Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Address: 601 Nevada Highway Superintendent, Lake Mead NRA
Boulder City, NV 89005
Phone: 702-293-8907 or 702-293-8990
Fax: 702-293-8936
Overview. Lake Mead National Recreation Area lies at the interface of the Mojave, Great Basin, and Sonoran Deserts in one of the hottest and driest places on Earth. Only a few miles west sits Las Vegas, the neon oasis. The horizon here looks limitless and is framed by striated stone, mountains, colorful wildflowers, and open sky. The area is massive -- 1.5 million acres spread north and south from Hoover Dam across nearly 3,000 square miles of Nevada and Arizona. It sprawls northward along Lake Mohave, and turns at the Hoover Dam, stretching eastward until it meets the border of Grand Canyon National Park at its eastern limit. Lake Mead's clear waters were formed by the Hoover Dam in 1935, and its sister lake, Lake Mohave, was created by Davis Dam in 1953. The recreation area was established in October 1964 and has since become a popular destination for millions of visitors each year. It will provide you with a wealth of diverse recreations and discoveries. What to see and do. For lodging, Lake Mead offers 1,148 campsites in eight campgrounds, five motels, and six RV campgrounds with full electric, water, and sewage hookups. The admission fee is $5.00 per vehicle. Concession lodging and overnight boat camping are also available in the marinas. Campgrounds are equipped with drinking water, toilets, and dump stations, and are situated to provide easy access to laundries and showers. If you're looking for full amenities, the most developed campground in Lake Mead National Recreation Area is Boulder Basin, which has three large marinas. Camping, swimming, boating, waterskiing, fishing, scuba diving, wildlife viewing, and hiking are the leading summer activities. Within the park you'll be able to rent houseboats, powerboats, mooring slips, and buoys, as well as buy fuel, camping and sports equipment, and groceries. You can enjoy raft and boat excursions, dam tours, and interpretive programs offered by the Alan Bible Visitor Center, which lies four miles northeast of Boulder City. The staff at the visitor center can also provide you with land and nautical maps, activity schedules, and any other information you'll need during your visit. One way to familiarize yourself with the Lake Mead area is to take a scenic drive. You'll be rewarded with dramatic desert and mountain vistas and panoramic lake views. Follow the Lakeshore and Northshore Scenic Drives that wind along the banks of Lake Mead. Be sure to visit the enormous Hoover Dam facility, where you'll be able to tour the inner workings and walk along the upper decks of this engineering miracle. Picnicking in any of the recreation area's scenic picnic sites is also a treat. You'll find sites with drinking water, tables, rest rooms, and cooking grills situated in the Callville Bay, Las Vegas Bay, Boulder Beach, Cottonwood Cove, and Katherine areas. Other picnic sites that have no drinking water are also available. Another good way to explore Lake Mead is to go on a desert hike. Hiking will allow you to see places you can't see from a boat or while driving. You can hike to see the sandstone formations situated near Redstone Picnic Area, or to a canyon where you can see centuries-old Indian petroglyphs carved in rock. Lake Mead and Lake Mohave are great settings for water recreation; the waters are blue and cool even in the hottest summertime heat. If you just want to sit back and enjoy good fishing, both lakes are stocked with bass, trout, catfish, crappie, bluegill, and other species waiting for the well-cast lure. Sailing and windsurfing against a backdrop of mountain ranges and desert expanses are options, as well as swimming in the lakes' blue waters. Noteworthy attractions adjacent to or near Lake Mead National Recreation Area include Valley of Fire State Park, located at the parks northwest edge, and Lost City Museum, found at the northern end of Lake Mead. Of course, you can always take an urban excursion into America's recreation city, Las Vegas.
Great Basin National Park
Address: Hwy 488
Baker, NV 89311
Phone: 775-234-7331
Fax: 775-234-7269
Overview. The Great Basin is actually a misnomer for this group of desert basins, or valleys, in Nevada's South Snake mountains. Basins are a vital part of the desert ecosystem, collecting excess water from streams and rivers that don't have outlets in the ocean. The national park was established in 1986 to preserve this natural drainage system. The South Snake Range is characterized by craggy mountains and dry sagebrush valleys that alternate in a continuous, almost monotonous pattern. Pinyon juniper woodlands, aspen, mahogany, manzanita, as well as an abundance of wildlife thrive in the cooler, wetter conditions found at higher elevations. Looking at the arid desert range today, it's hard to imagine that the area was once partially covered by glaciers, although the ice never reached below elevations of 8,000 feet. Remnants of their presence still exist, such as a small glacier in the cirque on the north side of Wheeler Peak and glacier-carved Teresa and Stellar lakes. The other natural wonder that draws people to this park is not above ground, but below. The Lehman Caves (also a misnomer, since there is only one) extend a quarter mile into the limestone at the base of the Snake Range. This small underground cavern is decorated with a colorful array of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and columns. Lehman is famous for rare formations called "shields," which are made up of two circular halves that resemble clam shells. The origin continues to be a mystery among geologists. What to see and do. A visit to the Lehman Caves is an ideal activity for a one-day excursion. Ranger-led tours begin at the visitor center near the cave entrance, and take you through several intricately carved rooms. The two most impressive rooms are Cypress Swamp, with its rimstone pools and "soda straws," and Grand Palace, which features several shields and columns. The tour is up to 0.54 miles or shorter and lasts up to one and one-half hours with some tours 30 to 60 minutes. Be sure to dress appropriately; the temperature inside the cave is 50 degrees year-round. If you have more than one day to explore the park, take some time to see Lexington Arch, in the south end of the park, or explore the glacier at Wheeler Peak. Several trailheads converge at the base of Wheeler Peak and lead to pine forests and alpine lakes. Opportunities for horseback riding, fishing, and mountain biking are also offered, but stop by a ranger station for information on licenses and limitations. Rangers also lead evening campfire programs and nature hikes. There are four developed campgrounds within the park, which provide everything from water to tent pads. Along Strawberry Creek at the north end of the park and Snake Creek on the east side of the park, primitive campsites offer tent sites but no water.
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