NPS Website; Local Website
WHAT IS IT?
The portion of Lake Mead NRA that is not Lake Mead. The poorly monikered Lake Mead NRA actually includes two Lakes created on the Colorado River by two dams. This review encompasses Lake Mojave, the section created by Davis Dam in the south. Lake Mojave run almost directly north to south from Hoover Dam to Laughlin, Nevada. It makes up the majority of the north-south Arizona-Nevada border.
BEAUTY (2/10)
It is hard to get worked up about this part of the desert. Perhaps the deep blues of Lake Mojave contrast nicely with the stark whites of the land but all we saw barren nothingness crisscrossed by myriad power lines and towers. Maybe if we had had a boat, the Site would have been prettier. Probably not. This Site holds the distinction of being the first Site on our trip where we forgot to take a picture of the landscape.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (2/10)
Who knows? Neither the Park brochure nor the closed Ranger station could help. There are remnants of mines, sawmills and Mormon settlement. Evidence of ancient life along the Colorado River has probably been covered up by the dam-created Lake.
CROWDS (2/10)
Our experience with motor boat owners has been largely nightmarish. At Voyageurs NP, they mercilessly tried to tip our canoe in their wake, throughout North Dakota they tailgated the Altima to Christine-esque extremes and at Lake Mead NRA they loudly berated Rangers and a cute Gabby who just wanted a National Parks Passport stamp.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (1/5)
You need a boat. Access for us was impossible.
There are three major boat launches onto Lake Mojave. Willow Beach is in the north, on the Lake’s eastern side 50 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada. Cottonwood Cove is in the central part of Lake Mojave’s western shore, 14 miles from Searchlight, Nevada. Katherine’s Landing (where we went and, incidentally, the only place to get a National Parks Passport Stamp) is along the Lake’s eastern side near the Davis Dam. It is eight miles from Laughlin, Nevada. The marinas are all relatively close to Interstates.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (1/5)
None operated by the Park Service.
COSTS (1/5)
$3 per person or $5 per vehicle. This fee is waived with the National Parks Pass. The $10 boat fee for entry into lake is not covered by the Parks Pass.
If you, or a friend who lives nearby, does not have a boat, this Park is useless. Here is a boating concessionaire’s link if you are interested in prices. Too rich for us.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (1/5)
The sign on the trailer which doubled as a Ranger Station/Information Desk said that it was open at 8 a.m. We banged on the locked door at 8:45 a.m. No response.
We made our way down to the boat launch and found one petite Ranger with her hands full of irate boaters who couldn’t understand why the launch was closed while a tractor trailer backed a commercial boat the size of a small casino into the water. As the Ranger was trying to reword what to us was common sense, Gab slipped in and asked if there were other Rangers (and a stamp) nearby. She, like us, couldn’t understand why the Ranger Trailer was empty and closed. She then suggested that perhaps, since it was Columbus Day, the Ranger took the day off. So much for anyone else with a long weekend that wanted to enjoy the site.
TOURS/CLASSES (1/10)
None.
FUN (1/10)
We have tried to include the National Recreation Areas in our trip. Not sure if that is a good idea. They are not designed for budget travelers like ourselves, looking to hike, camp and learn. The facilities are minimal and if you do not have a motor boat, the visitors and Rangers treat you like a lost dog. First, they try to ignore you. Then, when you do not go away they look at you with a why are you here, exactly? face. Eventually, they feel sorry for you but not before shooing you away to where you belong. Specifically, not here.
Just like it was a Bighorn Canyon NRA in Montana, there was nothing for us to do at Lake Mojave. We had no fun at all. In fact, we had the opposite of fun. We fruitlessly searched for Rangers, ornery boaters snarled at us, we wondered why we were here in the first place, got mad about wasting precious, wildly expensive gasoline and eventually got angry at each other. What a great way to start out the morning.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (1/10)
Not unless you have a boat.
The NPS website nomenclature utilizes the first two letters of the Park’s first two words. Here, the website is www.nps.gov/lame. We agree. Lame, indeed.
TOTAL 13/80
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