LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
The Colorado River forms two long lakes as it winds more than 144 miles through
Lake Mead National Recreation Area. From Grand Canyon National Park, the blue waters
flow around the extreme northwest corner of Arizona past black volcanic rocks, stark
hillsides, and white, sandy beaches. Striking desert scenery and inviting waters
make the area a paradise for boaters, anglers, water-skiers, swimmers, and scuba
divers. Visitors sometimes sight bighorn sheep on the canyon cliffs and wild burros
in the more level areas. Adventurous four-wheelers and hikers can explore the hills
and canyons of the wild, seldom-visited country inland.
Some
areas have an entry fee unless you have one of the national parks passes; otherwise
it's $5/vehicle ($3 motorcycle, bicycle, or hiker) for a five-day permit. Motorized
vessels cost $10 for the first one and $5 for each additional craft for five days;
annual permits cost just twice as much.
The National Park
Service provides boat ramps, developed campgrounds ($10 per night; water but no
showers or hookups), and ranger stations at most developed areas. Park Service people
and volunteers staff the Alan Bible Visitor Center at the turnoff for Boulder Beach,
four miles west of Hoover Dam.
The boating and camping season
lasts all year at the lakes. Most people come in summer, and though it's hot,
swimmers and water skiers best appreciate the water then. Spring and autumn bring
pleasant temperatures both on land and on water. In winter, you wouldn't want
to hop in without a wetsuit, though topside temperatures are usually pleasant during
the day. Scuba divers find the best conditions in winter (Oct.-April), when visibilities
run 20-50 feet versus 10-20 feet in summer.
RECREATION
Boating
To get the most from a visit to Lake Mohave and Lake Mead,
you really need a boat, as roads approach the waterline at only a few scattered
points. If you don't have your own, marinas offer rentals, from humble fishing
craft to luxurious houseboats. Boat tours take in some of the scenery of Lake Mead
from near Boulder Beach. You can also glide through Black Canyon below Hoover Dam
on a raft tour.
Fishing
Both Lake Mohave and Lake Mead offer excellent fishing year-round
for trout, largemouth and striped bass, channel catfish, crappie, and bluegill.
Lake Mohave's upper reaches are especially good for rainbow trout. Both lakes
offer hot fishing for striped bass—some specimens top 50 pounds. Most marinas
sell licenses and tackle. Marinas and ranger stations can advise on the fishing
regulations and the best spots to fish. Shore anglers need a license only from the
state they're in. If you fish from a boat, you'll need a license from one
state and a special-use stamp from the other.
Four-Wheeling
An extensive network of back roads provides access to
the lakes as well as scenic hills and canyons. These roads range from easy to challenging
and require a high-clearance 4WD vehicle. Ask for the set of free maps that show
the approved backcountry roads, which have signs with arrows and numbers. The maps
also show locations of primitive campgrounds and indicate whether they have an outhouse.
Back-road travelers may camp only in these designated areas. All vehicles in the
recreation area must stay on the approved roads or highways.
LAKE MOHAVE
Heading upstream from Bullhead City, you soon arrive at Lake Mohave. Squeezed
between hills and canyon walls, the lake seems like a calmer version of the Colorado
River. Though 67 miles long, Mohave spans but four miles at its widest point. Davis
Dam, completed in 1953, holds back the waters; visitors can park at an overlook
on the dam. At press time, the dam was closed to RVs, trailers, and large trucks.
Katherine Landing
Also known as Katy's Gulch to some folks, Katherine
Landing lies six miles north of Bullhead City. A ranger station/information center
(928/754-3272) near the entrance is open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m. all year. Staff provide
information on interpretive programs, local hikes, the Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs
Site (nearby in Nevada), and back-road drives in the area. Video programs are shown
on request and regional books and maps can be purchased. Recreation facilities include
a campground ($10), beaches (South Telephone Cove is best), hiking trails, and a
fish-cleaning station. The resort (928/754-3245,
www.katherinelanding.com/) provides
a motel ($85-95 d in summer, $35-45 d in winter; add $20 for a kitchenette), house
rental ($240), RV park ($18 w/hookups), restaurant (daily for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner), marina with boat rentals (fishing, ski, patio, and houseboats), store,
boat ramp, showers, dump station, and laundry.
