Visitor center · Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Start here for park maps, desert exhibits, and Lake Mead views.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Lake Mead Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Lake Mead audio tourRecorded for this place
Lake Mead Visitor Center and Desert Garden“You're coming up on Lake Mead Visitor Center, also called the Alan Bible Visitor Center. Stop here if you'd like ranger advice or a closer look at the desert around the lake.”
Plays as you drive up to Lake Mead Visitor Center in the Parkwolf Lake Mead Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
The Lake Mead Visitor Center, also called the Alan Bible Visitor Center, is a single-story park information and exhibit building east of Boulder City, a few miles north of Hoover Dam. It makes a useful first stop if you're deciding how to spend your time around the recreation area: rangers and volunteers can help you plan, and the maps and brochures give you a sense of how spread out the lake and its access points are. Reach it from U.S. 93 via Lakeshore Road; the address is 10 Lakeshore Road in Boulder City.
Inside, a large relief map covers the whole recreation area, so you can see how the shoreline, roads and distant sections fit together before picking your next stop. Animal exhibits introduce the wildlife that lives in this desert-and-water landscape, and the center's film, Life in the Desert, gives the park's natural story a closer look.
The grounds are more than a view from the doorway. A short wander through the desert garden brings you past cacti, desert trees and shrubs, with labels explaining plant communities found around the recreation area. There are a few benches under mesquite trees, and the garden opens onto views of Lake Mead.
Three easy, pet-friendly trails begin at the visitor center. A small downhill walk also connects to the Historic Railroad Trail and the River Mountains Loop Trail; both are described as suitable for bicycles and strollers. The center is a handy place to ask about your options before setting out.
The store inside carries books about the park and region, maps, postcards, posters, outerwear, jewelry and Native American arts and crafts. It's a good place to pick up a local book or map; the listed merchandise is for browsing and souvenirs rather than a meal stop.
The visitor center was completed around 1966 and named for Nevada Senator Alan Bible, who worked with Park Service officials. The garden and exhibits make that name a useful reminder that this is both a practical information stop and an introduction to the history and landscape visitors are about to explore.
Wildlife
525 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
116 sightingsBurroMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
18 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 4 PMSighting map
99 sightingsWhite PelicanMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
145 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
106 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake Mead. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingRiver Mountains Loop Trail34.4 mi · 13 hr · At the trailheadA paved circuit linking Lake Mead, Boulder City and Henderson.
EasyHistoric Railroad Trail7.5 mi · 3 hr · 0.2 mi awayFive dark tunnels on a railbed high above Lake Mead.
ModerateBoy Scout Canyon Trail3.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 3 mi awayA sandy volcanic wash ends above a 330-foot plunge.
ChallengingColorado River Overlook Trail3.6 mi · 3.8 hr · 3 mi awayA river overlook reached by a rough wash, loose ridge, and scramble.
ModerateSugarloaf Overlook Trail3.1 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.1 mi awayOld dam roads, sandy washes, and a Colorado River overlook.
Campground · 1.7 mi awayLake Mead RV VillageAn RV base with full hookups and lake-view sites.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayLake Mead MarinaBoat slips, dockside dining, and desert views in one lakeside stop.
Campground · 1.9 mi awayBoulder Beach CampgroundShaded, paved campsites with Lake Mead views near Boulder Beach.
Restaurant · 2 mi awayThe Boat House Bar & GrillA floating restaurant and bar with views over the harbor and lake.
Sight · 2 mi awayLakeview Scenic OverlookA quick lake-and-desert panorama on the way to Hoover Dam.
Sight · 2 mi awayLas Vegas Boat HarborWalk the floating docks to see boats, fish, and waterfowl.
Restaurant · 2 mi awayHarbor House CaféDine above the slips with lake and desert ridges in view.
Beach · 2.1 mi awayPersonal Watercraft BeachA rocky launch beach for personal watercraft.Parkwolf’s Lake Mead ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
