It turns out that our boondocking spot is not too far from the jeep road leading to Lake Mohave (Colorado river).
But first we wanted to check out the Temple Bar access to Lake Mead. The road is about 35 miles in off Hwy 93, and leads to Temple Bar marina. It is in the Lake Mead National Recreation area.
But, I was till surprised to find a park entry gate sitting out in the middle of the desert miles from anywhere. I don’t know what the entry fee was, because I had my handy National Park Pass (they check ID!).
It is a fairly typical marina set-up common to lake Mead; huge, wide, long, launch ramp, small concession store and accommodations, small campground, and a small community of mobile homes. It was a weekend, but there were only a few anglers around and one group of novice scuba divers taking their open water training dives. I spent a few minutes watching the activity, or lack of it, then departed with all the windows down, trying to stay cool. I think I would have been upset if I had had to shell out any cash for the experience.
Almost back at camp, the Eldorado jeep road to Lake Mohave beckoned. 
Hailey had had her fill of rough roads and hot temps, so I dropped her off at the rig for a snack and a nap.
Unlike the fairly bland (but still beautiful) scenery leading to Temple Bar, the Eldorado road leads for 9 miles down through a wash and several narrow canyons, before finally reaching Lake Mohave. The view is constantly changing, and every corner exposes a new vista to enjoy.
The road winds ever downward, and you start to wonder how much further it can go!
There are a few narrow spots, just enough to discourage RV’s and dual wheels.
Finally, a distant view of the lake below.
But when you get there, the road ends abruptly in a wall of bullrushes – from here you cannot see the lake at all!
But if you climb the low ridges, you can get good views of the lake, and the far shore – which is Nevada.
There were numerous side canyons to explore, so I checked out one or two on the return trip.
After a few days of light traffic (1 vehicle in 3 days) near my camp, the volume has really picked up – including 4 vehicles in one day! Several of them were going to service the nearby radio towers, but if this keeps up, I may have to find some place – quiet!
Not sure why, but I am now on Twitter @ISPhillips
Looks like a great Jeeping road down there to Lake Mohave & I like the traffic volumes going by your site. That area around Lake Mead must have been a lot nicer when the lake was up to it's normal level giving the landscape a much larger watery footprint. Thought Stewart's Point looked a little forlorn when we were down there a month ago.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a nice drive. The area looks better than when we were there a few years ago.
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