LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Water levels more in line with the average Memorial Day on Lake Mead led to a bustling boating weekend, according to lakegoers and shopkeepers.

“Lake Mead is definitely not dried up,” Chad Taylor, director of marketing for Lake Mead Mohave Adventures, said Monday.

In fact, statistics from the Bureau of Reclamation detail that water levels at Lake Mead during May of 2022 and 2023 were at record lows. The 2024 level, however, is 1072.24 feet above sea level. That number is much more in line with the average.

Last year, for instance, boaters were left to wait in long lines at a limited number of launch-sites because the low water levels forced some docks to close.

This year, Taylor said most, if not all, launch sites are active, and business is booming. He said the crowds are so strong and the weather and conditions so good, that there may not be a significant dropoff as in most Memorial Days on Lake Mead.

“The lake’s here to stay,” Taylor said. “We just have to be better at conservation, especially when you live in an arid climate like this.”

One boater, Fred Kharrazi, planned on spending all of Monday on Lake Mead. Kharrazi said the Harbor looked wonderful, especially after wind damage destroyed some of the docks there.

“And they came back and they built and they built it even better,” Kharrazi said. “They put new roof everywhere. And it’s really nice.”

One thing about the changing water levels, though. Kharrazi said marked hazards in the water sometimes disappear when the levels rise, creating a dangerous situation for boaters.

“What used to be a piece of rock that you used to see goes underwater when it rises, then it just keeps going back up and down, and they don’t have time to mark everything,” Kharrazi said.

Even still, Kharrazi was excited for his day on the water.

“It’s going to be amazing,” he said.