Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

10/11/2015

We recently traveled from home to Bryce and Zion national parks. Since the travel took more than one day, we decided to stop on our way out at Lake Mead. While we were there, we also visited Valley of Fire state park.

Lake Mead is the reservoir formed by Hoover Dam. It is very large. And very low. The drought has taken its toll as we were on the lakeshore but a long way from the water. It is a pretty area.

We arrived about 3 PM and parked then went to Hoover Dam. It is an impressive structure. We arrived too late for the tour where they take you inside the dam and powerhouse. Next time, we will arrive early enough to tour the dam. We were surprised that you are allowed to walk and drive across the top of the dam. There is a security checkpoint so they must feel confident they can effectively screen visitors. We drove across the dam, turned around, and parked in the parking garage and walked down to the dam. On one side, you can look down on the powerhouses and on the other, you can look at Lake Mead.

We stayed at Lake Mead RV Village as we wanted electric in case it was hot. It was. We didn't realize it, but the park is adjacent to the National Recreation Area campground. The park was your typical RV parking spot. Sites were reasonably level and gravel and not so close together that you felt on top of your neighbor. Much of the park is permanent residents, but there were plenty of short timers like us.

The next day, we drove around the north side of the lake from the dam to Valley of Fire state park. On the way, we stopped at Redstone, an outcropping of red sandstone which was pretty dramatic. Then we saw Valley of Fire state park. Then we saw Bryce Canyon National Park. This was a good order to go as each place was significantly more scenic than the prior place.

We were glad we visited and would have liked more time to tour the area around the lake. We missed the visitor centers and the historic railroad trail.