Provo, UT

Confession. I’d been itching to take this boat ride since last year, when my husband flatly refused. He’s a big guy and was worried about the seaworthiness of the vessel. With five little sailors, I didn’t dare attempt the trip alone. So, this year, I worked on my delivery. I asked him over the phone, when he was slightly preoccupied, and used words like “riverboat” and “cruise” to emphasize the fact that we weren’t taking a canoe (Kind of witchy, I know, but I figure its cool to be witchy during October, right?). It worked, and on Friday night we meandered down the river, with our pirate guide, and few dozen other landlovers.

The swamp-like ambience of this stretch of the river was reminiscent of an Okefenokee tour I took years ago—minus alligators, mosquitoes and some of the greenery. The boat was hand powered, literally. Our wiry guide, and his first mate who boarded the ship via zipline a few minutes into the journey, pulled our boat using cables that hung overhead. Twinkly lights and dozens of jack-o-lanterns added to the atmosphere. Trip highlights: being commandeered by a canoe-riding pirate who told bad jokes while he passed out candy, and listening to our guide recite “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” Just in case you were wondering, my “big guy” and our sailors had a great time. We were singing “aargh, aargh, aargh” all the way home.

Here are the need-to-know details for those considering this adventure.
• Location- The Halloween Cruise is located at CLAS Ropes at 3606 W. Center St. in Provo. From I-15 take the Center St. Exit (265) in Provo, and head west for two miles. Facility is on the right. Parking is along the shoulder of the road on both sides of the streets. Lighting is minimal on this country road, so if you’re going with small children hang on to them.
• Departure Times – Every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour, Mon.-Thurs. 6:30-9:00 pm, and Fri-Sat. from 6:30-10:00 pm, until Oct. 31st. The cruise lasts 25 minutes.
• Price – Download a coupon from clasropes.com and the price is $5.00 a person or $25.00 for immediate family. Children 2 and under are free. Otherwise its $6.00 for an individual pass.
• Scare factor – No blood and gore on this light-hearted boat ride. We went at dusk, which I think is a good option for smaller children. Although Tweens, teens and datenighters might prefer the thrill of a night trip.
• Attire – Dress warm, take blankets.
• Restrooms – 2 available.
Enjoy the trip!