A Boat Tour of Lake Mead

America's waterways are the playground for more than forty million persons each year. And many of these have turned to Lake Mead as one of the "Last Frontiers" of the boating world. Lake Mead with its 550-mile shoreline is one of the few lakes left that isn't so crowded that cruising is a chore. Although each day brings more and more boaters to the area, there is plenty of room for many more. In fact you can still have a "private" cove in which to drop anchor.

When we started boating on Lake Mead nearly ten years ago, we often spent a whole weekend at such popular places as Sandy Beach or Little Gyp Beds and would see only one or two other boating parties. Sometimes it was so lonely in the Virgin or Upper Basin, we'd have been happy to see even a coyote on the shore.

One August we took a cruise (our first) to Temple Bar. This is the thundershower season in this area, and there had been a pretty good downpour the day before. In fact, it still looked bleak and foreboding toward the Grand Wash Cliffs of the Lower Grand Canyon. When we arrived, there was no activity around the Temple Bar boat dock which had been wrenched in two parts by the gusty winds. We had to walk half a mile to the service trailer to get an attendant to sell us some muchneeded gasoline.

"Hey," he grumbled, "no one comes up here this time of year. Our dock broke up yesterday in that big storm but guess I can make the gas pump work. Hasn't been anyone in here today by boat or car. The road's washed out in several. places."

His whole manner was one of contempt for neophytes who go boating on Lake Mead in August.

"See that boat upside down on the shore over there?"

By Gene Segerblom PHOTOGRAPHS BY CLIFF SEGERBLOM

How things have changed for the better on Lake Mead! Today Temple Bar is one of the most popular fishing resorts in the area. It is in use 365 days a year with only an occasional windy day keeping boats land bound. And then the fishermen sit in the cozy restaurant swapping tall bass tales. Most of the changes at Lake Mead are a result of the National Park Service's Mission 66. Under this program, trailer and camp sites have been enlarged, first class launching ramps have been installed and all facilities have been improved and increased. Concessionaires in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area have attempted to keep up with the year-to-year tourist increase and are busy extending additional services to the traveler.

In the Boulder or Lower Basin, you can now have your boat in a slip at Lake Mead Marina, which is the largest floating marina in the country, or perhaps the world, complete with restaurant, cocktail lounge and marine store.

If your cruise time is limited to one day, there's some good places to visit in the Boulder Basin. With the change of the restricted area by the Bureau of Reclamation, you can now enter Black Canyon, going on down to Hoover Dam. Near the Dam on the Arizona shore is Kingman Wash, commonly called Paint Pots, because of its variegated colors. Often in this area you will see not only wild burros, but mountain sheep and coyotes. Standing guard over all the Lower Basin is Fortifi cation Mountain which closely resembles "praying nuns." Cruising along the Arizona shore from Paint Pots you pass in front of Fortification and end up at Castle Reef which could be children's giant sand castles. Next comes Burro Point, plainly marked by a Park Service sign and often by wild burros themselves. All along this shore is very good bass and crappie fishing. The entrance to Boulder Canyon, which separates the Virgin and Boulder Basins is marked by Beacon Island, an important navigation light site. On the Nevada shore opposite Beacon Island is Sandy Beach, a favorite of water skiers. In fact it has become so popular, in recent years that we shun it. But the next cove, Hamblin Bay, which we have named Little Sandy, is less populated and affords some good sites for overnights or picnics.

Going on around the Nevada shore is Callville Bay, once the site of Fort Callville built by the Mormon church in the 1860's. Lake Mead made a watery grave for Callville, once a thriving steamship river port. The many lesser coves in this large bay are excellent fishing spots and are ideal places for camping.

"FORTIFICATION MOUNTAIN AND THE PAINT POTS-LAKE

"MEAD" BY JOSEF MUENCH. Fortification Mountain is a colorful landmark watching over Lake Mead. In the camera study, the photographer has captured all the impressive beauty of the mountain and the Paint Pots that seem to pour garish color from its base. These make a wonderful background for the blue waters of Lake Mead, the immense reservoir lake with 550 miles of shoreline behind Hoover Dam. 4x5 Linhof camera; Ektachrome; f.18 at 1/10th sec.; 5" Xenar lens; May.

One of our favorite Stoday sports, en it is just about fifteen or twenty nhontas from the Marina, is Swallow Cove. It is on the Novade shoe bmwoon Callvilla Bay and Black Island, shing out of the waent at the trees to Vegas Wark, Swallow Cove has lots së sandy beaches along with many sound ones. If you lease to dinkyguish berepen the two, which often look the same fans diance, you'l have a les day on the lake Up Vegas Wash is another matches with slips and mooings, and all wacomary feallidis. It is a popula take-off site for Las Vegas paopla, as a new short but our recenly compland from Las Vegas to the Irice called Lake Misad Boulevard. Under the Nemicon 66 progии. the Nationd Pack Service is construesing a road fron here to Boho Bay on the Oramas an of Lain Mand.

