St. Thomas – the sunken Ghost Town in Lake Mead

Starting as a pioneer settlement in 1865, St. Thomas grew to be an established town of farms, homes, and stores. Life passed slowly until Hoover Dam was built. St. Thomas was doomed as the rising waters of the Colorado River slowly filled canyons and valleys, creating Lake Mead. The residents of St. Thomas sold their land, tore down homes that had been lived in for generations, and said goodbye to friends and neighbors.
On June 11, 1938, Hugh Lord rowed away from his house, the last citizen to leave. The community was soon covered by the lake, a victim of a rapidly changing landscape and lifestyle in the desert.

While we cannot bring St. Thomas back to life, we can show the town and its people the respect we’d like our home town to receive.

The National Park Service is asking visitors to not climb on foundations or disturb any artifacts. These remnants shall remind of the people of St. Thomas, those who played, worked, and lived here.

Travel distance from Las Vegas to St. Thomas Point is approx. 80 miles which take 1.5 hrs to drive. From Las Vegas drive north on I-15 and turn east onto SR169. You'll drive through the Valley of Fire State Park and after crossing SR167 the road becomes NPS-109, a dirt road that leads to St. Thomas Point.
Certainly you can drive the SR 167 from Vegas directly in order to reach NPS-109.
A Ranger is sometimes at the parking lot and has further information; otherwise: the short hiking loop to St. Thomas takes 1 to 1.5 hrs and is categorized easy to moderate. Expect to get muddy after it had rained in the area. Check on the NPS website (see Link below) or call a ranger station to learn about accessibility of the road to St. Thomas Point.

Following NPS-Link "Lake Mead National Recreation Area" provides also a map for the area, please check the topic: "Plan Your Visit".