Description

This is mostly a place to seek refuge from the desert and watch waterfowl, so short-term visitors may want to emphasize birding in other places where desert species are more likely to be found. The campground and picnic areas have many big, old trees; the swimming beach is wide and sandy; and the marina has berths for hundreds of boats and carp. Be sure to bring a spotting scope, as you never know what you'll see out on the water.

Link to a map of the Boulder Beach area.

Location

Boulder Beach is located southeast of Las Vegas on the western shore of Lake Mead. The easiest way to get there from downtown Las Vegas is to drive south on Highway 93, through Boulder City, and into Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Past Boulder City (still on Highway 93), turn left onto Lakeshore Scenic Drive and drive north for about 1 minute to the Lake Mead (Allen Bible) Visitor Center (Table 1, Site 655). Rangers are on duty at the Visitor Center during regular business hours and on weekends, so this is a good place to stop and get orientated to the area. The Visitor Center is located high on the hillside, which gives a good overview of the entire Boulder Basin, including the Boulder Beach area. From the Visitor Center, drive north on Lakeshore Scenic Drive for about a mile and follow the signs to the campground, picnic area, and swimming beach (Site 663). The Lake Mead Marina (Site 452) is located about a half-mile north of the picnic area.

Hours

Always open.

Fees

It costs $5 per vehicle to enter Lake Mead National Recreation Area (annual passes accepted); after that, there are no extra fees for using the area.

Specialties

During winter, the marina is an excellent place to view and compare a variety of duck species including Redhead, Canvasback, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, and American Wigeon. People feed the wild ducks here (popcorn is available for sale in the marina store), so the ducks are habituated to humans and can be viewed close-up. The dike along the south side of the marina can be good for viewing waterfowl, grebes, loons, mergansers, and gulls. Be sure to look for large striped bass, carp, and catfish under the marina. During winter and during migration, watch the water and the shore at the swimming beach for waterfowl, grebes, loons, wading birds, shorebirds, and gulls. During spring and summer, check the trees in the campground area for hummingbirds, flycatchers, warblers, and tanagers. Check for hummingbird feeders on RVs in the campground.