Grand Canyon, careful planning ensures stops at the most famous locations between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. It includes a stop at Hoover Dam, at the Route 66 Train Museum, and at historic Bright Angel Lodge, a registered National Historic Landmark.

One of the most spectacular opportunities of the tour is enough time to walk a short 2.5 miles on a paved trail to Mather Point and Yavapai Point. These two locations, as part of the Grand Canyon South tour, offer the best panoramic views and are the closest to the Colorado River.

About TourGuy.com And The Colorado. 

While these are three of the most spectacular locations for Las Vegas visitors along the Colorado River, TourGuy.com also specializes in custom tours that can help visitors make plans to pick up the Colorado River at almost any point, including those that are not advertised.

Equally exclusive, TourGuy.com can also arrange these tours back to back or spread out over a single trip, which will provide the rare opportunity to see the variations in the Colorado River at three different points during the same week. In fact, only one of our tour guides has had the opportunity to enjoy these incredible stops within the same week. For more information, visit TourGuy.com.