Welcome to Lake Mead Country

It's a vast, sprawling playground that includes two very large lakes and miles of clear-flowing river among rugged, towering mountains that provide spectacular scenery wherever you look. It has a startling variety of wildlife, a wide range of accommodations and, most of all, recreational opportunities ranging from simple sight-seeing through sailing and powerboating to fishing for some of the largest freshwater lunkers in the nation.

It's the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, administered by the U.S. National Park Service and located along the Colorado River, near the northwestern corner of Arizona.

There are secluded sandy beaches where you can sunbathe in privacy, crystal waters where you can swim or snorkel among awesome rock formations, and personal accommodations ranging from simple throw-down camps to plush resorts offering every comfort you might want.

The area starts about halfway between Davis Dam, the long concrete structure that forms Lake Mohave, and Bullhead City, a thriving community spread along the shores of the Colorado River. From there the area stretches northward to include all of Lake Mohave's 67-mile length and 240 square miles of deep blue water, plus Hoover Dam and another 105 miles of Lake Mead, clear to the lower end of the Grand Canyon. The recreation area is centered on the river and its lakes, and ranges from about 3 to 20 miles in width.

In, among, between, and throughout the area's broad desert reaches and the woodland communities in the higher elevations are places where major drainages bisect the general terrain and provide habitat for plants and animals that thrive on the moisture available in wash bottoms. These are the places where birders will likely find the greatest varieties to capture their interest. Here the cactus wrens, thrashers, and Gambel's quail of the desert areas will congregate and find their total numbers swollen by occasional scrub jays and other wanderers from higher elevations. During the spring and fall months, migrants on their journeys to or from homes to the north or south also will stop to feed.

Four-legged denizens of the desert and mountains visit these areas, too. So the chances are good that a quiet, patient observer may spot coyotes, foxes, mule deer, and perhaps even bighorn sheep.

While Lake Mead Country offers enchanting vistas at any time of the year, spring months following wet wintersmuch like the one just pastcan turn entire expanses of landscape into giant mosaics of form and color. The road into Temple Bar Resort-a favorite with Arizonans! from U.S. Highway 93 passes through what is often one of the most striking areas. Here the orange of the poppies that sometimes decorate the entire Detrital Valley, along both sides of U.S. 93 from Kingman to Hoover Dam, gives way to even more brilliant displays of color, as thousands of smaller plants of every hue respond to the warmth and moisture.

Such spectacles, though, are just fringe benefits. It's the water that draws people by the millions to Lake Mead Country, making it one of the most heavily visited tourist areas in the nation.

And water there is; more than anyplace else in the Southwest...or all of the inland West, for that matter. Only the Pacific Northwest can boast so many continuous acres of water surface. Lake Mead, by itself, offers some 550 miles of shoreline, and Lake Mohave, below it, tallies close to another 200. Arizona's Mohave County claims over 1000 miles of shoreline.

Except for mountains all around, there are places where being on Lake Mead or Mohave is almost like being on an ocean. In many of the shallow areas the water is a deep greenish hue, but out where it's 50, 100, or even 300 feet down to the bottom, it's a deep, deep blue.

To tour the Lake Mead National Recreation Area from its southernmost boundary, start at Bullhead City. This thriving Here's magnificent scenery and the clearest of waters...where the bikini-clad bather, the sun-darkened fisherman, and the disengaged houseboater are the primary species...

community began as housing for workers during the construction of Davis Dam, just one mile upriver from the center of town today. When the dam was completed in 1953, the federal housing development there began to grow as people discovered the area and moved in to settle down. Bullhead has grown steadily since then, and today some 20,000 people make their homes there and in the other residential areas that stretch southward along the river.

Most people, especially fishermen, naturally assume the town got its name from the bullhead catfish common in the Colorado River waters, but that's not the case. Before Lake Mohave's rising waters covered it, there was a distinctive rock formation north of town that resembled the head of a bull, and the early settlers decided that would be a dandy name for their new town.

