LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA 2015 VISITATION UP 5 PERCENT

The following press release was published by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service on Feb. 18, 2016. It is reproduced in full below.

BOULDER CITY, Nevada - Lake Mead National Recreation Area welcomed 7.2 million recreation visitors to the park in 2015, an increase of 5 percent compared to 2014, according to figures released by the National Park Service Feb. 17.

The report also showed that the park was named the fifth most visited site in the entire National Park Service, moving up one spot compared to 2014.

“With hundreds of miles of trails, shoreline and two vast lakes, Lake Mead National Recreation Area remains America’s most diverse national recreation area and a popular destination for tourists and locals alike," said Lizette Richardson, park superintendent.

Overall, more than 307 million people visited national parks in 2015, a 4.9 percent increase over 2014 and the previous record of 292.8 million recreation visits.

“The popularity of national parks is well known, but last year’s numbers really are extraordinary," said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “As the National Park Service celebrates its 100th year, we’re preparing to welcome more visitors than ever, including a new generation of park supporters and advocates who are discovering their own national park adventures."

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is made up of two districts: Lake Mead, which saw 5.4 million visitors in 2015 and Lake Mohave, which saw around 2 million visitors.

The Boulder Basin continues to be the most popular area of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Around 1.7 million visitors accessed the park via U.S. Highway 93 in Boulder City in 2015 and 1.2 million accessed the park via Lakeshore Road near Lake Las Vegas. Katherine Landing on Lake Mohave is also one of the most popular areas in the park, seeing 1.3 million visitors in 2015.

Overall, park visitation in 2015 increased by 368,000 compared to 2014. The majority of this increase was seen at Lakeview Overlook, a pull-out on the way to the Hoover Dam that provides panoramic views of the Boulder Basin.

Since 1937, more than 416 million people have visited the recreation area.

The complete list of park visitation and other visitor-related statistics are available on the National Park Service’s website at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/.

Top 10 most-visited National Park Service sites

1. Blue Ridge Parkway - 15,054,603

2. Golden Gate National Recreation Area - 14,888,537

3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park - 10,712,674

4. Lincoln Memorial - 7,941,771

5. Lake Mead National Recreation Area - 7,298,465

6. George Washington Memorial Parkway - 7,286,463

7. Gateway National Recreation Area - 6,392,565

8. Natchez Trace Parkway - 5,785,812

9. Vietnam Veterans Memorial - 5,597,077

10. Grand Canyon National Park - 5,520,736

Lake Mead National Recreation Area 2015 Visitation by Location