We didn’t know quite what to expect as my family and I set off on an unknown Halloween adventure on the Provo River. The CLAS ropes course Halloween River cruise is located right before the Utah Lake, at their actual ropes course campus. The facility is fascinating, clean and charming with it’s little log cabins, amphitheater, and various ropes course towers throughout the well-kept grounds.
This is the 18th year for the Halloween cruise and will be the 20th year of the Christmas cruise coming up this December. We didn’t have to wait long before we were escorted by a dashing young pirate towards the boat loading dock. Everyone under 12 has to wear a life jacket and they had a flotation device for my one-year-old daughter. They must not care if old people fall in. lol! its probably because we could probably just stand up in the river and be fine.
We head down the plank to load onto the 40 passenger pontoon boat. Our Lady Captain and star of the cruise arrived shortly with her first matte to set off on the not so high seas. Within minutes into our cruise it became very apparent we were in for a very special treat thanks to our quick and witty captain. I didn’t quite realize we were going to be getting a show with our cruise. It was like a pirate interactive comedy show mixed with a Halloween themed gondola ride from Venice. Minus the stinky Venetian sewage water. She was a riot. There was definitely a lot of time and effort put into their little 25-minute comedy skit. These were excellent actors and staff and they made the entire boat ride a memorable experience for my family.
My kids were laughing their heads off and they even managed to make my husband crack up a bunch of times as well. The river cruise promises and delivers fun Halloween decorations along the river, over 100 hand carved pumpkins that have to be replaced almost weekly, a spooky story and a pirate attack.
The river area that they are allowed to row along is not very big so a motorboat just wouldn’t work. The owner came up with a rope pulley system to pull the large 40 passenger pontoon boat along the river. And it works like a charm. The first matte was a small woman that easily pulled the long boat down and back around on the water. This part of the Provo River is not a rushing water part. It is more stagnant almost like a long pond and has fish and even beaver along the area that passengers sometimes get to see. So you don’t have to worry about rushing water or rapids with your little ones.
The venue was nice and unique, the Halloween decorations were a fun touch, the boats and river cruise itself was smooth and relaxing but the charismatic lady Captain made it all worthwhile. We would go back just to hear her bad (but good) pirate jokes again.
This is definitely going to be a family tradition from now on, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for their uplifting Christmas river cruise.
To get more information about CLAS ropes course in Provo Utah head over to their website here. You can also get $1 off admission by paying in advance online.
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