For an easy
walk with some history, you can hike to Katherine Mine, about one mile roundtrip.
Leave Katherine Landing and turn left 0.7 mile on the road just past the ranger
station, park on the right opposite the turnoff for Telephone Cove, then walk up
the wash. You'll see the white tailings all along the way and, where the wash
opens up, the foundations and tanks of the mill on your right. The mine produced
less than two million dollars of gold and silver between 1900 and 1940, but the
mill, built in 1925, continued to process ore from area mines until shut down by
the War Production Board in 1943.
Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs Site and Christmas Tree Pass Road
Large
and complex pictographs cover boulders on both sides of the mouth of Grapevine Canyon
northwest of Bullhead City. From the bridge across the Colorado River, head west
6.3 miles on NV 163 to near Milepost 13, turn right 1.8 miles on unpaved Christmas
Tree Pass Road, then left into Grapevine Canyon Trailhead. Continue west on foot
about 0.3 mile along the easy trail beside Grapevine Wash to the site. Christmas
Tree Pass Road offers fine scenery and views as it winds across the desert and up
to the pass, about 7.3 miles from NV 163, then descends to US 95 for a total of
15 miles one way. The US 95 turnoff is between Mileposts 6 and 7, about 2.2 miles
south of Cal-Nev-Ari. You could loop back to Bullhead City or turn north to Cottonwood
Cove, Hoover Dam, or Las Vegas. High-clearance vehicles do best on this drive. Camping
isn't permitted Lake Mead National Recreation Area, but you could camp on public
lands west of the pass.
Cottonwood Cove
This developed area lies about halfway upstream on
the main body of water on the Nevada side. If driving, turn off US 95 at Searchlight
and go east 14 miles on NV 164. Cottonwood Cove Marina (702/297-1464,
www.cottonwoodcoveresort.com)
has a motel ($108 d, less in winter), RV park ($19.45-24.45 w/hookups), campground
($10), restaurant, marina with rentals (including houseboats), a boat ramp, and
a public swimming beach.
Eldorado Canyon
Northward, the lake narrows at Eldorado Canyon, becoming
more like a river. Trout frequent the cold river currents upstream. A paved road
(NV 165) approaches Eldorado Canyon from the Nevada side, but there are no facilities.
Willow Beach Harbor
About a dozen river miles below Hoover Dam you'll
reach Willow Beach Harbor (928/767-4747,
www.foreverresorts.com) on the Arizona shore, a four-mile paved detour from
US 93 from between Mileposts 14 and 15. Facilities include a picnic area, fish-cleaning
station, store, boat dock, car and boat fuel, boat ramp, and rentals of ski, fishing,
and patio boats. There's no motel or campground here, but boaters can reach
nearby campgrounds on the river. A ranger station (928/767-4000) at Willow Beach
is open irregularly, as staff are often in the field.
A half
mile upstream by road, Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery (928/767-3456)
raises large numbers of rainbow trout for stocking the lower Colorado River and
Lake Mohave. Hatchery staff also study and propagate the endangered razorback sucker
and bonytail chub, which are native to the Colorado River. You're welcome to
visit the raceways outside daily 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
A Scenic Viewpoint just off US
93 offers a fine panorama of the Black Canyon area; it's accessible from both
directions between Mileposts 12 and 13.
Black Canyon River Running
A popular float trip for canoes, kayaks,
and rafts begins below Hoover Dam, following the swift Colorado beneath the sheer
1,500-foot cliffs of Black Canyon to Willow Beach (12 miles) or Eldorado Canyon
(25 miles). A sauna cave and hot springs make enjoyable stops.