Now, if you are bent on a little longer boulos, you cam instar di thuongh Basider Carypan, cape the por posed the for Hoover Dan. While you ins in the Can you, take a tale tip iso Whining Will Cove, Werve apont many an hour in it fishing for bloogill with inaga balla, a spots kide õuly love. Don't forget to te in a cals and make a wih bolse you leurs In the Vingis Basin avs Linde and Big Gyp Beds, both, offlming tmcellent fubdog. This Vaghr Baks get plenty sough in a steady been of fiftent to terehty five alies per bete. It is not dangeroun, but it's a good kies to be cautious.

Upon the basin, the lake wawwi dora egin, and you pass promocieries and monoildhe tnch as Napoleon's Torah, the Hapasack and the Minironman which she pre clbously slave the lake level. Taple Bar Bell war named for tise tamplede foamstion on the shore oppo alte the rescat. Of course, if you want to start your mpiska sua fomu have, you can call your bost ceat a fut class paved zoud to Temple Ber and Apache thre Byen if you sint your crise at Tample But, you'l See kas of tattling cung. Through the mounds monger toward Grand Canyon, Lalkie land followe nie row but deep goes that were aut by the Colande River to suck famantions wihove kadódual layers ofina sno snegly tiled. And you could reteta hand agala without adequately exploding such interesting sounding place as Burns Bay, Getaway Cove, Hualapal Bay and Devil's Cove, The hoogde desaline of saxe ene cove and pandaules is meost lashing.

Across iones Tangle Bar, tin, laks macrows drawn batwon the map walls of Vigin Conyou but anam spreads ast again in Gaogg's Basin. Half way wo Gaogg's Batda is Startly Folks, which waves as a good good shopping point hne hands on a day-hung củann or a good info svandghe camp. Allnagh a looks lovking with hi bày mounds of mod, in a kalsk hasare the wakade pantal moves her in duddng sands of the Saben. Deest. Bo malen you want aand in your backstages check your whead gauge balos going cobore here.

Long Canyon with is done sandling an end where it was deputet millius of yous apo tome sest Disen dikwood jame sake the golog slove. And as the end of Acabang Canyon & Deditwood Cove where your of Bostanting waters have deposited ayea of waled, knotted, sunbd sunbaked dilwood, and you on linda sil akle ustazio place for any common.

Here that is Boundary Paint, where you leave.. Nevada and cater Arisana. Up to this point than amats shake was in Nevada and the south in Artsons, with the cantus of the lake the dividing has. The mat of the the la Azkarma.

Now comes Grand Wash and God's Pocket, two vary somic areas which also shound with bass and cat Baks. Then Plazos Fary Basta which et for water is a big nond wed and flet mequiring a skillfiol skaper so the old civic channel. The hep of many dling sund There appears in the non. Hice the water take on a browelsh hon, sed it in dificult so mo the tondate and yuu are steak on A When the lake is how, following a poor Oslands River zuund, banting above hiru le luted to anall reads. Howeens, it has hast, poallile the last few years to make up to Beliga Canyon Dam she and Milk aga rupee shove the site. When full, Lake Mead heda inns th lorer youths of the Grand Canyon, fts sore than forty smiles. Hors the stand diffs sise fat veux gyan fet above the wane. You will agree, if you son bušky enough to socke the up, the's hot a plea more spett Even if you and your wipe it Homery hanry or Calabha Falls, you've reached the Grand Wash Cần which make the wastem tanikation of the high plans through which the Condo River her carved the Grand Cao you. Tlatt le an lalactic asa, too, as Raetpass Cava, Jame of the giant slee sloch which made his headepartem has several shonand you before tha hắnếu lich of cố the cho Chastina C Am, is looted shout, roon fvet up the gossipkan The entrance i bånded by a stest mooi bender to hoop ensure achealogia eus Along ton enlles on up to a deunted graco mining opestion. The but dang, sich in sângen wurd in for rillest, had lela konce wolltarbed for fusands of years, until Lake Mead lucked up de Colade King, mabing the level to withla sooo foot of the ear's ro by go-lumt opening. By an Ingandang xônnie thọ giant was danied amun the canyon by wabloway and toxiked in aandhst. The upwalan proved tom wody and was alardeal.

There are many famoso alde crayons, so sow baccaadhle by bow betme ade and sand ban guard the entzunca. At Quronate Congen, a once bensi ful wewefalt is absced feat view by kouh, and alt. One of she laut entop sits with plenty of aand is band at Apropar red. As up the stroom Challenge you to a wounded when you can suplenkh your cold dialing water sad take a cool dawwes. As Separ tion, for a couple of min below Takige Caryota, there's a plaque on the canyon wall maddeg the spot when, σε Αgen 18, 106, đườ ưu cử to original fejce Pawel party mpanted from the group, danked to the North Fin, and was killed by Ladies. The othes in the paty mily made the voyage on deveza.

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Lake Mined inen Hoover Dam to Pidge Canyon allms tradation, wildlife and rugged basury far thus aclvente άρες. However, most of its beauty is inscessible asup by beat, bo piena orales for a red wine of Lake Mond and the Lower Grand Canyon. You won't seget it.