The National Park Service is closing a camping site in Lake Mead National Recreation Area after an influx of “residential-type visitors” led to damaged natural resources and high rates of crime, according to a release. Starting Thursday, Government Wash will be closed to motor vehicle access and overnight camping. The roads leading into the site, Government Wash Road and 8.
0 Mile Road, will be blocked. While not permanent, the timeline for reopening the wash reopens for camping and vehicle access is not known, John Haynes, public affairs officer for Lake Mead Recreation Area. “It varies who all is out there,” Haynes said.
During peak season, which tends to be non-summer months, there can be a couple hundred overnight visitors staying at the wash. “That’s a lot of people in a small area,” Haynes said. In the winter, “snowbirds” take to the wash.
There are also campers who do not cause damage and are being cooperative with efforts to manage the site, Haynes said. The National Park Service said that visitors to Lake Mead National Recreation Area will still be able to hike, bike and visit the shoreline within 100 feet of the water’s edge. A “primitive” area The site has become increasingly popular with long-term visitors as water levels have gone down over the past decade, the park service said.
Haynes said that outside of the area’s natural beauty, it’s not clear why the area attracts so many visitors. But the release states that the area does not hav.