Description

Boulder Beach mostly is a place to seek refuge from the desert, enjoy a picnic lunch, and do a little swimming while watching waterfowl and migrant species. The campground and picnic areas have many big, old trees that harbor resident and migrant species. The swimming beach is wide and sandy, and it provides habitat for shorebirds, waterfowl, and diving birds. Be sure to bring a spotting scope, as you never know what you'll see far out on the water.

The Boulder Beach Marina was closed and moved to Hemenway Beach because of low water. The marina still has berths for hundreds of boats and carp, plus lots of ducks. Look for the marina on the south end of Boulder Beach (i.e., Hemenway Harbor).

Link to a map.

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 Road and drive north for about 1 minute to the Lake Mead (Allen Bible) Visitor Center (Table 1, Site 0655). 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 Road for about a mile and follow the signs to the marinas, campground, picnic area, and swimming beach (Site 0663). The turnoff to the marina is just past the fee station.

Hours

Always open.

Fees

It costs $10 per vehicle to enter Lake Mead National Recreation Area (annual passes accepted); after that, there are no extra fees for using the Boulder Beach area (campers pay an overnight fee).

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 bring bread to feed the birds (popcorn is available for sale in the marina store), and the wild ducks become habituated to humans and can be viewed close-up. The marina area can be good for viewing waterfowl, grebes, loons, mergansers, and gulls. Be sure to notice the large striped bass, common carp, and channel 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, and wander through the Trailer Village looking for seed feeders, hummingbird feeders, and bird baths (please respect private property and privacy). Keep an eye out for dragonflies too.