Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) offers a wealth of things to do and places to go year-round. Its huge lakes cater to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers, and fishermen while its desert rewards hikers, wildlife photographers, and roadside sightseers. Three of America's four desert ecosystems--the Mojave, the Great Basin, and the Sonoran Deserts--meet in Lake Mead NRA. As a result, this seemingly barren area contains a surprising variety of plants and animals, some of which may be found nowhere else in the world.

Nature

Attracted at first by the cool, refreshing water, visitors find other unexpected rewards. The quiet, stark beauty of the Mojave Desert with its dramatic exposed geology and the suprising abundance of specially adapted plant and animals offers a variety of experiences for everyone.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a startling contrast of desert and water, mountains and canyons, primitive backcountry, and busy marinas. Dams that back up the Colorado River as it flows through one of the hottest, driest regions on earth created Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. Established as America's first national recreation area, it is a destination for millions of visitors who flock to the desert for boating, fishing, swimming and water-skiing.