Boulder Beach camp area gets renovation; lake trails reopen

Lake Mead National Recreation Area is undergoing some improvements as one of its campgrounds is being renovated and three of its trails have reopened after being closed because of safety concerns.

Boulder Beach Campground is receiving a $1.5 million renovation. Larger concrete pads and additional accessible sites are being installed. The roads in that area will also be repaved.

Work will occur Monday through Thursday; the project is scheduled to be finished in March 2020.

Work will affect campsites 99-148; other sites in loops A, B, C and D will be open during construction as well as the campgrounds at Las Vegas Bay and Callville Bay. Lake Mead RV Village will also be open. The project is being paid for with money from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.

Visitors can now hike the full Historic Railroad Trail from the park to Hoover Dam as all of the tunnels are open. The third tunnel was closed due to some deterioration of the timber supports.

Shipping containers were installed to protect visitors from falling rocks. They were also installed in tunnel two.

Additionally, park staff is working to implement more long-term recommendations in all five of the tunnels.

The trail provides panoramic views of Lake Mead as well as the railroad route that ran from Boulder City to Hoover Dam from 1931 to 1961.

Visit www.nps.gov/lake/planyourvisit/hikerr.htm to see a virtual experience of the trail.

Two other trails, Goldstrike Canyon and Arizona Hot Springs Canyon, are now open for the fall season. Goldstrike is 5 miles round trip and requires rock scrambling and climbing. It leads to the hot springs and the Colorado River. The hot springs are also accessible from White Rock Canyon.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.