Sight · Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Walk the floating docks to see boats, fish, and waterfowl.
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
Hemenway Harbor: Floating Cafés and a Dock Walk“The marinas at Hemenway Harbor are coming up, and you can visit without renting a boat. At Las Vegas Boat Harbor, stroll the floating docks and look for fish below the walkways and ducks around the slips.”
Plays as you drive up to Las Vegas Boat Harbor in the Parkwolf Lake Mead Tour Guide.
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“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
Las Vegas Boat Harbor is a marina at Hemenway Harbor, with floating docks and nearly 1,500 slips for boats up to 75 feet. It’s a useful stop if you’re launching or renting a boat; if you’re not boating, the dock walk and Harbor House Cafe make it a pleasant shorter visit, though the harbor itself is modest as a scenic attraction.
Boat and personal-watercraft rentals take you toward nearby coves and islands, with Hoover Dam visible from the lake. Check rental availability and launch conditions before planning around a boat trip. Lake levels reshape the shoreline and can change which ramps and lanes are usable.
You can stroll among the moored boats without renting one. Look down into the water for fish, and watch the ducks and other waterfowl around the slips. The harbor works best as an easy waterside stop or as a starting point for time on the lake.
The Gripentog family has operated Las Vegas Boat Harbor since 1957. Falling water levels later made the former marina at Las Vegas Bay inoperable; it closed and relocated to Hemenway Harbor in October 2002. The move is a reminder that Lake Mead’s shoreline, and the facilities built around it, shift with the water.
The floating Harbor House Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks. The marina store carries drinks, picnic and fishing supplies, and boat accessories; fuel is available at the docks. The National Park Service lists potable water, flush accessible restrooms, and parking for cars and boat trailers.
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
EasyHistoric Railroad Trail7.5 mi · 3 hr · 1.8 mi awayFive dark tunnels on a railbed high above Lake Mead.
ChallengingRiver Mountains Loop Trail34.4 mi · 13 hr · 2 mi awayA paved circuit linking Lake Mead, Boulder City and Henderson.
ModerateSugarloaf Overlook Trail3.1 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayOld dam roads, sandy washes, and a Colorado River overlook.
ModerateBoy Scout Canyon Trail3.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 4 mi awayA sandy volcanic wash ends above a 330-foot plunge.
ChallengingColorado River Overlook Trail3.6 mi · 3.8 hr · 4 mi awayA river overlook reached by a rough wash, loose ridge, and scramble.
EasySpooky Canyon Trail1 mi · 1.3 hr · 4.8 mi awayA dark slot winds beneath a sculpted stone portal.
Restaurant · At the trailheadHarbor House CaféDine above the slips with lake and desert ridges in view.
Restaurant · 0.3 mi awayThe Boat House Bar & GrillA floating restaurant and bar with views over the harbor and lake.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayLake Mead MarinaBoat slips, dockside dining, and desert views in one lakeside stop.
Beach · 0.7 mi awayPersonal Watercraft BeachA rocky launch beach for personal watercraft.
Sight · 1 mi awayLakeview Scenic OverlookA quick lake-and-desert panorama on the way to Hoover Dam.
Beach · 1.1 mi awayCanoe/Kayak BeachA water’s-edge launch for Boulder Basin paddling.
Beach · 1.4 mi awaySpecial Events BeachA rocky Boulder Basin beach reached by dirt road.
Campground · 1.6 mi awayLake Mead RV VillageAn RV base with full hookups and lake-view sites.Parkwolf’s Lake Mead ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
