After leaving Grand Canyon National Park we headed for Lake Mead National Recreation Area, just east of Henderson, NV. There are a handful of developed campgrounds here and many places to dry camp. We stayed in an area called Government Wash, an excellent place for rigs of any size to set up camp.
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Developed Campgrounds
There are 6 developed campgrounds in the Lake Mead area, ranging from full hook-ups to dry camping starting at $20/night. They include Boulder Beach Campground, Lake Mead RV Park, Las Vegas Bay Campground, Callville Bay Campground and RV Park, Echo Bay Campground and RV Park, and Temple Bar Campground and RV Park. We visited Las Vegas Bay Campground and Callville Bay Campground to dump our holding tanks and fill water. Both campgrounds appeared clean and well kept.
Dry Camping
There are several backcountry areas where you can tent or vehicle/RV camp. Check out the backcounty maps to locate them. All backcountry roads are marked with a numbered yellow arrow and will indicate the stay limit, typically 8 to15 days.
Government Wash
Government Wash is the most developed of the backcountry areas. There is a parking lot with dumpsters and restrooms at the end of Government Wash Rd. On the far end of the parking lot (to the right) next to another dumpster is the entrance to the maintained roads that lead to many camping spots and access to the shoreline for fishing. Rigs of any size can camp here and we had no issue finding a spot to park our rig.
Four by four vehicles are strongly recommended in any of the backcountry areas, and for good reason. The closer you get to the lake the sandier the terrain becomes and it is very easy to get stuck (we found that out the hard way). If you do get stuck, seek out another camper with a winch because none of the tow truck companies will even attempt to recover your vehicle. I highly recommend dropping your trailer in the parking lot and scoping out the camping spots when you first arrive.
There is a lot of trash here, as there is along the interstates and may of the roads throughout the Las Vegas area. We spent a day filling several large trash bags in the valley next to our campsite and didn’t make much of a dent in the amount of trash that was down there. If you do visit this area, please do your part to keep your campsite clean and help clean up the rest of the area.
There isn’t much wildlife out here, other than the coyotes. One in particular, whom we named Wiley (clever, right?) was much too comfortable hanging around the campsites, even during the day. They are used to finding food left from previous campers, and have no issues carrying off your small dogs to eat. Please keep an eye on young children and pets, and don’t leave pet food out at night or while you are away from your campsite.
The closest place to dump your holding tanks and fill water is at Las Vegas Bay Campground. The next closest option is Callville Bay Campground. We visited both campgrounds, and although Las Vegas Bay is closer I personally preferred Callville Bay.
Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, has everything you need. For propane, your best bet is the U-Haul on Boulder Highway.
Valley of Fire
After a couple weeks at Lake Mead we headed to an area know as Valley of Fire West, a BLM-owned area about 6.5 miles east of I-15 and 16 miles west of Valley of Fire State Park. At the junction of I-15 and Valley of Fire Highway is a truck stop that fills propane, which we were grateful for as the nights were getting cold and the days weren’t warm enough to turn off our furnace.
There are several campsites along the dirt road that winds through this property. Rigs of any size can find a place to park and after dropping our trailer and exploring a bit more we found some great campsites further along the road. There is plenty of space to turn around if needed as well.
The area has beautiful views of the mountains beyond, but the interstate is visible as well. Valley of Fire Highway is busy in the mornings and evenings with locals and tourists heading to and from Valley of Fire State Park (the park is only open from sunrise to sunset unless you are camping there). The highway runs from the interstate to Lake Mead, so if you are coming from the Lake Mead area be aware that you will have to pay the $10 entrance fee to drive through the park, even if you don’t intend to stop. A dump station and water are available within the park but if you aren’t camping in one of their campgrounds there is a fee to use it on top of the park entrance fee.
Christmas Day on the Strip
Unless we are with extended family, we don’t celebrate Christmas. No driving around on Christmas Eve to look at the twinkling lights and no waking up on Christmas morning to a large breakfast and opening gifts just to spend the rest of the day breaking, I mean playing with, the new toys. Yes, we talk about our Savior and history of the holiday, but for the most part Christmas is just another day to us.
So with that being the case we decided to spend our day on the Las Vegas Strip. And let me tell you, the girls loved it. They enjoyed seeing all the people, the stores, and the fountain show at the Bellagio Fountains. There were people dressed up in popular characters (some costumes were good, others not so good) and of course plenty of people looking for “donations” as they gave you a “gift”.
Parking is not free on the Strip. We ended up in the parking garage at The Aria, which turned out to be a good central location for walking up and down the street. Hershey’s Chocolate World was our favorite of all the stores we stopped in, mostly because I really like chocolate and partly because of all the colorful characters and assortment of candies.
We stayed in the Las Vegas area through the first weekend of January and then headed to California. All in all we love this area and plan on returning next winter. Have you been to Las Vegas? What did you think of it? I’d love to know! Drop a comment below or contact us here. Have a great week!
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