Goverment Wash Road | Informal Campsite

March 16th, 2024 by rainyhate88

People think the dirt road is a race track and lots of trash and dog poop

February 22nd, 2024 by elkknives

2/23/24 Beautiful view of Lake Mead, 65° nice, quiet and clean❤️ 3 bars cell service 😍

January 30th, 2024 by ijdesalinas07

This place is very busy with a ton of people but surprisingly quiet and peaceful most of the time. Great AT&T and TMobile. About 20 min from town to restock supplies and free dump and water refill at the campground nearby.

December 4th, 2023 by rvrv2416

Nice and wonderful place, several trash cans at the entrance, allowing you to dispose of your trash.
many pull through sites along 3 dirt roads going to the lake

November 20th, 2023 by jls212.js

Free camping ar Lake Mead. No amenities whatsoever.

November 2nd, 2023 by Casey&Joe

Can’t tell if this is a campground or a garbage dump. Seems to be both. Trash everywhere.

April 27th, 2023 by cindyjanehenderson

Lake is very far away from campsites. Lots of sites open for any size rig. Roads have been graded so just a little bumpy. Lots of campers here but spaced out. 4G Verizon. Garbage dumpsters available.

April 1st, 2023 by GreyAndGreen

Stayed a week. As described: quiet though packed. Ample trash bins. Good hiking, mtn biking. Fair birding. Lovely sunrises and sunsets. Can be windy; watch that you don’t park in a place that turns to mud in the rain. Saw the Ranger once and other law enforcement once.

March 23rd, 2023 by jasman_1

I stayed 1 night in the lot. parked a d walked down the road to check k it out. About 50 campers dispersed along the way. Some very nice spots are located throughout.
There were a handful of people parked in the lot so, just stayed.

January 25th, 2023 by hare_s

Great spot. We are not as far in as others on the road but many of us up here. Pretty quiet. Great view

December 27th, 2022 by RunningGunExpedition

A surprisingly awesome spot as long as you have the ability to get near the water. I drove onto a small mountain that was far removed from the other sites. Wasn’t bothered at all. Saw bugs, but they didn’t swarm me at all. It was hard getting level this far down but the site made it worth it.
This low on the hill 4x4 is an absolute must, however I saw a lot of large 2wd rigs at the top.
Cell reception is alright, 4 bars and LTE with Verizon but it seems to load stuff pretty slowly. Heard packs of coyotes pretty close at night.
Ignore the hater comments and check it out! It’s worth it.
Let’s connect on Instagram!

November 25th, 2022 by eli

good place, lots of space but it may be hard to find a place after dark. careful of not driving over a fire pit!
the restroom at the parking lot is now closed and locked! why would you do that at a place where so many people camp?! why?! that we pay to enter by the way! typical government!

October 6th, 2022 by livie318

No bathrooms they are locked. No longtimers like last time. I no longer smell the urine. The generator users very considerate, gen went off at sun down. I did notice that people felt safe enough to leave their rigs for the day. Everyone is looking out for each other. great group here the last two days. Whatever the rangers are doing awesome! I did see three police on my way in and around the park.

September 23rd, 2022 by bschroe1

Great spot. Lots of pull outs for privacy. I went all the way to the end of the road in a 28’ Class C.

May 26th, 2022 by nyatteau

Fairly quiet now that the temperature is getting hotter. 14 day limit but I stayed for 22 days and I saw other RVers that seemed to be here longer. Be mindful when pulling into campsites since people seem to be burning pallets which leaves a lot of nails and screws on the ground.

April 26th, 2022 by Uke4Jesus

A bit rough getting to my campsite. Saw so much trash I am surprised camping hasn't been banned. So sad people don't take their trash with.

March 25th, 2022 by grantgusmc

Arrived after dark. This spot is a local favorite, and we weren’t disappointed. Super easy to navigate and plenty of space to park. Woke up to a view of Lake Mead. Restrooms are available too, although we didn’t use them

February 17th, 2022 by jill.thompson

We stayed here for five nights and thought it was a phenomenal spot. We pulled off to the left of the bathrooms where the pavement ends and found the perfect spot without driving our rig on gravel for more than a quarter mile. There are tons of spots that I'd say any vehicle can drive on without having to go down a really bumpy road. Between the full moon and Las Vegas light pollution (eew), nighttime was uniquely eerie. Pretty cool. There are so many amazing hikes and things to do in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. We will definitely be coming back. Oh yeah, superb Verizon reception as well. There are gates to pay your $25 entrance fee or show your Annual NPS pass from all entrances, but we did notice they close at 6 o'clock. So, if you are like us and have an RV and a separate car that you aren't towing and have to pay twice but only have one pass, maybe try coming in after 6 🤣.

