Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) is located in southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. It is comprised of two large reservoirs: Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. Water covers about 186,000 acres of the recreation area. Three of America's four desert ecosystems — the Mojave desert, the Great Basin desert, and the Sonoran Desert — meet in Lake Mead NRA. As a result, this seemingly barren area contains a surprising variety of plants, animals, and geology, some of which may be found nowhere else in the world. In 2009, Lake Mead National Recreation Area was the 5th most visited national park with just under 8 million visitors.

I recently had the opportunity to take a trip on Lake Mead with the Park Service in July 2011. This gallery highlights pictures taken on this trip.