A visit to Bullhead City should include time to hop aboard the free ferry boats that for 24 hours each day scuttle back and forth across the Colorado River to the seven casinos on the Nevada side. To begin your tour of Mead-Mohave, you can either launch your own boat at the public ramp south of town or at one of the private facilities scattered along the river. If you don't have a boat, you can rent one from one of those same resorts. Before leaving Bullhead City proper, though, you might want to swing by Hugo's Lobster Trap, tie up your boat at the dock, and go inside for cocktails or a meal, while you gaze out over the river.

The water here is cold and swift as it flows out from Davis Dam. Trout fisher-men hold the area in high esteem, so, as you move upstream through the current, you'll pass fishermen along the way. It's also noted for channel catfish, but, dur-ing the late spring and early summer, the huge striped bass that move upriver from Lake Havasu to spawn in the wild water just below the dam draw the most atten-tion from anglers.

Stripers up to 20 pounds and even more, rainbow trout that often run five or six pounds, and chunky channel cats of varying sizes make this stretch of river one of the most popular areas in the Southwest for people who like a small but active community with plenty to do in the incredibly beautiful outdoors.

Once you've driven your boat to the boundary stretched across the river by the Bureau of Reclamation-it's to keep enthusiastic people out of the dangerously turbulent water just below the dam - you'll have to head back to Bullhead before resuming your tour.

The run by car back up Highway 95 to Davis Dam takes only a couple of minutes, then a five-mile drive on a paved Park Service road brings you to Lake Mohave Resort. Located in Katherine Wash irreverently nicknamed "Katy Gulch" by some fishermen - this resort offers everything you might want. There's a fine motel, a recreational vehicle park, an excellent campground with paved parking and shade trees, a public beach and boat ramp, a marina where you can rent a variety of boats from simple fishing rigs to house-boats, a coffee shop, cocktail lounge, restaurant and general store... all that plus a great view of Lake Mohave across the basin that shelters the resort area.

It's pleasant to roam through the marina and watch the huge carp that hang around looking for handouts, but the lake itself will beckon you to come on out and see the real wonders of Lake Mohave.

As you pull away from the resort, in your own boat or a rented one, you'll soon be impressed by the clarity of the water. Seeing down 10 feet is easy, and, when the light is just right, underwater formations considerably deeper than that are easily seen.

Mohave, like Mead above it, is a fine lake for those who like to don mask and snorkel for a cruise along the shoreline to view the underwater spectacles first-hand.

Lake Mohave is spoken of in reverent tones by bass fishermen, who tend to regard it as the top bass lake on the river. More reliable than Mead as a bass fishery, an average angler can usually take a decent string in a half-day or so, with bass rang-ing from marginal keepers of 10 to 12 inches to an occasional three or four-pounder. And, of course, there's always the possibility of hooking a true lunker of five, six or even 10 pounds!

North from Katherine Wash, the lake broadens into the sprawling Big Basin, which makes up the widest part of Mohave. Gently sloping shores dominate the east-ern side of the lake, although there are a few coves that offer seclusion and shelter from the occasional winds that sweep viciously across the basin. The west side of the lake is more scenic in this area, characterized by rugged cliffs that tumble into the clear waters in a jumble of steep, irregular coves full of the rock piles and drop-offs so dear to bass anglers.

But bass aren't Mohave's only fish, by any means. Channel catfishing there is very good, and, in the spring, some coves provide excellent catches of black crappies. Mohave also has a good population of rainbow trout-big ones for anglers who troll the deep channels and more modest catches for those who choose to take their

text continued on page 30

Crystal clear waters and secluded sandy beaches lure boaters by the thousands to lakes Mead and Mohave. David Muench photo J. Peter Mortimer photo

(Below and right) Whether cloaked in the mystical beauty of a desert storm or baked by brilliant sunlight, the bizarre wind-and-water sculpted red rock of the Valley of Fire forms a surreal, back of beyond landscape near Lake Mead. David Muench photo/Jerry Sieve photo

Whether it's a tranquil cruise uplake or exploring a desert island, the stunning beauty and vast size of the lakes on the Colorado River provide limitless opportunities for adventure. Alan Benoit photo J. Peter Mortimer photo

(Left) Above Willow Beach, a glimpse of the Colorado River as it may have looked in its heyday. (Below) The water-sculpted ridges of the Black Mountains, Lake Mead National Recreation Area. David Muench photos

Text continued from page 21 sport leisurely off one of the many small sandy beaches that separate the otherwise rugged west-side coves. Cutthroat trout have also been stocked there, and more recently striped bass have shown up in the lake.

