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Government Wash Campground and Day Use Area in Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Campground · Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Government Wash Campground and Day Use Area

Camping with small-craft lake access and no utility hookups

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Campground
Nearest trail
1.5 mi
Audio stories
6 nearby
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Government Wash: Camping and Small-Craft Access

Overview

About Government Wash Campground and Day Use Area

Why stop

  • 47 defined sites create a clear campground layout.

Heads up

  • No permanent restrooms, potable water, sewage facilities, or hookups.

Map

Where it is

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CampgroundGovernment Wash Campground and Day Use Area36.13260, -114.83747
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Plan your stop

Before you go

4 active Lake Mead alerts

  • ClosureGovernment Wash campground and 8.0 Mile Road closureMentions Government Wash, referenced in this guideGovernment Wash Campground and 8.0 Mile Road are not yet reopened to vehicle access or overnight camping; non-motorized day use remains open. - The closure is due to operational needs.Official details
  • CautionHarmful algae bloom at Nelson’s Landing and Cottonwood CoveA harmful algae bloom has been confirmed in recent samples from Nelson’s Landing and Cottonwood Cove; avoid contact with water where algae is visible.Official details
See all 4 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Lake Mead Tour Guide

Your drive to Government Wash Campground and Day Use Area, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Lake Mead National Recreation Area. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Lake Mead audio tour

Recorded for this place

Government Wash: Camping and Small-Craft Access
0:00 / 0:33
“Government Wash's access road is coming up. The campground and day-use area provides lake access for canoes, kayaks and small boats. I'd consider it for a self-contained camping trip focused on getting onto the water.”

Plays as you drive up to Government Wash Campground and Day Use Area in the Parkwolf Lake Mead Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • A Dark Coat on the Rocks
  • 33 Hole Overlook and Owl Canyon
  • Las Vegas Bay Overlook: The Wash and the City
  • Rock That Slowly Flows
  • 153 audio storiesacross Lake Mead’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Burro, Bald Eagle, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 42 trails, 70 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Government Wash Campground and Day Use Area

A developed base at the waterGovernment Wash is a developed campground and day-use area on the shores of Lake Mead, with 47…

Government Wash is a developed campground and day-use area on the shores of Lake Mead, with 47 defined campsites and access for canoes, kayaks, and small boats. It’s a practical choice if getting a small craft onto the lake matters more than campground services. This is a defined campground, not the former dispersed-camping area.

Bring your own servicesThere are no permanent restrooms, potable water, sewage facilities, or electrical hookups.

There are no permanent restrooms, potable water, sewage facilities, or electrical hookups. Bring enough drinking water and plan for a self-contained stay.

A place rebuilt around defined sitesThe area was restored from 2023 to 2025.

The area was restored from 2023 to 2025. The work established clear campsite boundaries, improved access roads and support infrastructure, and aimed to reduce congestion and protect natural resources.

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Wildlife

Wildlife in Lake Mead

All Lake Mead wildlife maps
Bighorn Sheep525 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapBurro116 sightingsBurroMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapBald Eagle18 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 4 PMSighting mapWhite Pelican99 sightingsWhite PelicanMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapGreat Blue Heron145 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapTurkey Vulture106 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Lake Mead. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Government Wash Campground and Day Use Area

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateOwl Canyon Trail2.2 mi · 2 hr · 1.5 mi awayA steep descent to sculpted narrows and two road crossings.ModerateShoreline & White Owl Canyon Loop6.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.7 mi awayA rough loop of lakebed shore, gravel washes, and slot canyons.EasyLas Vegas Bay Shoreline Trail3.4 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.9 mi awayWalk a rock-lined path along the bay's former shore.ModerateBluffs Trail2.7 mi · 2 hr · 2.1 mi awayGreen wash views and eroded bluffs just above the campground.EasySunset View Trail0.6 mi · 24 min · 2.6 mi awayA short loop with broad views over Lake Mead's Boulder Basin.ModerateWetlands Trail0.8 mi · 1 hr · 3.7 mi awayA short desert ridge walk reaches the sound of running water.ModerateBlack Mesa Trail3.9 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.5 mi awayA cross-country climb to Black Mesa's broad summit above Lake Mead.ModerateCallville Ridge Trail4.7 mi · 4 hr · 5 mi awayA pathless ridge to three summits and 1950s jet wreckage.

More stops nearby

Picnic area · 1.4 mi away33 Hole Scenic OverlookPicnic above Las Vegas Bay, with Owl Canyon starting nearby.Sight · 1.9 mi awayLas Vegas Bay OverlookA blue-roofed picnic shelter frames Las Vegas Wash and desert ridges.Campground · 2 mi awayLas Vegas Bay CampgroundShaded sites and a bluff trail above Las Vegas Wash.Sight · 2.4 mi awayLongview Scenic OverlookAn easy picnic stop with a wide Lake Mead view.Scenic pullout · 2.6 mi awaySunset View Scenic OverlookA quick Lakeshore Road stop for a wide Lake Mead panorama.

Parkwolf’s Lake Mead ranking

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Take Parkwolf to Lake Mead.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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