How to Visit Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Most people go to Lake Mead Recreation Area to see Hoover Dam, which stores water from melted snow from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. The water is released to Southern Nevada, Arizona, Southern California and Northern Mexico. But there is much more to do at the Recreation Area than see Hoover Dam or Lake Mead. The lakes are great for fishing and boating and hikers and photographers love the Mojave Desert. Traveling on foot is the best way to explore the ecosystem and rock formations of the Mojave. Let's find the trails in canyons and washes and see Lake Mead Recreation Area.
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Instructions
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Know your limits in the desert. Pick a route that best suits your abilities. Check the weather forecast before leaving. Sudden storms can cause flash flooding. Carry plenty of water. Drink often. Watch for signs of heat exhaustion.
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Find the Hot Springs Trail, located in a slot canyon that joins the river just downstream of Ringbolt Rapids. Canyon walls are nearly vertical and about 6 to 9 feet apart. At the source the spring discharges highly mineralized water at a rate of about 30 gallons per minute and a temperature of about 111 degrees F. The best season for hiking is November through March when temperatures are cooler. Hiking during the daytime in the summer months is not recommended because temperatures can reach 120 degrees F in the shade.
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White Rock Canyon is a volcanic area. See a wide variety of desert plants. Rocks encountered during the hike are volcanic with some granite boulders washed down from the Black Canyon.
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Hike down a spectacular volcanic canyon to the Colorado River below Hoover Dam and relax in a hot spring in a side canyon.
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Bicycle along the elevated railroad bed used to haul supplies for the construction of Hoover Dam. The views of Lake Mead are spectacular.
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Take a walking tour. Look for desert bighorn sheep, ravens' and owls' nests, lizards and antelope ground squirrels. You may also see rattlesnakes and scorpions during the summer.
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Find the Wetlands Trail on Northshore Road. The trail follows a dry wash down to the banks of the flowing creek. Bring your binoculars to see the birds.
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See the Northshore Summit Trail. Look for photography signs just past the 20 mile marker on Northshore Road traveling north. The trail climbs from the parking area to a nearby hilltop with a dramatic panoramic view of the Muddy Mountains, the red rocks of Bowl of Fire, Bitter Springs Valley and the Virgin Basin.
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Walk through Grapevine Canyon where a fresh water spring flows in non-drought years. This desert spring gives water to a wide assortment of plants and animals. You can see evidence of the prehistoric Native Americans who lived in this area by following the trail to the mouth of the canyon, an easy ¼-mile walk. Petroglyphs are etched on the boulders at the entrance to the canyon.
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Tips & Warnings
Naegleria fowleria, an amoeba common to thermal pools, may be present and could enter through the nose causing a rare infection and death. Do not dive into pools, splash water or submerge your head.
Do not hike without telling a friend where you are going. Always know the trail back.
The best time to visit Lake Mead Recreational Area is in the winter. Summers can be too hot.
