Lake Mead on the Colorado River in Arizona and Nevada

Lake Mead, is named after Dr. Elwood Mead, the U.S. Reclamation Commissioner between 1924 and 1936. Lake Mead is the reservoir created by the 726-foot Hoover Dam and began filling in 1935. It is the tallest dam in the Western Hemisphere.

Hoover Dam		Because of his long involvement in the project, from his days as Secretary of Commerce to his tenure as 31st president, no other politician is more responsible for the successful completion of Hoover Dam than Herbert Hoover. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum
The electrical power provided by Hoover Dam goes to Southern California, 56%, Arizona, 19%, and Nevada, which gets 25% of the allocation.

This old ferry was how you got across the Colorado River

Getting across the river was a lot easier when the dam was completed.

Construction housing in Boulder City, Nevada

US 93 did pass over the Colorado River via the top of Hoover Dam, which provided the only crossing point for hundreds of miles. A new bridge by-pass has been built which speeds traffic between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Lake Mead is part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and with 1.5 million acres in the 3,000 square miles, it is twice the size of Rhode Island and offers a wealth of things to do and places to go year-round. The lake, occupies less than 13% of the total area of the park, caters to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, and fishermen. There are miles of crystal clear open water and clean beaches.

Others such as hikers, wildlife photographers, and roadside sightseers enjoy the unique outdoor recreation opportunities the desert rewards of scenery with striking backdrops, deep canyon, dry washes, sheer cliffs, colorful soils and rock formations, all with a surprising variety of plants and animals, some of which may be found nowhere else in the world. There is some very rugged and isolated backcountry.

Peace and solitude are yours for the asking. Just be sure to take plenty of water with you at all times and watch out for snakes. This dry climate has only 6 inches of yearly moisture. This falls as rain during July and August, and again in February. On rare occasions there are snowfalls of 2 to 5 inches during the winter months.

Fishing is Great on Lake Mead - Enjoy These Photos

Lake Havasu

Lake Mohave

Lake Mead