A Day of Boating on Lake Mead, Nevada

Want to see the “other” side of Hoover Dam? You know, the one from the water, the views that pedestrians walking along the dam do not see? We did, so we rented a powerboat at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor on Lake Mead, just down the road from our campground. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera, so you’ll have to believe us when we say the views were beautiful! (We were with friends who remembered their camera, so hopefully we’ll get some pictures soon.)

We were very pleased with the condition of the boat not only was everything in working order, as one would expect, but the boat was in top shape – no dirt, no trash, no torn/ripped seats – it looked new, in fact! After our tour of safety and how to drive the boat, with map in hand, we were off! Our first stop was Hoover Dam, and you can get pretty close, although due to security concerns, boats cannot get as close as they once have. It was an awesome view – on the water with the massive cement dam hovering above – definitely worth the money for the boat rental.

After enjoying lunch on the lake, we boated to various scenic areas along Lake Mead – we observed some beautiful orange rocks, sandy beaches where you can dock on the sand an swim (wait until summer, though – the water was NOT warm!), and down some beautiful channels where the rocks were beautiful white and peach colors. (Again, wish we had remembered the camera.)

We could easily have spent an entire day meandering the lake on the boat, but it was getting a bit windy and we were all cold, so after about 3 hours on the water, we headed back to the marina. This was a great time – if you have a few bucks to spare, then definitely rent one of these boats and enjoy the lake for a day – pack a lunch, some snacks, maybe some fishing gear – enjoy!!

Note – If you are not interested in captaining your own vessel, there are tour boats that will take you to Hoover Dam – check with the Visitor’s Center at the top of the hill for recommendations.