Lake Mead National Recreation Area Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

Just outside of Nevada. Great Hike

Not far out of Vegas, we came across Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  This lake was created when Hoover Dam was finished in the 30's, and the water backed up behind it.  The dark blue water was in stark contrast to the drab colors of the desert. The water levels here are very low, due to drought conditions, much lower than the last time I was here.  We hung around and took a few pictures, but didn't stay that long...The crew was anxious to go see Hoover Dam!

Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the United States. The lake was named after Elwood Mead, who was commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 to 1936 during the planning and construction of the Boulder Canyon Project that created the dam and lake. Lake Mead was established as the Boulder Dam Recreation Area in 1936, administrated by the National Park Service. It was then changed to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1964, this time including Lake M...