top of page
Lake Mead Exploration Guide
Â
Lake Mead and the Colorado River offer dramatically different experiences depending on where you launch. From the wide-open Boulder Basin to narrow desert canyons and the emerald water below Hoover Dam, each area has its own places worth exploring.
Below is a guide of all major launches inside of Lake Mead National Recreation Area to help you plan out your rental and make the most of your half or full day out on the water.
Hemenway Harbor
Â
Drive time: 25 Minutes
Hemenway Harbor is one of the best starting points for exploring the Boulder Basin and the western side of Lake Mead. From the harbor, head toward Boulder Islands for protected coves, rocky shorelines, and great places to stop and swim. Continue east toward Sentinel Island and the open lake for expansive views of the surrounding mountains. One of the highlights of this area is exploring the shoreline in the direction of Hoover Dam, where the canyon walls gradually tighten and the scenery becomes increasingly dramatic. Hemenway is especially convenient for visitors coming from Las Vegas or Henderson and provides access to a lot of scenery without requiring a long ride across the lake.
Â
Explore toward: Boulder Islands • Sentinel Island • Boulder Basin • Hoover Dam area • secluded coves
Callville Bay
Â
Drive time: 30 minutes
Callville Bay puts you in an excellent position to explore the central portion of Lake Mead, where long desert shorelines give way to islands, coves, and colorful rock formations. Heading west takes you toward Boulder Basin, while traveling east opens up increasingly remote sections of the lake. One of the most interesting adventures from Callville is following the lake toward Virgin Basin, stopping along the way to investigate quiet beaches and narrow coves that are difficult to reach from land. The Callville area is a great choice for explorers who want to spend more time riding and discovering less-developed sections of Lake Mead.
Â
Explore toward: Virgin Basin • Boulder Basin • secluded beaches • desert coves • remote eastern shoreline
Willow Beach
Â
Drive time: 45 minutes
Willow Beach offers a completely different experience because it sits on the Colorado River below Hoover Dam, rather than on Lake Mead itself. Heading upriver toward Hoover Dam takes you through the spectacular Black Canyon, where steep volcanic cliffs rise directly from the water. Along the route are geothermal features, small beaches, caves and narrow side canyons, with Emerald Cave being the area’s best-known attraction. The closer you travel toward Hoover Dam, the more dramatic the canyon becomes. Water here can be surprisingly cold even during extremely hot weather, and boaters should pay close attention to current conditions, restricted areas and operating rules when exploring the river.
Â
Explore toward: Black Canyon • Emerald Cave • canyon beaches • hot-spring areas • Hoover Dam
00:00/00:00
Temple Bar
Â
Drive time: 1 Hour 15 min
Temple Bar is one of the best gateways to the quieter and more rugged eastern side of Lake Mead. The surrounding Temple Basin features towering desert mountains, long stretches of undeveloped shoreline and dramatically less development than the Boulder Basin. Exploring outward from Temple Bar can lead to isolated coves and beaches where the landscape feels almost untouched. Longer adventures can take you toward Virgin Basin and deeper into the eastern reaches of Lake Mead, where distance, changing water levels and limited services make preparation especially important. For visitors looking for solitude and big desert scenery, Temple Bar is one of Lake Mead’s most impressive starting points.
Â
Explore toward: Temple Basin • Virgin Basin • remote beaches • secluded coves • eastern Lake Mead
Echo Bay
Â
Drive time: 50 Minutes
Echo Bay provides access to the northern and northeastern portions of Lake Mead and some of the recreation area’s most remote scenery. From here, explorers can head toward Overton Arm, where towering desert formations and broad stretches of open water create a completely different atmosphere from the busy western end of the lake. Farther north, the landscape leads toward the Muddy River and Virgin River areas, although access changes considerably with lake elevation. Echo Bay is particularly interesting for riders who enjoy covering distance and seeing areas of Lake Mead that relatively few visitors experience. Because services and developed facilities are limited compared with the Boulder Basin, extra fuel, water and careful trip planning become especially important.
Â
Explore toward: Overton Arm • northern Lake Mead • remote desert shoreline • Virgin River area • secluded coves
Cottonwood Cove & Lake Mohave
Â
Drive time: 1 Hour 10 minutes
Cottonwood Cove is a fantastic starting point for exploring Lake Mohave, the long, narrow reservoir along the Colorado River located within Lake Mead National Recreation Area. While Lake Mead lies above Hoover Dam, Lake Mohave stretches downstream from Hoover Dam toward Davis Dam, creating a completely different riding experience. From Cottonwood Cove, you can explore miles of clear blue water surrounded by steep desert mountains, rocky coves, sandy beaches, hidden shoreline areas, and striking volcanic formations. The narrower shape of Lake Mohave makes exploring especially fun because the scenery constantly changes as you travel north or south, with countless places to pull into a cove, swim, relax, or explore the shoreline. Head north toward Willow Beach and Black Canyon for increasingly dramatic canyon scenery, or venture south toward the broader sections of Lake Mohave and Davis Dam. Cottonwood Cove is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a more remote adventure while still experiencing the incredible landscape protected within Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Â
Explore toward: Lake Mohave • secluded coves • sandy beaches • Willow Beach • Black Canyon • Davis Dam
bottom of page