The single most popular day-trip from Las Vegas is the thirty -mile drive southeast to the vast artificial reservoir of Lake Mead , and to the mighty Hoover Dam that created it. In many ways, the dam is also responsible for modern Las Vegas's very existence, not so much as a source of energy but because the workers who built it triggered the city's first gambling-fueled boom. As for the lake, it makes a bizarre spectacle, utterly unnatural yet undeniably impressive, with its blue waters a vivid counterpoint to the surrounding desert. Both the lake and its 550-mile shoreline, however, can be excruciatingly crowded all year round.

Contrary to popular belief, only four percent of Las Vegas's electricity comes from hydroelectric power.


As the crow flies, the western edge of Lake Mead is barely fourteen miles east of the Strip, but no road follows that route. Although two minor highways provide the most direct access, most visitors choose instead to take Boulder Highway , climbing out of the valley at Railroad Pass and reaching Boulder City - still the only city in Nevada that doesn't allow gambling - thirty miles out from the Strip. The first surreal vista of the lake arrives as you drop out of Boulder City on Business-93.

Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

• Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

Explore Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

• Hoover Dam
• Lakeshore Scenic Drive

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