Just a short drive from Las Vegas, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area offers an unexpected mix of natural beauty, outdoor adventure, and fascinating history. One of the best ways to experience it all is on two wheels, specifically, by biking the Historic Railroad.  We really enjoyed this ride and could see where the train dumped the material to make the concrete for the dam.  It ended with a breathtaking view of the  Hoover Dam.

The Historic Railroad Trail: Pedaling Through the Past

Starting at our campsite at the Boulder Beach rustic campground, we got on the Historic Railroad Trail which is a relatively easy, gravel-covered path that follows an old railroad bed used during the construction of Hoover Dam in the 1930s. 

What makes this trail truly unique are the five tunnels carved through volcanic rock. They offer cool shade, stunning photo opportunities, and the occasional glimpse of desert.

Hoover Dam: An Engineering Wonder

We visited the Hoover Dam, getting to the Dam early to be able to upgrade our power plant tour to the full Dam tour, there are limited tickets to upgrade.  We walked across the top for sweeping views of the Colorado River.  

For the best panoramic views, don’t miss the Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which spans high above the canyon. We didn’t do this but I am sure others would love it.  With my fear of bridges and heights I was just not up to the challenge!

Tips for Your Visit

• It gets HOT: We visited in late April and it got up to 105 degrees one of the days.  Boulder Beach campground does not provide electricity so we had to make sure to do everything we could to keep the camper cool to sleep.  Keeping the shades closed when it was bright sun and opening the windows for the thankful breeze at night helped!

• Bike Rentals: If you didn’t bring your own bike, there are rental options in nearby Boulder City.
  
• Sun Protection: Hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are essential in this sunny, exposed terrain.

Annie gets to swim

Annie loves to swim and she got her fill of it at Boulder Beach!  We would drive down to the beach (the lake has dropped it’s water level so much it was about ¾ of a mile from our campsite) and set up our chairs and let her off leash to play and go after the ball.  She thoroughly enjoyed these afternoons!

Boulder City

We didn’t really spend too much time exploring this town but it did have a certain charm, maybe the rich history of the Dam workers add to it.  We ventured into town for Ice cream one afternoon and a dinner out at The Dillingers.  Dillingers is a cool restaurant that specializes in burgers.  There are so many to choose from it was hard to pick one.  The Dillinger  We would recommend this place if you are looking for a burger out of the ordinary!