Most Visited NPS Units in the Southwest: 2, Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Lake Mead is similar in size and appearance to Lake Powell, further upstream along the Colorado River, and though the surroundings are rather less scenic, it attracts many more visitors on account of its location, beside the sprawling desert city of Las Vegas. As is usually the case for lake-based preserves, most activities take place on or right beside the water, and the park also has one other major attraction in the Hoover Dam. There are only a few maintained trails in the national recreation area but many other interesting places are reachable by cross-country hikes, including slot canyons, springs, eroded rock formations and old mines. Also in common with Lake Powell, water levels have fallen markedly in recent years.

2014 Visitation: 6,942,873
Lake Mead National Recreation Area - full description