This Dazzling Las Vegas Neighborhood Is A Lakeside Gem You'll Need An Invitation To Experience

Lake life probably isn't the first thing that springs to mind when you hear Las Vegas. Although Lake Mead is a popular boating destination about 30 miles outside of the city, Las Vegas is best known for its arid heat, its desert flora, and its 24/7 nightlife: It's truly the (Sin) City that never sleeps, as well as one of the unhealthiest cities in America, despite its wildly popular status as a vacation destination. Desert Shores, a small gem of a master-planned, private community toward the northwest edge of Las Vegas, is a unique oasis that stands in contrast to its surrounding metropolis, an exclusive lakeside gem that has created something out of nothing, much like the rest of Sin City. But to experience Desert Shores properly and take advantage of the perks, you have to be a resident (or know one).

Known as Las Vegas' "best kept secret," Desert Shores is a 642-acre, impeccably landscaped community divided into 22 areas and built around the late 1980s to early 1990s. It has four artificial lakes named Jacqueline, Sarah, Maddison, and Lindsey, each stocked with fish. There is also a private, lagoon-style pool with its own park and white-sand beach. The grounds of the community feature myriad amenities for its residents, like paddle boats, barbecue grills, playgrounds, basketball courts, walking paths, and more. Designed, as much of Vegas is, to be a resort-style neighborhood, the master planners thought of everything. Backdropped by the Spring Mountains of the Mojave Desert's Red Rock Canyon in the distance, Desert Shores is truly a unique enclave.

Searching for a waterfront property in Las Vegas may sound like looking for a needle in a haystack, but in Desert Shores you have pristine opportunities to get the best of both desert and aquatics. The HOA does enforce noise restrictions, but on the Desert Shores lakes you can use no-wake watercraft like electric boats and manually-powered watercraft such as rowing sculls and kayaks. Some of the waterfront homes have docks, as well. However, you are not allowed to swim or paddle board in the lakes, you must stick to the private lagoon, a large community swimming pool designed to look like a tropical lagoon, with white sand beaches.

Situated in northwest Clark County about 14 miles from The Strip, Desert Shores has a median home price of about $470,000 as of this writing, although there is a range: Some properties are worth in the millions. The community is made up of about 3,300 homes in multiple styles, including condos, single-family dwellings, and townhouses. Most of the subdivisions are gated, helping the neighborhoods retain an exclusive feel. Desert Shores is distinct from a small neighborhood called The Lakes, another planned, 2-square-mile community built around an artificial lake called Lake Sahara about 7 miles away from Desert Shores. 

While Sin City may not widely be considered kid-friendly, there are actually plenty of things to do in Las Vegas that are family friendly and prove it's more than just a casino city. When it comes to a permanent lifestyle, kids are welcome at Desert Shores, considered a family-friendly neighborhood and featuring playgrounds and other kid-centric amenities. The neighborhood is served by several public and private schools in the Clark County school district.

There are a few restaurants in Desert Shores that help set this neighborhood apart, located in one corner of Lake Jacqueline. Dine at the high-end Americana, a white tablecloth American cuisine restaurant overlooking the lake. Or go to Marché Bacchus, a gorgeous French bistro and wine shop. There's also a small pub with casino games just behind the lakefront restaurants, so you truly never have to leave the neighborhood.

Desert Shores has plenty of space for trails, making it a great spot for walking, jogging, bicycling, or rollerblading. The Desert Shores Loop is a 4.5-mile trail that wraps around some of the lake-adjacent neighborhood and is open to the public. The temperatures are reportedly cooler in this part of the valley toward the western mountains, as well. Its convenient location, in close proximity to both the 215 and the 95 Freeways, means you can easily access The Strip as well as shopping, dining, and entertainment in the master-planned Summerlin community.

If you're not a Desert Shores resident, you don't get access to the perks like boating across the lakes and splashing in the lagoon. But if you're craving lake life during a trip to Las Vegas, don't worry, you can still get it. You'll just have to travel a bit further. Skip the crowds at Lake Mead and head to Lake Mohave, a remote desert lake about 100 miles from Las Vegas that offers an awe-striking serene, blue pool surrounded by stark mountain canyon walls that was formulated in part by the Davis Dam in Laughlin, Nevada. Tread with care, as this place is not only remote but part of the most dangerous national park in America, the Lake Mead Recreation Area.