February 6th, 2022 by dkruis27

Stayed here for 2 weeks leaving most days to hike or kayak & I was always able to find a spot in the afternoon. I stayed close to the entrance, but spots are all over all the way down to the water. It is very crowded bit surprisingly quiet. If you park along 5he main dirt road expect a good amount of traffic as people bring their boats starting early in the day. Good service on TMobile.

January 26th, 2022 by youtube.com

Video review: https://youtu.be/tteLGCqtAGI
Good location, service, and plenty of spaces.

September 11th, 2021 by ambo.campulance

Honestly DO NOT recommend this place AT ALL. The bugs are absolutely atrocious, worse than any place I’ve been so far on this 3 month road trip. So bad that we actually left after being here for a couple hours already.

May 27th, 2021 by madisonpaulson

Hot. Took dips in the water to cool off.

April 23rd, 2021 by Nicole

Lots of spots but very busy, not a whole lot to do in the area but was good for two nights

April 17th, 2021 by gnainani

Could be nice place if not for all those who think everyone wants to listen to their music and pick up after them.

April 4th, 2021 by skipwatson1951

basically a large, uncontrolled campground. very crowded, cars driving back and forth all day and all night kicking up dust, generators all over the place running 24 hrs...why do you need a generatorto run your air-conditioning in the desert at midnight? if you have a bigger rig don't even think about trying to get close to the water...several roads going down, but they're dead ends and you won't be able to turn around and come back up. the price is right, though...free. you do need to pay to get into the national park unless you have a senior pass or something like that. several dumpsters and people seem to be pretty good about using them...some trash around, but not a lot. a sign says no camping on the paved area, but not really enforced as several rigs stayed there. not a problem, though...its huge and they stayed off to the side. 5 bars of 5g on AT&T. 20 minutes to Las Vegas, 30 min to Hoover Dam.

March 20th, 2021 by jadangary

Big open area with many spots to park and camp at. Rough road. Was quiet til about 8pm then a bunch of Jeeps with very bright lights came in to tear up and down the hills all around it. Loud exhausts. Not at all quiet and peaceful unfortunately.

March 15th, 2021 by rappchris

It’s a Village. But it’s still pretty nice.

March 5th, 2021 by kitfield.vernon

After taking the “beach access” road from the parking lot, there are a number of gravelly paths leading down to the water or to overlooks, all suitable for camping. We have a 2WD van that was fine on the roads, but some looked more daunting and we chose our path wisely. Bathrooms in the parking lot, so if you want that you should stick closer to the lot. We went down almost to the water, and saw upwards of 30 RVs on our way out. Lots of others, but plenty of space to share! We didn’t feel crowded or bothered at all, and the sunset / sunrise were KILLER! We heard waterfowl and coyotes intermittently throughout the evening and morning, nothing that annoyed us or made us feel nervous.

The one downside was the bugs at dusk. They swarmed us at first, but once we put our lights a few yards away from the van and our cooking setup, the bugs barely touched us. I’m sure a campfire would work well as a repellant! Our site and most others had fire rings.

We thought we’d have to pay the $25 single vehicle fee at the park entrance on north shore rd, but we were able to use our national parks pass to get in for free. We felt so lucky to find lake mead on our way from Death Valley to Zion!

February 10th, 2021 by b09970

Plenty of spots available. Tons of waterfowl to watch. Be very careful with your pets, lots of coyotes around. They walk right thru your camp. This place is great other than the trash that is everywhere. People!!! Clean up your trash.

November 23rd, 2020 by piedraloca

I had an unfortunate run-in with a park ranger who realllly wants to just be a regular cop. I accidentally parked in a place I wasn't supposed to, and he rolled up with lights on, pointed his maglite at my van windows like I was maybe hiding fugitives, and yelled at me to keep my hands out of my pockets while we were talking. I'm a friendly/polite 40-yo pudgy white lady who was sitting in a camp chair watching the sunset, for context. It was a little crazy.

Anyway, you can only camp if you go all the way past the bathrooms and associated parking lot. Even if there's a firepit, clear tracks, or other people camping in other areas, that is considered "off road travel".

Busy on weekends, quieter in between. I appreciated the dumpsters. Be aware that if you camp near the water, it is highly likely that people will walk or drive through your area to get to the water. I heard two separate groups of people get into yelling arguments about this that were loud enough for me to hear from hundreds of feet away. Avoid waterside spots if you would like to avoid these people.

Other than all that, it's a good place to be near the city, the sunsets are fantastic, and the coyotes sound beautiful. Lots of interesting birds down where the wash empties into the lake.

