Boulder City holds a considerable
distinction. It is the only city in Nevada without
gaming; it was created for the construction of the Hoover
Dam, and has developed into a green, friendly, vacation
and retirement city. The community services the needs of
more than one million visitors who are attracted by
Hoover Dam and Lake Mead each year.
The point of all this is just to emphasize that
Boulder City makes an intersting place to stay -- even if
you're commuting to a casino in Las
Vegas, only 19 miles away. The Hacienda Casino (at
the former site of the old Gold Strike) is on the highway
much closer to Boulder City, if you get desperate. This
is a getaway town with great recreation facilities along
Lake Mead, all close to the city center via North Shore
Road.
Boulder City, a modern and totally planned
community, is blessed with more than its share of parks.
The town was actually built by the federal government to
house the people who built the dam and then came to run
it and the recreation area. There's a free movie about
the building of the dam shown in the visitor's bureau, at
441 Nevada Highway.
The town has a golf course. A thriving artists'
community provides a good selection of small galleries
and crafts shops. Hoover Dam is 7 miles east of
Boulder City. The highway crosses the dam with viewpoints
offering lake and canyon scenes. Guided tours of the dam
and power plant are given daily, except Christmas Day.
You can take a cruise on Lake Mead. The Desert
Princess operates popular cruises daily throughout
the year from 11:30 am, with a special early Sunday
breakfast cruise at 9 am. The stern-wheeler tours the
southern part of the lake, passing between islands and
sailing close to Hoover Dam.
The Lake Mead National Recreation Area is
located both north and south of town. The northern edge
of Lake Mead has seven marinas with boat rentals
(including houseboats). There are campgrounds with 290
spaces for tents, RVs, and trailers, as well as
additional private RV parks in the area.
Farther south, via U.S. Highway 93, is the southern
section of the national recreation area which includes
the canyons just south of the Hoover Dam and Lake
Mojave. It stretches along both sides of the Colorado
River to just north of Laughlin. This part of the river
is popular with rafters. Organized raft trips leave from
just beneath Hoover Dam and float through the Black
Canyon -- past riverside hot springs and waterf --
lls&emdash;to Willow Beach or on to Lake Mojave. Canoe
trips may also be arranged. See the visitor's bureau for
schedules.
Boulder City Camping
The campgrounds near Boulder City are under the
administration of the Lake Mead National Recreation
Area. There are six campgrounds in the area. The
closest to town is the Hemenway Campground, 5
miles northeast of downtown on State Route 166. As with
the other camping areas, there are no showers. There is a
boat ramp here.
Boulder Beach Campground is 6 miles northeast
of Boulder City on State Route 166. There is a restaurant
at this location, plus rental boats and a boat ramp.
Las Vegas Wash Campground is 15
miles north of town, also via State Route 166.
Reservations are not accepted at these or the other Lake
Mead sites.