Mohave narrows a bit as you head north, then again opens up into Little Basin, the second widest part of the lake. On the west, just before entering this second basin, you'll see Cottonwood Landing, reached by car over a road that heads directly east to it from Searchlight, Nevada. Cottonwood Landing is Nevada's counterpart of Lake Mohave Resort, and offers much the same facilities. Also like the resort on the Arizona side, it's located at the back of a broad cove that shelters it from westerly winds. As you continue north and find the lake getting gradually narrower, you'll come to El Dorado Canyon. Also on the Nevada side and accessible by road from Highway 95, it's generally considered the point where the lake becomes a river. There's no resort there, so the spot is used primarily for access from the Nevada side.

From there north, you gradually realize you're moving through running water, and this is where Mohave begins to turn into trout country. If you dip your hand over the side, you may notice the water is much cooler than it was back in the main lake, and the farther north you go the more this difference becomes apparent.

As you continue heading upstream, approaching Arizona's Willow Beach area, keep an eye on the towering cliffs along the river. In this area, especially on the Arizona side, bighorn sheep often come down to water or may decide to stand on some lofty bluff and idly watch you pass.

Located about a dozen miles below Hoover Dam is Willow Beach Resort. If you haven't come uplake by boat you can reach it over a winding four-mile drive from Highway 93, just a few miles east of the dam. Willow Beach is often visited by sightseers who want to cruise the clear Colorado and perhaps move upstream for a look at Hoover Dam from below, but for the most part it's a trout fisherman's spot. The resort has no room for a campground, but it offers lodging, a restaurant, groceries, a marina, trailer and recvee hookups, and just about everything else a visitor could want, including a full line of boat rentals up to family-style pontoon boats for leisurely cruising.

While boating on the upper reaches of the Colorado River, around Willow Beach, is protected by mountains on either side, a word of caution is in order for anyone venturing out on either Lake Mohave or Lake Mead. Winds spring up very quickly in these areas, and it's possible to have a quiet day of boating suddenly interrupted by a gale-force wind that turns on in a matter of minutes. The National Park Ser-vice posts storm warnings at the major resorts, and it's a good idea to check them before heading out.

Greggs Hideout, Lake Mead.

Hoover Dam, once known as "Boulder Dam" but renamed for former President Herbert Hoover, forms Lake Mead and is in itself a fascinating place to visit. Regu-lar tours start with a rather frightening elevator ride from the top of the dam to the river, some 723 feet below. As the guide says, while he points out the giant turbines, Hoover Dam isn't complicated; it's just big!

Immediately above Hoover Dam, Lake Mead opens into Boulder Basin. There is no access from the Arizona side, but, about three miles west of the dam, Lakeshore Road turns north off route 93 and leads to Boulder Beach Resort. It offers a sheltered marina and mooring area, along with all the facilities listed for the Lake Mohave resorts. Boulder Beach, like Las Vegas Wash Resort above it, has been around long enough to offer plenty of mature shade trees where summertime visitors can relax as they gaze out over Boulder Basin and decide whether to fish, swim, go for a boat ride, or just sit and enjoy.

Lakeshore Road also leads to Las Vegas Wash, the westernmost point on either Lake Mead or Lake Mohave. The wash that gives the resort its name drains the country just east of Las Vegas, and adds an ample supply of nutrients to the lake water in the immediate area. This makes Vegas Wash one of the more productive areas of Mead, in terms of fishing. Located far back in a long cove, this spot is sheltered from most of the prevailing winds. It has no lodging available, but there's a good campground, store, restaurant, and marina.

Near the upper end of Boulder Basin is Callville Bay, named for an early townsite flooded out once the gates of Hoover Dam were closed. Callville is the newest resort on the Nevada side, and while it does not offer lodging-except in a rented house-boat-it's fast becoming one of the most popular resorts in the area. This is where most of the fishing tournaments and other organized water-sport events make their headquarters. Except for lodging, Callville has all the other amenities to make visi-tors happy, including the usual excellent Park Service campground and a full range of marina facilities.