Boats can also continue across Lake Mohave to Cottonwood Cove (50 miles) or Katherine
Landing (72 miles); this section below Eldorado Canyon isn't recommended for
nonmotorized boats from April through October because of the prevailing southerly
winds. Obtain permission to launch your boat below Hoover Dam at least three weeks
and up to six months in advance from Black Canyon/Willow Beach River Adventures
(Mon.-Fri. 10:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, 702/494-2204,
www.BlackCanyonAdventures.com),
who also offer raft tours and can recommend boat rental companies; see below.
Black Canyon River Adventures (702/294-1414 or 800/455-3490,
www.BlackCanyonAdventures.com)
rafts the river from Hoover Dam to Willow Beach daily for $73 adults, $70 youth
13-15, and $45 children 5-11. The price includes three hours on the river, lunch,
and transportation from the tour office at the Hacienda Hotel near Boulder City;
pickup from Las Vegas hotels is available for an extra charge. The rafts are wheelchair
accessible.
Arizona Hot Springs Hike
This six-mile-roundtrip route follows a ruggedly
beautiful canyon through layers of volcanic rock to the Colorado River and nearby
hot springs. Highly mineralized spring water surfaces in a side canyon at temperatures
ranging from 113º to 142ºF, which cools to a very pleasant 85-120º. Rangers warn
that the water may contain dangerous amoebas; avoid trouble by keeping your head
out of the water.
Allow four to five hours for the hike down, time to soak in
the hot springs, and the trek back up. The 800-foot descent to the river is gradual,
but you'll feel it on the climb out! Hiking isn't recommended in summer,
when temperatures can reach hazardous levels. As for any desert hike of this length,
bring water (one gallon per person) and wear a sun hat. Also, be alert for rattlesnakes
and flash floods; don't hike if thunderstorms threaten. A map with a description
of the hike is available from the visitor center and possibly at a box a short way
in on the trail.
From Hoover Dam, drive 4.2 miles southeast
on US 93 to a dirt parking area on the right, just south of Milepost 4. The trail
goes west and drops into a wash, which deepens dramatically as you enter White Rock
Canyon. Look for arches above as you descend the gravelly canyon floor. When you
reach the Colorado River, walk a quarter mile downstream along the river and look
for signs pointing the way through a narrow defile that leads over to a narrow canyon.
Turn up this pretty little canyon, then climb a 20-foot ladder to reach the spring-fed
pools. Boaters can pull in at the mouth of this canyon, where there's a campground.
HOOVER DAM
When completed in 1935, this immense concrete structure ranked as one of the
world's greatest engineering feats. It remains impressive today, especially
when you contemplate the mind-boggling statistics: the dam contains 3.25 million
cubic yards of concrete, rises 726 feet above bedrock, and produces more than four
billion kilowatt-hours of energy per year.
With all these
numbers coming at you, it's easy to miss the beauty of the dam. Look for the
graceful curves, the sculptures of the Winged Figures of the Republic, the
art deco embellishments, and the terrazzo floor designs. There's a lot to see
here—outside on the dam, in the impressive visitor center, and at a viewing
gallery of the power plant.
The Mike O’Callaghan –
Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge spans 1,900 feet across the Black Canyon at a height
of 900 feet above the Colorado River; it's about 1,500 feet south of the Hoover
Dam. Construction began in February 2005 and the bridge opened in 2010.
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WINGED FIGURES OF THE REPUBLIC
A statue stands guard on each side of the flag at Hoover Dam. Norwegian-born
Oskar J.W. Hansen gave them eagle wings to represent America's construction
skills, daring, and readiness to defend its institutions. He explained
that the figures express "the immutable calm of intellectual resolution,
and the enormous power of trained physical strength, equally enthroned
in placid triumph of scientific accomplishment." Hansen also likened
the feat of building the dam to construction of the great pyramids of
Egypt. The two figures rest on black igneous rock and rise 30 feet;
more than four tons of bronze went into their 5/8-inch-thick shells.
