Recreation
Lake Mead |
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Lake Mead Details
- Hours of operation: Recreation area open daily, 24 hours. Visitor Center is open 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Cost: Entrance fee (1-5 days): $5 per vehicle; $3 per individual (motorcycle, bicycles, hikers) $20 for annual passes; $10 for Golden Age Passport (62 or older) $50 for National Parks Pass. Lake use (1-5 days): $10 first vessel; $5 each additional vessel.
- Payment options: Cash, check, Mastercard, Visa and Discover.
- Location / Distance from Las Vegas: Take U.S. 93 south through Boulder City toward Phoenix, approximately 30 miles.
- Travel options: Private vehicle, tour bus.
- On the way: Enjoy the desert scenery.
- Amenities:
There is lodging available at Lake Mead Lodge, Temple Bar and Echo Bay Resort. Food is a vailable at Lake Mead Marina, Las Vegas Boat Harbor, Callville Bay, Echo Bay, Overton Beach and Temple Bar. Groceries, sundries and fishing equipment are available at marinas.
Self-service laundry facilities are available at Callville Bay and Lake Mead RV Village (RV tenants only). Shower facilities are available at Callville Bay.
Service Stations and Fuel are available at all marinas.
- Annual visitors/busy season: Over seven million people a year visit Lake Mead. Spring and summer are the most popular seasons.
Lake Mead Review
Lake Mead is the 16th largest man-made lake in the world and the largest man-made lake in the Western Hemisphere. It was created by the Hoover Dam along the Colorado River. It occupies about 1.5 million acres -- twice as much as Rhode Island -- and about 820 miles of shoreline.
The National Park Service established Lake Mead as a national recreation area in 1964. Lake Mead offers year-round recreation, everything from boating to swimming to hiking to wildlife viewing.
Located at the junction of three desert ecosystems -- the Mojave, the Great Basin and the Sonoran deserts -- Lake Mead is home to many animal species and plant varieties, some which are exclusive to this area.
Lake Mead is surrounded by red sandstone and black lava rock in the 1.6 billion-year-old Black Canyon. Some of the lava hills are about 6 million years old.
Lake Mead facilities include eight campgrounds, five motels, seven RV campgrounds with hookups, five marinas, boat and jet ski rentals, beaches, restaurants, cafes, snack bars and a visitors center. For more information, visit the official Lake Mead Web site.
