Community · Boulder City
Travel Nevada's new Boulder City adventure center links visitors with local outfitters as the state courts outdoor spending
Travel Nevada opened a hub at 102 Nevada Way that gathers rental shops, tour operators and guides in one place. A federal grant helped build it to support an outdoor recreation industry the state values at $24 billion.
Listen to this brief · 6 min
Read aloud by an AI voice from the text below. Download MP3
What happened
The Nevada Division of Tourism, known as Travel Nevada, opened the Travel Nevada Adventure Center-Boulder City last week, the Las Vegas Sun reported. The center is meant to connect residents and visitors with outfitters, rental services and guided trips that lead to trails around Lake Mead, the Colorado River and beyond. You can read more about the center's opening in our earlier brief.
The center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 102 Nevada Way. According to the Sun, it is the first of two centers Travel Nevada plans to open.
Who is involved
Local businesses at the center
Several companies have signed on at the Boulder City location, the Sun reported. They include Canyon Riders LLC, an e-bike rental and tour company; Desert Adventures, which runs guided kayaking, hiking and biking trips; and Hoover Dam Rafting Adventures. Also participating are HPP Armory, a storage and locker rental business; Loop Trail Rentals, an e-bike rental shop; and Papillon Airways, which offers scenic air tours.
A naming rights deal
Outside Interactive Inc., an outdoor media company based in Boulder, Colorado, signed a three-year naming rights agreement with Travel Nevada. Under that deal, both centers will be known as the Travel Nevada Adventure Centers with support from Outside, according to the Sun.
What staff will do
Staff at each center will share safety and conservation information and point people to accredited local guides and equipment providers, the Sun reported. Travel Nevada executive director Rafael Villanueva said the goal is to make trip planning easier by putting tour companies, rental shops and other businesses in one place. He also described the center as a way to help Nevada small businesses and make outdoor recreation accessible to residents.
How it was paid for
In 2022, the Division of Tourism applied for a grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration and received just over $3.7 million to build two adventure centers, the Sun reported. One was planned for Northern Nevada and one for the south. The centers combine federal, state and community resources and are meant to serve as regional activity hubs.
Boulder City, near Las Vegas, Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, was chosen as the southern site. Carson City, home of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, will host the northern center, which is expected to open in spring 2027.
Why officials say it matters
Nevada has the second-largest capacity for outdoor recreation in the country, but some officials say the state lacks the infrastructure to support it, according to the Sun. The Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation puts the industry at $24 billion, generating $13.7 billion in economic output and supporting more than 75,000 jobs.
Travel Nevada officials said more than 52 million people visited the state in 2024. They also said outdoor recreation spending rose by about $100 million that year, the Sun reported.
The Sun also cited a 2024 National Park Service report on visitor spending. It found 5 million visitors to Park Service lands in Nevada spent about $327 million in nearby communities, with lodging making up 29%, restaurants 18% and recreation activities 17%. That spending supported about 2,860 jobs, $152 million in labor income, $274 million in value added and $435 million in economic output.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which spans Nevada and Arizona, drew the most spending at $408 million across both states, according to the report. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, north of Las Vegas, generated about $4.3 million. For more local stories like this, visit our community section.
The executive director of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce called the centers a major investment in the city's future as a gateway to Lake Mead. Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony, who chairs the Nevada Commission on Tourism and the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Board, said the state needs to make sure its outdoor offerings are accessible, sustainable and protected.
What to watch next
- The Carson City adventure center, the second of the two planned, is expected to open in spring 2027.
- The three-year naming rights agreement with Outside Interactive Inc. covers both centers.
- Officials have said Nevada still lacks the infrastructure needed to support its outdoor recreation capacity.