Boulder Basin's terrain is the opposite from that of Lake Mohave in that the rugged mountains are all on the Arizona side. At its upper end, it pinches down into Boulder Canyon, then winds along through towering bluffs for a half-dozen miles before opening up into Virgin Basin.

While the boat ride uplake this far is spectacularly beautiful, Lake Mead's real charms become more dramatic once you emerge into Virgin Basin. This area not only offers the greatest expanse of open water on Mead, with the giant Overton Arm stretching northward more than 40 miles, it also breaks up along its great expanse of shoreline into some of the most exciting places on the lake.

Here is where the gypsum or "Gyp Beds" offer a wildly jumbled area of rock forma-tions, both above and below the clearest water on the lake. Anyone who has ever been exposed to scuba diving or snor-keling will want to slip into the water here, and fishermen, who may have become a bit blasé after seeing so many likely spots, will fling their lures with renewed enthusiasm.

This area of Mead also features more winding coves which snake back into the mountains and offer an almost unlimited number of delightful spots to tie up a boat and camp or just picnic. Bonelli Bay, long a favorite spot of catfishermen, heads off to the south of Virgin Basin, and the East Point beacon light marks the narrowing of the lake once again.

Just a mile or two wide after it leaves Virgin Basin, this portion of Mead offers more of the same secluded hideaways that characterize the upper end of the basin. Most spectacular of these, although not as scenic as many other areas, is the Hay-stack region. Here are coves that wind for what seems miles, with many of them so deep you may run out of line before your bait reaches the bottom.

Across from the Haystacks are such outstanding rock formations as Napoleon's Tomb, the Campanile, and Monkey Cove, all favorite spots of fishermen and sight-seers alike.

And just uplake from these areas is Temple Bar Resort, Arizona's major access point to Lake Mead. Located across the lake from the majestic formation that gives Temple Bar its name, this resort also can be reached by land via a 28-mile paved road which heads north of Highway 93, about 20 miles southeast of Hoover Dam. Through the years since Lake Mead was building its reputation as one of the world's greatest fishin' holes, Temple Bar Resort -"Landing," in the old days-has grown into one of the grandest spas in the entire area. If you don't bring your own boat and use the paved ramp just downhill from the motel and restaurant, you can rent a simple fishing boat, a pontoon boat, a ski boat, or even a fully equipped houseboat. The trees in the campground are mature now, and each campsite is isolated from the others by tall hedges of oleanders. Many people, who choose neither to camp or stay in the motel, park their mobile homes there, and come up for weekends by car or fly their own planes to the Temple Bar landing strip.

Beyond Temple Bar there is one more long boat ride through a narrow canyon - this one called "Virgin Canyon"-before reaching the last major open-water area of the lake at South Cove, also known as Gregg Basin. There's an excellent launching ramp there, but no camping is allowed.

When Glen Canyon Dam was built, it caused the abundant flow of nutrient material that used to end up in Mead to settle out in Lake Powell, and this caused the famed largemouth bass and crappie fishing in Mead to decline. To supplement this, rainbow trout were planted by the State of Nevada, and both Nevada and Arizona introduced striped bass.

The effect today is that while Mead still offers some very good largemouth fishing, it's better known as a striper lake. So abundant are these huge fish - many, many fish of 20 pounds and even larger have been taken there-that the bag limit on Mead was raised to five fish per day several years ago. Mead is now a yearlong striper fishery, and during the spring, summer, and fall the stripers, bass, and occasional crappies are amply supplemented by chunky channel catfish, which seem to be abundant all over the lake.

So this is the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It's a land of magnificent scenery and the clearest of waters. It's a place where you can cruise past towering buttes and perhaps spot a desert bighorn sheep staring down at you, where you can watch the ubiquitous grebes wait until the last moment before diving before your boat, where you can water-ski for as many uninterrupted miles as your arms and legs can stand, where you can cruise remote canyons and seek out secluded coves, and maybe catch a fish as long as your leg.

It's a place where you can lose...or -just maybe find -yourself.