The terrazzo floor surrounding the base contains an inlaid star chart
that future civilizations can use to determine the date that President
Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the dam—September 30, 1935.
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Visitor Center
The large visitor center (702/494-2517 or 866/730-9097,
www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/index.html) on the
Nevada side of the dam, offers a multimedia presentation, historic exhibits, a viewing
platform, and a look at the generators. It's open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. except
Thanksgiving and Christmas; admission includes a visit to the powerhouse gallery
and costs $10 adults, $8 seniors 62 and up, and $5 children 7-16; no reservations
needed. The easiest parking lies across the road from the visitor center and up
the hill a bit. This parking structure—for cars only—will be appreciated
in hot weather and by those not wanting to walk far; it costs $5. Several lots across
on the Arizona side have parking; the one closest to the dam has a $5 parking fee,
while those farther up the hill are free; RVs and vehicles with trailers can park
at Lots 11 or 13.
Take the escalator or elevator from in front
of the parking structure to the ticket office, theater, and exhibit hall on the
lower level. A multimedia program in the theater illustrates construction of the
dam. Head down into the dam via elevator for a look at the Nevada Powerplant Wing
with its eight turbine generators. The main exhibit gallery, one floor above the
theater level, introduces the people who built the dam and how they did it, along
with narrations about their experiences. Exhibits also illustrate the plants, wildlife,
and other aspects of the region. Continue upstairs to the third level and a viewing
platform overlooking the dam and Black Canyon. Your ticket also includes exhibits
in the old visitor center across the road.
The High Scaler
Cafe and Hoover Dam Store in the parking structure offer fast food and souvenirs,
as does another cafe and store overlooking the reservoir. Note the bronze High Scaler
outside the parking structure.
Boulder City, Nevada
Originally built for construction workers of Hoover
Dam in the 1930s, the town has an attractive downtown and a good selection of motels
and restaurants. It's about eight miles from Hoover Dam; you can take the business
route turnoff at the Nevada Welcome Center, then continue to the museum and services
downtown.
The Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum (in the
Boulder Dam Hotel, 1305 Arizona St., 702/294-1988,
www.bcmha.org, Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun.
noon-5 p.m., $2 adult, $1 children, students, and seniors) will give you a feel
for what it was like to be a worker on the dam. Exhibits include a documentary video,
3-D displays, interactive projects, photos, and artifacts from the dam's construction
days. You'll also find a gift shop.
The 1933 Boulder
Dam Hotel (1305 Arizona St., 702/293-3510,
www.boulderdamhotel.com, $89-159 d)
offers restored rooms and suites, an Italian-American restaurant (open daily for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner, $10-25), an art gallery, and other shops. Rates include
breakfast and museum admission.
The Boulder City Chamber of Commerce (465
Nevada Way and Arizona, 702/293-2034,
www.bouldercitychamber.com, Mon.-Sat.
9 a.m.-5 p.m.) is across the street from the hotel.
LAKE MEAD
Lake Mead, held back by Hoover Dam, is the largest artificial lake in the United
States and holds the equivalent of two years' flow of the Colorado River. Its
shape forms a rough "Y"; one arm of Lake Mead reaches north up the Virgin
River, while the longer east arm stretches up the Colorado River into the Grand
Canyon. Boaters enjoy lots of room on the 110-mile-long lake, and its countless
little beaches and coves provide hideaways for camping and swimming. Largemouth
black bass, striped bass, trout, channel catfish, bluegill, and crappie swim in
the waters.
Alan Bible Visitor Center
Four miles west of Hoover Dam on US 93, near
the NV 166 turnoff for Boulder Beach, the Alan Bible Visitor Center (601 Nevada
Hwy., Boulder City, NV 89005, 702/293-8990, www.nps.gov/lame,
daily 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) offers National Park Service exhibits introducing Lake
Mead National Recreation Area's fishing, boating, wildlife-watching, and desert
recreation opportunities.
