  lake mead is the largest reservoir in the united states in maximum water capacity. it is on the colorado river about  from the strip southeast of las vegas, nevada, in the states of nevada and arizona. formed by the hoover dam, lake mead is  long when the lake is full, has  of shoreline, is  at greatest depth, with a surface elevation of  above sea level, and has  of surface, and when filled to capacity,  of water. however, the lake has not fully reached this capacity since 1983 due to a combination of drought and increased water demand.bureau of reclamation lake mead faq ==history== thumb|150px|left|elwood mead the lake was named after elwood mead (january 16, 1858 â january 26, 1936), who was the commissioner of the u.s. bureau of reclamation from 1924 to 1936 during the planning and construction of the boulder canyon project that created the dam and lake. lake mead was established as the boulder dam recreation area in 1936, administrated by the national park service. it was then changed to the lake mead national recreation area in 1964, this time including lake mohave and the shivwits plateau under its jurisdiction. both lakes and the surrounding area offer year-ro
Colorado_River Dams_and_reservoirs_in_U.S._National_Park_Service_units Lake_Mead Lakes_of_the_Mojave_Desert Landforms_of_Clark_County,_Nevada Landmarks_in_Arizona Landmarks_in_Nevada Reservoirs_in_Arizona Reservoirs_in_Mohave_County,_Arizona Reservoirs_in_Nevada Visitor_attractions_in_Clark_County,_Nevada