Lake Mead Day Trip From Las Vegas

Lake Mead is about a thirty-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip. If this is your first visit, you should stop at the visitor center at the corner of Great Basin Highway and Lakeshore Drive.

Here, you can pick up maps, ask questions, and get directions to the attractions of the lake. There is also a movie where you can learn about Lake Meade and the surrounding area.

About a half-mile down Lakeshore Drive is the parking area for the Lake Mead bike trail, and you can also pick up the Trail Head for the Historic Railroad & River Mountains Loop Trails.

The Loop Trail is about 35 miles long and connects Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Hoover Dam, and Boulder City.

The Historic Railroad & River trail follows the old railroad right-of-way used to build the Hoover. You can hike or bicycle along the elevated railroad bed and enjoy views of Lake Mead and the surrounding desert landscape.

Lake Mead Desert Princess Steamboat

Las Vegas Boat Harbor is where you can rent a boat or cruise on the Desert Princess paddlewheel steamboat. Desert Princess is the only licensed water tour provider on the lake, so if you want a boat tour, this is it.

Lake Mead Cruises offers sightseeing, Brunch, and Dinner Cruises. They all make the trip to you for an up-close look at 726 feet 726-foot-high Hoover Dam.

For more adventurous day-trippers, rent a boat from the Las Vegas Marina and head out on your own. The marina is a short trip to Hoover Dam and Cathedral Rock.

The lake also features hundreds of coves, inlets, and islands to explore. Boat rentals start at around $50.00 per hour, up to $300.00 for the day.

If you continue driving along Lakeshore Road, there are numerous dirt roads and trails down to the lake (use at your own risk), or you can stop at the Sunset View Scenic Overlook, which has a paved parking area and offers a full vista view of Lake Mead.

The National Recreation Area requires an entrance fee. Entrance passes can be purchased at the entrance stations. Boulder Beach, East Lake Mead Blvd, Lake Mead Parkway, Cottonwood Cove, Temple Bar, and Katherine Landing have pay stations.

It’s about a seven-mile drive from the Lake Overlook to Las Vegas Bay, a campground near the lake. Depending on the water level, launching a boat launch Las Vegas Bay is possible. When the lake is low, boats must be launched at Hemingway Harbor.

Lakeshore Road turns inland from Las Vegas Bay into Lake Mead Drive. The road passes by Lake Las Vegas, a private lake with several casino resorts and housing developments. Continue on Lake Mead Drive to return to Las Vegas.

Starting from January 1st, 2024, Lake Mead National Recreation Area will be shifting towards a cashless fee collection system. From then on, electronic card payments will be the only acceptable mode of payment for entrance, lake use, and campground fees. While entrance stations will still be selling passes, a cash payment will no longer be accepted.

More Fun Fun Things to Do and See in Nevada

Lost City Museum Overton

Carlsbad Flower Fields