Just a short drive away from Las Vegas, Lake Mead is a recreational area known for its stunning red rocks, rugged mountains and refreshing water flowing from the peaks further north. Between the many canyons and valleys surrounding the lake, there are many intriguing facts and hidden secrets to be found – here are some of the most fascinating.
Lake Mead was created artificially in 1936 to ensure water supply for the then-developing Las Vegas region. In order to flood the reservoir, the Hoover Dam was built to reroute the Colorado River and provide water to Arizona, California and Nevada, as well as some parts of Mexico.
As the Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, Dr Elwood Mead was in charge of building the Hoover Dam between 1925 and 1936. He died just before the project was completed so his name was chosen for the newly created lake to honour his legacy and the role he played in creating the lake.
Although work on the lake started in 1931, it wasn't filled with water until 1934. However, it took two more years for the lake to even reach a considerable size. It was only in 1983, more than 50 years later, that it finally filled completely. That year is still the only time in history it's ever been at full capacity.
Thanks to the Wilderness Act of 1964, which designated certain federal lands across the country as public wilderness, the region surrounding Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam became the first nationally recognised recreational area in the country. The US Bureau of Reclamation hoped a national designation would bring more outdoor activities to the scenic reservoir and they weren't wrong – it's still a popular destination for watersports and hiking today.
The lake itself has a 550-mile-long (885km) shoreline and is twice the size of Rhode Island. But Lake Mead Recreational Area, which includes Lake Mohave, Las Vegas Bay and the surrounding region, covers around 1.5 million acres – the same size as the Everglades in Florida – and stretches over two states, Nevada and Arizona.
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Still providing water to Arizona, California, Nevada and even parts of Mexico to this day, the reservoir has become the water supplier for around 25 million people and the surrounding farmlands. That’s almost the entire population of Australia.
Although Lake Mead is fed by the smaller Las Vegas Wash as well as the Virgin and Muddy rivers, most of its water comes from the Colorado River, which flows from the Rocky Mountains. Here, snowmelt in spring feeds the Colorado River, which eventually flows into the reservoir.
To combat Lake Mead’s decreasing levels, the Southern Nevada Water Authority built three intake tunnels deep within the lake, constructed in 1971, 2000 and 2015, the last of which is dubbed the 'third straw'. The three-mile-long (4.8km) tunnel helps access water at a depth of 600 feet (183m) – like a straw – meaning the local water supply is stable even when the water level approaches critical.
The area around Lake Mead used to be a settlement for several Indigenous tribes. Archaeological excavations found evidence that these people lived here around 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. In a nearby cave, archaeologists even discovered remains of animals such as ground sloths, camels and mountain sheep that the earlier settlers would have hunted. Today, petroglyphs can be spotted in many parts of the Lake Mead Recreational Area, reminding visitors of its ancient history.
With the discovery of these archaeological sites also came the uncovering of the lost city of Pueblo Grande. Dating back to 8000 BC, ancient Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, are said to have lived here until AD 1150. The city's buildings, consisting of 20 to one hundred rooms, are a great example of how the Puebloans lived.
Looking to settle on prime farming land along the banks of the Colorado River, Mormons mistook the area for Utah and founded St Thomas here in 1865. As soon as they realised their mistake, they burned down several buildings and relocated to Salt Lake City. However, the town didn't stay abandoned for long – early pioneers settled here immediately after. When the area was flooded in 1938 to create the reservoir, the villagers were forced to abandon the town. Today, due to low water levels on the lake, some parts of the ghost town can still be spotted.
After visiting the re-emerged ghost town of St Thomas, Jackson Ellis was so intrigued by its remains that the settlement became the subject of his 2018 novel, Lords of St. Thomas. The story is told through the eyes of the last family that remained in the town before its eventual flooding.
Between the canyons and the water, visitors of Lake Mead will be able to spot amazingly diverse wildlife. Over a dozen species of fish, such as rainbow trout and bluegill, live in the reservoir, while desert bighorn sheep and mountain lions roam the lands. You can also spot over 240 different types of birds and 19 species of bats.
With around 900 camping and RV sites, campers can pitch their tent at 15 different locations within the recreational area. Some RV parks, such as Lake Mead RV Village, sit right at the edge of the water, while others place you in the middle of the desert. The campsites are open year-round and offer running water, barbecues and picnic tables to relax at.
An abundance of beautiful hiking trails meander through the area, taking in the diverse landscape, from otherworldly rock formations to the blue expanse of the lake itself. Ambitious hikers should head for the challenging uphill paths in the canyons while those after a more casual stroll can take in abandoned gold mines, petroglyphs and ancient Indigenous sites.
Between Lake Mead and Lake Mohave (another reservoir on the Colorado River within the Lake Mead National Recreational Area) boaters can explore more than 290 square miles (750sqm) of clear blue water. There are 13 different launch sites for boats across the area, six of which have marinas, and the desert winds make it ideal for sailing.
The desert heat is serious here, often reaching temperatures over 40°C (104°F) so it's no surprise travellers and locals alike love spending their days on or in the water. Activities like water-skiing, wakeboarding and stand-up paddleboarding are all really popular, but most people prefer renting out a kayak or a canoe to take in the impressive canyon views.
Perhaps one of the best freshwater lakes in the world for scuba diving, Lake Mead and its neighbouring Lake Mohave offer amazing underwater views. Both amateur and skilled divers can discover different submerged sites, sea life and a rugged lake floor. There are 10 different dive sites in Lake Mead, one of which takes in a submerged Second World War plane, B-29 Superfortress.
The Second World War aircraft crashed and sunk into Lake Mead in 1948. The plane took off in California to conduct high-altitude atmospheric research but hit the water after an altimeter failure and sunk to the bottom where the remains of the B-29 bomber lie to this day. Miraculously, the crew onboard the plane survived the crash.
The wrecked plane, Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam all play a role in the popular video game Fallout: Las Vegas. In it, gamers can explore the locations in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting in the year 2077.
Alongside the wrecked plane, a sunken military boat has also emerged from the water recently. It’s one of around 1,500 ‘Higgins boats’ that were shipped to Normandy from the US during the Second World War. Although it’s unclear if this Higgins ever made it to Europe, we know that after the war, it was used for surveying the Colorado River.
As water levels continue to dwindle, local authorities are now finding previously submerged human remains, speculated to date back to a time when the mob controlled Las Vegas. The first set was discovered in a barrel in May 2022 and said to have died by homicide. The next two skeletons were found just a week later. The latest and fourth remains resurfaced on 7 August at the lake’s Swim Beach.
The reservoir's capacity has been declining since 1983. In 2010 the lake’s capacity was only at 39%, with the only increase occurring in 2012 after a lot of snowmelt in the Rockies. The lake’s lowest level was reached in summer of 2022, with fears that the capacity will steadily continue to decrease.
Unfortunately Lake Mead isn’t the only reservoir that is affected by rising global temperatures. Lake Powell, which is also fed by the Colorado River, is the second largest reservoir in the US, but its water levels have hit record-lows in recent years. Meanwhile Utah's Great Salt Lake, the largest salt water lake in the Western Hemisphere, reached its lowest level in July 2022.