You can watch a video program shown
on request. Staff provide handouts and information on backcountry camping, roads,
trails, and interpretive programs. A botanical garden surrounding the visitor center
identifies plant communities found throughout the recreation area. Books are for
sale, as are nautical charts and topo maps. The visitor center closes on Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Historic Railroad Trail
A section of railway bed used during construction
of Hoover Dam has become a trail with excellent views of Lake Mead. It's wide
and nearly level, easy for both cyclists and hikers. The trailhead and parking are
just down the hill from the Alan Bible Visitor Center. You can follow the path 4.5
miles one-way through five tunnels—cool in summer—toward Hoover Dam.
The tunnels had been cut oversize to accommodate the huge penstock pipes and other
equipment. In the opposite direction from the trailhead, you can head 3.6 miles
to Boulder City via the old railroad grade.
Boulder Basin
Above Hoover Dam, the lake opens into the broad Boulder
Basin. You'll find campgrounds at Boulder Beach, Las Vegas Bay, and Callville
Bay. Most of the facilities like just off Lakeshore Scenic Drive, which begins from
US 93 near the Allen Bible Visitor Center. Turn right after 1.2 miles for East Las
Vegas Boat Harbor (702/565-9111), which has a restaurant, store, boat tours, and
marina (fishing-, ski-, and patio-boat rentals). The triple-decked sternwheeler
Desert Princess (702/293-6180, www.lakemeadcruises.com)
leaves from here for a scenic 90-minute trip up the lake to Hoover Dam. The sightseeing
excursions ($20) run two or three times a day; on some days you can sign up for
a breakfast cruise ($32.50), dinner cruise ($44), or a dinner/dance cruise ($54).
Children 2-11 travel at reduced rates except on the dinner/dance cruise.
Boulder Beach, two miles from the visitor center, offers good swimming with
picnic sites; the campground ($10) lies on the south side of the beach. RVers can
stay nearby in Lake Mead RV Village (268 Lakeshore Rd., 702/293-2540, $26-28 w/hookups
and showers).
Lake Mead Marina (702/293-3484 or 800/752-9669)
is farther north with a restaurant, store, and boat rentals.
You're welcome
to drop in and see the trout and exhibits at the Lake Mead Fish Hatchery
(off Lakeshore Road, 5.5 miles from the visitor center between Boulder Beach and
Las Vegas Bay, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily). The Nevada Department of Wildlife raises trout
here and sends most of them to Lake Mohave; others go to Lake Mead and scattered
locations around southern Nevada.
Beyond the fish hatchery,
you'll pass several viewpoints, some with shaded tables, overlooking Lake Mead.
Las Vegas Bay has a picnic area and a campground ($10), but low water levels
forced the marina to move to Hemenway Harbor. Callville Bay Resort & Marina
(702/565-8958, 800/255-5561 houseboat reservations,
www.foreverresorts.com) offers an RV
park ($21.50 w/tax and hookups), snack bar, and a marina with boat rentals (ski
boats, patio boats, houseboats, and personal watercraft). Two campgrounds in the
area cost $10; pay showers are available at the resort.
Kingman Wash
This undeveloped cove on the Arizona shore has been closed
to all land access during construction of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge.
Virgin and Temple Basins
Traveling upstream by boat from Boulder Basin
you pass through six-mile-long Boulder Canyon, also called the Narrows, before emerging
into Virgin and Temple Basins, the largest and most dramatic part of Lake Mead.
Rock formations with names such as Napoleon's Tomb, the Haystacks, and the Temple
provide scenic landmarks. Many narrow coves snake back into the mountains.
