Rogers Spring

What to expect

Rogers Spring is a warm desert spring at the foot of the Muddy Mountains, right beside Northshore Road in the northern part of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It is one of the biggest and easiest to reach water sources in the park. The spring rises along the Rogers Spring Fault, a large crack in the bedrock, and puts out roughly 1,000 gallons of clear, carbonate-rich water every minute. The water is believed to come from far to the north, travelling slowly through an underground aquifer before the fault forces it to the surface.

A low earthen dam holds the flow in a shallow pond about 80 feet across. The bottom is sandy and the deepest point in the middle is only about 3 feet. The water leaves the spring at about 82°F28°C, and in summer the sun can push the pond a few degrees warmer. That makes Rogers Spring a warm spring rather than a hot one. On a sunny winter day it feels pleasantly warm. In July it feels cooler than the air.

The setting is what draws people. California fan palms ring the pond and line the outflow, Rogers Wash, which runs about 2.5 miles down to the lakeshore through a strip of green that is more than 100 feet wide in places. The palms are not native. The Park Service has tried several times to remove them to return the site to a more natural state, and they keep coming back. You will see small fish in the clear water, most or all of them introduced, and sometimes turtles: the spiny softshell, which is probably native, and the red-eared slider, which is not.

A short side road leads to a parking area next to the water. There are three shade ramadas with picnic tables, benches and barbecue grills, and a small footbridge crosses the spillway. A 2016 report also mentioned restrooms and trash and recycling bins at the site. A short, steep climb up the hill above the pond gives a view over the Overton Arm of Lake Mead.

Rogers Spring shares a name with a spring in Nye County, near Death Valley. This listing covers the Lake Mead spring, which is the one people mean when they talk about visiting.

Getting there

Rogers Spring is beside Northshore Road (State Route 167), about 51 miles north of the Lake Mead visitor center near Boulder City and about 2.5 miles from the lakeshore. Northshore Road is paved all the way.

• From Las Vegas or Henderson: Head east into the recreation area and turn north on Northshore Road. Follow it to near its northern end. The spring is signed, with a short turnoff to the lot.
• From I-15: Drive north from Las Vegas on I-15, then turn east through Valley of Fire State Park and turn south onto Northshore Road. Rogers Spring is one of the first stops coming from this direction. The state park charges its own entry fee, separate from the Lake Mead fee.
• From Boulder City: Take US 93 toward the lake and pick up Lakeshore Road, which joins Northshore Road.

Monsoon storms from July to September can flood washes and damage pavement on park roads. Slow down at dips and wash crossings, and never drive into running water.

When to go

The spring is open all year, but September to May is the comfortable window. Winter days are often mild and clear, which is when the warm water feels best.

Summer in this part of the Mojave is extreme, often well over 100°F38°C. If you come between June and August, arrive early in the morning, bring far more water than you think you need, and do not plan on hiking the hill in the afternoon. The park recommends at least a gallon of drinking water per person per day.

Weekends and holidays bring picnickers from Las Vegas. Weekday mornings are quieter.

Rules and etiquette

• Pay the entrance fee. Lake Mead NRA charges $25 per private vehicle for 1-7 days, $15 per person on foot or bicycle (children under 16 are free), or $45 for a park annual pass. America the Beautiful passes are accepted. The park went cashless on January 1, 2024, so bring a card.
• Keep your head out of the water. The park warns that Naegleria fowleri, a rare but deadly amoeba, can live in its warm springs and the streams below them. It enters through the nose. Do not dive, dunk your head or splash water toward anyone’s face.
• Treat it as a wade, not a swim. The pond is shallow and sandy, and its fish and turtles live there year-round.
• Wear a swimsuit. This is a family picnic area beside a public road.
• Use the grills and pack out trash. Do not release pets, fish or turtles into the pond. Introduced animals are already a problem here.

Where to stay nearby

There is no camping at Rogers Spring itself. Nearby options:

• Lake Mead campgrounds. The park has six campgrounds and four concessioner RV parks. Echo Bay, a short drive south off Northshore Road, has concessioner RV sites with full hookups. All NPS-managed campsites in the park must be reserved in advance, and the entrance fee is due on top of the camping fee. Check current openings with the park (702-293-8990), as some loops close in summer.
• Valley of Fire State Park, to the northwest, has its own campgrounds among red sandstone formations.
• Overton and Logandale, north of the park, have a few motels and basic services. Las Vegas has everything else.

Safety notes

• Heat: The main danger here is the air, not the water. Heat illness comes on fast in summer. Watch for dizziness, nausea or headache, get into shade and drink water.
• Amoeba: Infection from Naegleria fowleri is extremely rare, but there is no treatment that reliably works, so take the head-out-of-the-water rule seriously, especially with children.
• Shallow water: Never dive. The pond is about 3 feet deep at its deepest.
• Flash floods: Summer storms can send water down Rogers Wash and across roads with little warning.
• Services: There is no fuel on Northshore Road. Fill up before you leave Las Vegas, Henderson or Overton.

Nearby stops worth adding

Blue Point Spring is a smaller spring about a mile northeast, linked to Rogers Spring by an old irrigation project. Valley of Fire State Park pairs well with a morning at the spring if you come in from I-15. Further south, Redstone Picnic Area, about 13 miles down Northshore Road, has a short loop through red sandstone boulders.