November 19th, 2020 by DowntoWander

Excellent camping near Las Vegas. Verizon and AT&T signals are very fast. Space for everyone. Just be sure to watch for soft sand. We saw several people get stuck, even in 4WD vehicles. This is mostly a concern if you go down closer to the water. Big rigs should definitely stay at the top. Plenty of dumpsters available as well as a bathroom in the parking lot. There are tons of coyotes, and they're out even during the day, so be careful if you have a small dog.

November 10th, 2020 by Labmom2014

Great spot. You need to pay to get into Lake Mead, but a national parks pass covers that. Take a newly paved road, about 15 miles, to Govt Wash road. There's a large gravel parking lot just before the camping area where you can either unhook your tow car (I have a 25 ft class C and tow my car), or just park and walk, to find your spot.

Some spots would be tough to get to with a bigger rig, but there are plenty that you can access via smooth dirt roads, so if your camping vehicle isn't equipped for rough roads or is tough to turn around, I'd suggest exploring and finding your spot on foot or with a car, but that's easy because of the big gravel lot. A van or small rig would be fine.

Very pretty views of the lake, lots of coyotes singing. People towed their boats down to the lake at sunrise which was a bit loud, but not bad.

February 28th, 2020 by audrey.larin.al

We got on this road and drove a bit further after following our GPS. It was great! Not that much trash.

February 25th, 2020 by thenayeliproject

Nice large area with several spots for campers. Many spots available that have paths right to the lake. We saw many types of birds including giant white pelicans! Bring fishing gear and catch your dinner!

February 8th, 2020 by toriperez94

Way too crowded. You have to pay to get into the park but it’s free with America the Beautiful

November 19th, 2019 by Wilde Weite Welt

Huge dispersed camping area at Lake Mead with many places and many campers. Because there is lots of space you can find a private spot and can choose from sites at the water or sites overlooking Las Vegas Bay. Access is very easy on a paved road and good gravel tracks down to the lake. Because of heavy use there is some trash around.

November 1st, 2019 by ryanvanzo

Still a great place. Only turns to dirt at the very end. Pavement all the way to the start of the campsites. Bathroom and trash but no water. Suggest you get here during daylight as the campspots are like randomly dispersed. Great Verizon LTE coverage and speeds. Great solar and temps were really great in late October. Beautiful area, so a coyote, relatively quiet.

October 29th, 2019 by gecko.famiky.free.fr

very nice and oK Access with RV
great view but very windy !!

August 24th, 2019 by outlook.com

You know, I hate to labour the point. But in our 7 months worth of overland travel in North America, this place is the most abused. We've witnesses a number of locals letting there plastic bags blow away, throwing water bottles on ground and leaving glass bottles before leaving the site. And it shows, this is more a landfill dump rather than a nice lake. It's a real shame...

August 23rd, 2019 by outlook.com

Not sure if this is normal for the area, but we found 2/3 of the sites have broken glass, rubbish or rusted metal laying around. The other sites were blocked by a stuck rv who blocked the path. So cannot speak for them all.
The best sites require 4*4 and/or good AT tyres.
Good for a night, and a couple of good launch points too. Thanks to the poster.

August 9th, 2019 by gabrielvermette

cannot sleep in the first camping but near the lake no problem. i was there with a fiew other poeple. nice spot where you can swim and chill by the lake. there are a lot of poeple loading and unloading there boat in the day

February 17th, 2019 by dreadscanada

great location for an evening. can be a bit breezy.

December 9th, 2018 by Rainette the van

15 days limit. Lots of spot. Lots of people during this week end of December.

November 2nd, 2018 by Wanderboom

Nice spot overlooking the lake. As expected, a lot of broken glass and debris , generally nice and peaceful. Lots of birds and some greenery at this end.

November 2nd, 2018 by Wanderboom

And we had 3 and 4 bars of AT&T!🤙 We would definitely stay here again.

September 16th, 2018 by m.lecomte91

Sooo many spots to choose from ! Lot of traffic for a place like this but overall quiet. Except for the planes !

April 30th, 2018 by parenthesenomade.com

Nice free campsite. Quiet. Toilets and trash at the parking lot before driving along the gravel road. Good ATT reception.

January 7th, 2018 by Horizon Transition

Really nice place. You can camp on wash road. Althougth when you come from NorthShore Road there is a sign to tell you it is forbidden to camp, but it's only in the paved road, if you continue you will arrive to a parking and then a gravel road, there you can park and camp. We didn't know at the beggining because of the sign so we continue to the next ioverlander point and driving throught the road we arrived to this point. Both are good, this one migth be easier for van. We have a GMC Savanna and it was barrely for the san and hole on the road in beetween.

From there you can have access to the lake. Really quiet even if they were a lot of RV on the road, quiet impressive ;) We had some coyote around 5 am making some noise, kind of wild! ;)