Temple Bar Resort (928/767-3211 or 800/752-9669,
www.templebarlakemead.com/), Arizona's
only development on Lake Mead, takes its name from a rock monolith across Temple
Basin. The resort provides fishing cabins ($55 d), a motel ($80-100 d, $100-115
with kitchenette), an RV park ($18 w/hookups), a restaurant, store, car and boat
gas, airstrip, and a marina with boat rentals (ski, fishing, patio, and personal
watercraft). The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but
lacks a proper non-smoking section. There's also a park service picnic area
and fish-cleaning station near the boat ramp and a campground ($10) farther back
in the trees. From Hoover Dam, go southeast 19 miles on US 93 to just south of Milepost
19, then turn left 28 miles on paved Temple Bar Road. A ranger station just before
the resort is open occasionally; there's a short hiking trail here.
On the way you can detour north on an unpaved graded road to Bonelli Landing,
a primitive campground on the Arizona shore of the Virgin Basin. Several 4WD roads
branch off Temple Bar Road too, winding across the desert to both lake and inland
destinations. Adventurous hikers can take the 4WD backroad 130 west to Mount
Wilson Wilderness, where a former road continues a bit farther, then it's
possible to continue cross country to the summit of Mount Wilson.
Two resorts lie along the giant Overton Arm, which branches north into the Virgin
River. Lake Mead Village RV Park at Echo Bay (702/394-4000,
www.lakemeadrvvillage.com/echo-bay)
features an RV park ($19.26 w/tax, hookups, and showers), restaurant, and boat rentals
(all types). The Echo Bay area also has a park service campground ($10); campers
can use the RV park's showers.
Farther north, Overton
Beach Marina (702/394-4040) offers an RV park ($19 w/hookups; showers cost extra
and are open to the public), snack bar, store, and a marina with boat rentals (fishing,
ski, patio, and personal watercraft).
Valley of Fire State
Park (about five miles west of Overton Beach, 702/397-2088) is noted for its
impressive rock formations consisting of 150-million-year-old red Jurassic sandstone.
The park is open year-round, with visitor center exhibits (daily 8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m.), two campgrounds ($14 with showers), picnic areas, and hiking trails. Entry
fee is $6 per vehicle, $1 for pedestrians and bicyclists.
You can view Native American artifacts from Pueblo Grande de Nevada at the Lost
City Museum (13 miles north of Overton Beach, 702/397-2193, daily 8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m., $3 adults 18-64, $2 seniors) on a hill at the south edge of Overton. Built
on an actual Virgin Anasazi site, the adobe museum includes a reconstructed pithouse
and pueblo, pottery, jewelry, lithic tools and other artifacts and historic exhibits.
Civilian Conservation Corps workers in the 1930s excavated artifacts from many prehistoric
sites, some now lost beneath Lake Mead.
Gregg Basin
Upstream, the lake narrows in Virgin Canyon before opening
into Gregg Basin, the uppermost large open-water area of Lake Mead. The basin has
no campgrounds or resorts; facilities are limited to a picnic area and paved boat
ramp at South Cove on the Arizona side. By car, you reach South Cove by heading
south 19 miles on US 93 from Hoover Dam, then turning left 45 miles on a paved road.
You'll pass through Dolan Springs (www.meadview.info)
holding a small motel, RV parks, restaurants, and stores. Joshua trees up to 25
feet tall grow along part of the way; the tree looks like a strange cactus but really
belongs to the lily family.
Pearce Ferry, accessible
by dirt road off the road to South Cove, offers primitive boat ramps and campsites
at the upper end of Lake Mead. Grand Canyon National Park begins just upstream.
Low lake levels at press time forced a temporary closure.
Grand Wash Bay extends north into Nevada above Iceberg Canyon and lacks any
services. You'll need a high-clearance 4WD vehicle and a good map to reach this
lonely spot, as much of the road follows sandy washes. Check road conditions and
weather forecasts before attempting this route.
On to North-Central Arizona