After visiting Hoover Dam, Nathan and I drove to Lakeview Overlook to get a good view of the big lake. The overlook is just right around the corner from the dam on Nevada side, and it's free of charge. From the park's map, it seems that you will get more access to the beaches and picnic areas from the Nevada side of the lake than from the Arizona side.
The entrance fee for the recreation area is $10 per vehicle. Nathan and I have the America the Beautiful Pass, so we got to enter with no charge. There are many beach areas where you can walk or swim in the cool water. I think the beaches must be pretty crowded in the hot, desert summer when the temperature rises over a hundred degrees!
There are many new, clean picnic areas along the lake. All provide nice sitting benches in the shade and BBQ grills. It must be pretty relaxing and peaceful to come here with a good book on weekends.
Since Nathan and I visited this park on the way to the Valley of Fire State Park, we didn't stop at every single viewpoint along the lake or hike on any trails. We just drove through the park to enjoy the incredible scenery of the desert. Also, it would take one and a half hours just to drive through the park to the Valley of Fire, so we couldn't spend too much time there when there was a lot more to see later.
Redstone is one of the cool spots in the park. However, if you don't have much time to explore, it's fine to pass on this one because there is plenty to see in the Valley of Fire.
Rogers Spring is the last stop we made before going in the Valley of Fire State Park. The water isn't hot, and there are a lot of fish in the little pond. There is another hot spring about a mile north of Rogers Spring named Blue Point Spring, but there isn't any pond or creek there.
