Boulder Rapids
One for the list
Is it plungeworthy?
A historical rapids on Colorado River.
The details
- Type
- Historical Rapids
- Watercourse
- Colorado River
- Coordinates
- 36.15091, -114.53899
About Boulder Rapids
Boulder Rapids is a historical rapids in Nevada, on Colorado River.
Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.
Plungeworthy rates Boulder Rapids 3.6/10 — one for the list. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Know what this listing is before you drive: this coordinate sits in open water — Lake Mead's Virgin Basin, flooded since the lake filled behind Hoover Dam in the late 1930s. Whatever rapids ran through Virgin Canyon before the dam have been under the reservoir for nearly a century, and no source documents a rapid by this name.
The name itself may be a mix-up with Boulder Canyon or Boulder Basin — both real places near the dam, neither of them this spot. If you want living whitewater below Hoover Dam, Ringbolt Rapids in Black Canyon is the real thing.
Getting there
- Heads up
- The site is open reservoir water in Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
When to go
Not a visitable feature — it's under Lake Mead.
Rules & fees
Researched from Wikipedia — Boulder Canyon (Colorado River). Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Boulder Rapids recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Planning a visit? We want your photo.
Boulder Rapids doesn't have a photo yet. If you make the trip, send one to hello@plungeworthy.com and we'll publish it here with credit to you.
Before you go
The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.
Common questions
Where is Boulder Rapids?
Boulder Rapids is a waterfall in Nevada, at 36.15091, -114.53899.
Is Boulder Rapids worth visiting?
One for the list — Plungeworthy rates it 3.6/10.
Gear for the trip
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