Lake Mead

Lake Mead is about 30 south of Las Vegas, on the Colorado River. Lake Mead occupies more area than any other reservoir in the United States. It is about 110 miles long, measured from the Hoover Dam, which started to fill the lake in 1935. Part of the lake and the river below serve as a border between Nevada and Arizona. It is said to have a capacity of 28.5 million acre-feet of water. The water is supplied to towns and cities in California, Nevada and Arizona. Between May of 2000 and May of 2003, the water level in Lake Mead has dropped more than 60 feet, and is expected to continue to drop precipitously unless better conservation practices are put in place amongst the user states.

Elwood Mead, for whom the lake was named, was the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation during the time the Hoover Dam was designed, funded and built. Around the lake is a large National Park. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area was established in 1964, consisting of 1.5 million acres of land in and around the lake. It offers sport fishing, boating, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, camping and other outdoor recreational activities. The many interesting geological formations and cliffs invite investigation by climbers. The lake has several sandy beaches. The Alan Bible Botanical Garden is also found at Lake Mead. As it is a National Park, there is a small fee for entry.

The main entrance, especially for visitors from Las Vegas, is off US 93, just four miles east of Boulder City. It is sometimes called the Alan Bible Visitors Center.

Lake Mead has several different areas: Boulder Basin is closest to the dam. Virgin Basin is a larger area upstream, connected to Boulder Basin by “The Narrows.” Past Virgin Basin upstream is the Overton Arm, into which the Virgin River and Muddy River flow. Temple Basin and Gregg Basin are to the east and south of Virgin Basin, towards Phoenix. From Hoover Dam, the Colorado keeps flowing south to the smaller (but still large at 200 feet high) Davis Dam, 60 miles below. Davis Dam was completed in 1955, creating Lake Mohave. Lake Mohave is near the towns of Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona, at the southern tip of Nevada.