Labor Day fun in Las Vegas includes sun, heat, water — PHOTOS
Staff
Jon Quenga relaxes atop of a unicorn float as Damari Evangelista, 8, hangs on along the shoreline about Boulder Beach on Labor Day within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Visitors take to the shoreline about Boulder Beach on Labor Day within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Alyssa Evangelista, left bottom, and Karl Conway toss Evangelista’s twin sisters Damari, 8, left top, and Dalaine, 8, right top, into the air at Boulder Beach, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Boats launch and are taken out at Hemenway Harbor with an average half hour wait time on Labor Day at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Boats launch at Hemenway Harbor with plenty of warnings on Labor Day at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Boats launch and are taken out at Hemenway Harbor with an average half hour wait time on Labor Day at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
The water glistens about the Lake Mead Marina on Labor Day within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Boats line up to launch and be taken out at Hemenway Harbor with an average half hour wait time on Labor Day at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Boats line up to launch and be taken out at Hemenway Harbor with a short wait time on Labor Day at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Visitors walk along the dock at the Lake Mead Marina on Labor Day within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Greenery now extends to the waterline as visitors enjoy Boulder Beach on Labor Day within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Law enforcement counsels jet skiers who have entered a no wake zone at high speed off of Boulder Beach on Labor Day within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Greenery now extends to the waterline as visitors enjoy Boulder Beach on Labor Day within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
An old boat is exposed along the shoreline near Boulder Beach on Labor Day within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Boulder City. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Pedestrians walk the Strip on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Steel Brooks/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Carlos Burgos, left, and Heidy Rivera, of Puerto Rico, take a selfie in front of The Mirage hotel-casino on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Steel Brooks/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Pedestrians walk the Strip on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Steel Brooks/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Pedestrians walk The Linq Promenade on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Steel Brooks/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Pedestrians walk the Strip on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Steel Brooks/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Suin Moon, left, and Meen Kim, of Los Angeles, take photos in front of a fountain near Caesars Palace on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Steel Brooks/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Many Las Vegas residents and visitors enjoyed hot temperatures and idle time on Labor Day, the final holiday of the summer.
While no attendance projections were made, it was obvious that several hundred thousand visitors were in town, many of them from California.
Harry Reid International Airport said it anticipated heavy passenger traffic at its two terminals, and one social media post early Saturday said chaos was rampant at the airport.
Excessively hot weather was obviously a factor with the holiday coming in the middle of a long heat wave. High temperatures didn’t break any records, but 108 to 110 several days in a row is a challenge to deal with.
The water of Lake Mead at Boulder Beach was an attraction for hundreds, if not more.
As for Californians headed back home, the Monday afternoon slowdown around Primm was about 8 miles at 25-30 mph around 4 p.m. before it largely dissipated an hour later.
Some travel times earlier indicated about 80 to 90 minutes to Primm from Las Vegas.
Last year, California and Nevada’s governors detailed a $12 million project to use a shoulder to handle extra traffic.
No official word yet on if it helped with the mass exodus from Las Vegas that has become a staple of the holiday weekend that often doubles motorists’ travel time to the Los Angeles area.
It’s 80 days to the next holiday.
The Strip crowds may be just as big for the food feast aspect of Thanksgiving, and it’s certain that temperatures will be easier to handle.
