NevadaReservoirClark County

Lake Mead

Lake Mead is a 158,147-acre reservoir on the Colorado River in Nevada. Its shoreline falls inside Clark County. Management is in the hands of National Park Service. This guide maps 5 named swimming spots around its shoreline.

Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

CountiesClark County

Coordinates36.2500, -114.3900

Surface area158,147 acres

Max depth532 ft

RiverColorado River

Completed1964

Managed byNational Park Service

Swimming beaches on Lake Mead

5 named swimming spots and shoreline access points, from USGS GNIS, Recreation.gov and the Forest Service. None is staffed by a lifeguard unless the operating agency posts one.

Lake Mead

Belsmeir Beach

Clark County; 9.8 mi from the lake center.

USGS GNISSwimming

Lake Mead

Engine Beach

Clark County; 11.9 mi from the lake center.

USGS GNISSwimming

Lake Mead

Ann Marguret Beach

Clark County; 12.5 mi from the lake center.

USGS GNISSwimming

Lake Mead

Old Swim Beach

Clark County; 13.1 mi from the lake center.

USGS GNISSwimming

Lake Mead

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

19.8 mi from the lake center.

Recreation.gov (RIDB)

Lake Mead on the map

Lake center, swimming spots and access points.

Get directions

Weather and water temperature

Air temperature and wind from Open-Meteo. Water temperature only when the lake has a public sensor.

Weather data by Open-Meteo

Is Lake Mead good for swimming?

On the map, Lake Mead is centered near 36.2500, -114.3900. It lies at roughly 1,220 feet of elevation. The Colorado River carries the outflow. The reservoir dates from 1964. The deepest point on record is about 532 feet.

Check the operating agency for advisories before any water contact, especially for blue-green algae in late summer. Most Nevada day-use areas open for the summer season and close outside it. No public sensor reports water temperature at Lake Mead, so the panel shows air temperature and wind.

Water level is missing from this page on purpose: no public feed covers Lake Mead. Where an agency publishes a figure, we show it with the time it was taken; here there is none.

Public access at Lake Mead covers 5 named swimming spots. They include Belsmeir Beach, Engine Beach and Ann Marguret Beach. These come from Recreation.gov (RIDB) and USGS GNIS. Unless the operating agency says otherwise, treat these as unsupervised swimming.

The closest lakes in this guide are Lake Mohave (Nevada, 58 mi), Sand Hollow Reservoir (Utah, 82 mi) and Lake Havasu (Arizona, 122 mi). In all, 11 lakes in Nevada are covered here.

Questions about Lake Mead

Can you swim in Lake Mead?

Yes. This guide maps 5 named swimming spots around the lake, including Belsmeir Beach and Engine Beach. None is staffed by a lifeguard unless the operating agency posts one.

How big is Lake Mead?

About 158,147 acres. Maximum depth is around 532 feet.

What other lakes are near Lake Mead?

The closest in this guide is Lake Mohave, about 58 miles away in Nevada.