Explore Lake Mead

Explore Lake Mead. National Recreation Area. With its rugged mountains, deep canyons, stark deserts, and two large blue lakes, America's first national recreation area is a place of great contrasts. Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) was established in 1964, well after the waters of the mighty Colorado River were subdued by Hoover and Davis Dams, creating Lake Mead and Lake Mohave., Today the lakes provide millions of visitors each year with a place to fish, boat and swim in one of the hottest, driest regions on earth. Despite their immense size, the two lakes comprise only a small portion of the recreation area. More than one million acres of diverse terrain surround the lakes., From the creosote-covered desert to the pines of the Shivwits Plateau, the diversity and range of life and landscape is astounding. Large expanses of wilderness only miles from a major metropolis increase the contrast, making the recreation area a destination for wanderers and urban-dwellers alike., Lake Mead NRA also preserves diverse remnants of both ancient and modern human history, from sacred Native American petroglyphs to a sunken Cold War era B-29 bomber., From bustling marinas to rugged and isolated backcountry, a variety of experiences await you as you explore Lake Mead NRA. Help preserve these beautiful but fragile places. Leave only footprints, take only photographs.