PADDLING AWAY FROM IT ALL.

Byline: Pamela Edy Schlotter Special to the Daily News

Some say it is the many hot springs that are the lure.

Others say it is the serenity of the desert river canyon that is the drawing power.

Whatever the appeal, the peaceful Black Canyon stretch of the Colorado River 60 miles southeast of Las Vegas - and a 5-1/2-hour drive from Los Angeles - has become a favorite destination of Southern California paddlers.

Outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds - environmental groups, Boy Scout troops, college clubs - come here to paddle canoes and kayaks on the tranquil water. For California Kayak Friends, an organization of Southern California paddlers, the Black Canyon outing is one of the best-attended outings of the year.

``Scenery, hot springs - it's just an easy three-day weekend, get-away-from-it-all event,'' said George Kulakowski, publisher of Kayak Yak, the CKF's newsletter.

There are two put-in locations on this stretch of the river, which lies between upper Lake Mojave and Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border.

Those who want a downstream trip can start at Hoover Dam. However, access is regulated by the Bureau of Reclamation, and permits and reservations are required.

The ingress preferred by many is found downstream, here at Willow Beach, where the canyon walls disappear and vessels can be launched without hassle - or a set of regulations to jump through. Even though it makes the trip an upstream paddle, the journey is simple.

At this junction, the river is slow and smooth, a distinct contrast to the famous rapid-filled gorge through the Grand Canyon 100 miles to the east. Still, CKF president Len Goodman advises paddlers to be safety conscious.

``We've taken novices up before,'' he said. ``But they should have at least a two-day, introduction-to-kayaking course.

``They should always paddle with other people.''

By sticking to the eddies along the banks, one can easily make the 8-mile paddle to Arizona Hot Springs - a popular campsite because of its tempting pools - in about five hours, breaks included. The sojourn is as historical as it is scenic.

Upon departing Willow Beach, the cliffs of the canyon begin to rise, forming a narrow gorge. A fish hatchery is passed and later an old river gauging station attached to a rock wall on the west side of the river. On the east side, an uninviting catwalk clings to steep cliffs and leads from the site of a cabin to a cable-borne tram that crosses the river to the station. The cabin had once been home to engineers who measured the flow of the river and its silt content.

Farther along, the bluffs grow redder and more rugged. The crystal water becomes a richer sapphire in the deeper flows, a brighter turquoise in the shallows. The light casts surreal designs on the walls and illuminates a mosaic of rocky river bottom. The stark contrasts are a photographer's dream.

The canyon is home to a series of caves, picturesque grottos eroded into the rocky walls. Vacant mud swallow nests line many of the walls, communities of avian condominiums.

Occasional coves with tiny beaches, some sandy and others gravelly, offer paddlers opportunities for rest stops. The ubiquitous tamarisk tree, a shrubby non-native interloper now well established throughout the Southwest, is ensconced on every beach and in many pockets of soil on the cliffs.

The clarity of the river along coves and beaches invites swimming, though the temperature does not. The flows below Lake Mead are chilled year-round to 53 degrees. Best to wait for more inviting opportunities upstream.

At Arizona Hot Springs, two canyons converge to form a long, pebbly shore on the east side of the river. The back-country camp offers many sites and is sometimes crowded; more solitary spots are located up and down river.

The hot springs a quarter-mile inland are the primary appeal.

``I know at the end of a hard day of paddling upstream the payoff is going to be lounging in the hot springs,'' said Paula Chavez, another CKF member.

Other geothermal wonders lay a 2-mile paddle upstream at Goldstrike Canyon, in full view of spectacular Hoover Dam, where a warm-water creek works its way down to the river from the west to a lagoon. An eighth-mile hike up the stream puts one under a tepid waterfall.

Just 100 yards up river from Goldstrike Canyon are rain caves - botanical dioramas inset in canyon walls and lush with ferns fed by seeps of hot and cold water. Also nearby is a tunnel that seeps hot steaming water.

The cave was drilled by workers building the dam, but abandoned when hot water (122 degrees Fahrenheit) was encountered. What is left is a 6-foot, by 4-foot, by 100-foot dark, steamy tunnel in solid rock that provides the non-claustrophobic with a sauna-like experience. The entrance is marked by a small, hot waterfall. Bring a flashlight.

For nature lovers, Black Canyon provides opportunities to spy unique desert wildlife, including bighorn sheep, bald eagles, loons, cormorants, coyotes, wild burros, ringtails and bats.

The trip back to Willow Beach is a quick and simple downstream affair. It is especially beautiful in the early morning, the sun shining high on the canyon walls, the river a shimmering looking glass, reflecting all it sees.

CAPTION(S):

Map; Photo

MAP: COLORADO RIVER KAYAKING

Intimidated by the whitewater of the Grand Canyon, or merely trying to work your way up to Class VI rapids? Then the Black Canyon section of the Colorado River may be your speed. An easy paddle upstream from Willow Beach, Ariz., to the Hoover Dam, the gorge offers visitors dramatic bluffs and other breathtaking scenery, a sampling of area wildlife, including bighorn sheep, bald eagles and burros, and a series of hot springs ideal for soaking tired muscles after a long day's journey.

PHOTO (color) Tranquil water and picturesque cliffs draw paddlers to Black Canyon on the Colorado River.

Pamela Edy Schlotter / Special to the Daily News