Lake Mead

Life in Southern Nevada and much of the American Southwest would not be possible without the existence of the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. The Lake Mead National Recreation area is the largest man made reservoir in the country and is located just a short drive away from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas. The area offers year round recreation catering to both water and dry land enthusiasts alike. Lake Mead is equipped with boat launching facilities as well as picnic tables and fishing areas. Lake Mead area is also the gateway to several desert hikes such as the Arizona Hot Springs hike.

This moderately difficult hike takes hikers to several naturally occurring hot springs in the area. These hot springs have been modified to be easily accessible to hikers, although some scrambling and light climbing ability will be required to access some of the better soaking sites. Other hikes such as the Hamblin Mountain hike offer visitors views of wide open vistas and the surrounding mountains. Big Horn sheep inhabit the area and are often visible from the trails as well as other desert wildlife. Travel just slightly further and visitors can view one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century.

The Hoover Dam sits on the border between Nevada and Arizona. The Hoover Dam is the largest dam in the western hemisphere, rising over 700 feet above the canyon floor and the Colorado River. Two tours of the dam are available to visitors, allowing access to view the main power plant below as well as some of the observation decks from above. On these tours, guests are shown a short video about the history of the dam and are taken in an elevator down below to the canyon floor to one of the two power plants.