Entrance fees and opening hours
- 25$/car and all passengers valid for 7 days
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open 24h all year round.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Our visits: So far 7 visits in August 1992, April 1997, November 2009, May 2013, February 2016, April 2022, and June 2023
Lake Mead NRA
Description: Lake Mead was created in 1936 by damming the Colorado River in the Black Canyon, by the Hoover Dam. It is 106mi long, up to 489ft deep and has a dam volume of max. 34.9 billion m.3. Today it is used for power generation and as a water reservoir for Southern California. It is one of the most important reservoirs in the USA. The entire area around the lake offers many recreational opportunities and is also a nature reserve.
Our rating: The nature around Lake Mead is very barren and desert-like, yet we find it very interesting. We like it here and think that Lake Mead and its surroundings are well worth a visit.
ST. Thomas
Description: Mormon settlers founded the town in 1865. Its good location directly on the Muddy River helped the place to flourish. At its peak, up to 500 people lived here. When the Hoover Dam was completed and Lake Mead was flooded, the inhabitants were forced to abandon the place. On June 11, 1838, the last resident left St. Thomas. As a result, St. Thomas disappeared and remained under water for many decades. Only when the water level of the lake began to fall at the beginning of the 21st century, the ruins of the village were released. Today (April 2022) the lake is long gone from the site and the remaining parts of St. Thomas can be visited. The site is now located within the Lake Mead NRA. There is a trail that passes all the interesting ruins.
Trail length: 2.8mi roundtrip
Altitude difference: approx. 98ft
Time needed: 2 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: In this sense, St. Thomas really has nothing spectacular to offer. Objectively, you will find old stone walls on a very barren piece of earth. What fascinated us most here, however, is the story behind it. We like such places where you wonder what these dilapidated buildings might have to tell. The way to the small place is easy to find and easy to walk. Along the way there are many interesting signs that tell about the life and stories of the place. We think a little detour is worthwhile.
Oases in the desert
Blue Point Spring/Rogers Spring
Description: The two hot springs are found on Northshore Rd, which winds west along Lake Mead. Both can be reached by short footpaths. While the small Blue Point Spring is almost completely overgrown, you can still admire a real pool at Rogers Spring.
Our rating: We think the two oases are two nice stops along the park road. The palm trees, in the middle of the desert definitely stand out.
NEW !!!
Christmas Tree Pass
Description: Christmas Tree Pass is a pass that crosses the Newberry Mountains in southern Nevada. The road begins west of the town of Laughlin on NV Highway 163 and ends south of the small town of Searchlight, NV, on US Highway 93. The 16mi route is dirt throughout.
Coming from Laughlin, a spur road branches off after just under two miles to the trailhead of the Grapevine Canyon . From here you can explore a small canyon with countless petroglyphs. You can walk a few miles into the canyon, but most of the petroglyphs are on the rocks around the entrance of the canyon. To see them you only have to walk a few 100feet along the wash.
Trail length: ca. 3mi roundtrip (whole canyon), ca. 0.3mi roundtrip (petroglyphs)
Altitude difference: approx. 360feet (entire canyon)
Time needed: 2 hours
Difficulty level: easy
Our rating: The drive along the Christmas Tree Pass Road is not necessarily very spectacular, but there are always beautiful views of the mountains and the surrounding desert landscape. The road was in quite good condition. High ground clearance was definitely an advantage. If you are interested in petroglyphs, you should not miss the detour to Grapevine Canyon, where you can find countless examples.
