So Lake Mead is no good?

[Mountainstone]

I may soon be stationed in Las Vegas (Air Force) and was pretty stoked thinking about how Lake Mead must be a great place to party. It's huge and deep and close to Vegas, so there's gotta be lotsa hotties on hot boats I figure. I just spoke with a buddy who was stationed there a few years back who says that nobody goes to Mead cuz it's "nasty." I asked what he meant but he couldn't elaborate, not being a boater himself - he just repeated what he had heard.
Is Mead nasty? Does nobody really boat that huge lake?

[burtandnancy2]

Lake Mead is one of the two best lakes in the Pacific Southwest (tied with Lake Powell) There is nothing nasty about Lake Mead. A few years ago there was an algae problem, but thats long gone. All you need is a fast boat and lots of fuel, there are over a 1,000 miles of shoreline to see and explore...

[Mountainstone]

That makes me feel better. I thought it odd that there is so little mention of it on this site, considering its proximity to the Vegas "baller" set. Maybe it draws too little of the California crowd to be a true "see-and-be-seen" destination. Thanx for the reassurance!

[Magic34]

Lake Mead is one of the two best lakes in the Pacific Southwest (tied with Lake Powell) There is nothing nasty about Lake Mead. A few years ago there was an algae problem, but thats long gone. All you need is a fast boat and lots of fuel, there are over a 1,000 miles of shoreline to see and explore...
I agree with all of this. It is a great lake to be on. Very large and the water is clean.

[voodoomedman]

That makes me feel better. I thought it odd that there is so little mention of it on this site, considering its proximity to the Vegas "baller" set. Maybe it draws too little of the California crowd to be a true "see-and-be-seen" destination. Thanx for the reassurance!
Unfortunately the party is on Havasu. That is a couple hours from Vegas. It sucks though because not only does it make it crowded but too many people don't know how to party responsibly.

[franky]

On a nice day Mead is wonderfull. When the wind comes up it IS nasty. Big water.

[burtandnancy2]

Thats why I say you need a big, fast boat. Lake Mead is for adults, Havazoo for all others...

[HocusPocus]

i have alawys enjoyed lake mead except of course when the winds pick up and it can be a rough ride. i was 12 years in the Air Force, what field are you in?

[OCMerrill]

Over the past several years the water level has barely gone above 50 to 60%full.
Maybe this is what your hearing?
Still a very big lake and one can truely get lost there.

[Mountainstone]

i was 12 years in the Air Force, what field are you in?
I'm an E6 with 15.5 yrs (4 1/2 years 'til retirement - woohoo!). I'm a civil engineer troop, high voltage electrician by trade.

[Mountainstone]

Lake Mead is for adults, Havazoo for all others...
I like the sound of this, but "adults" still drink beer and let their boobs hang out occasionally, don't they? ;)

[Xlration Marine]

Yup and when they flop them out they hit the deck.:D :D :D :D :D

[franky]

Thats why I say you need a big, fast boat. Lake Mead is for adults, Havazoo for all others...
To quote my adult kids....."whatever". And if you are too adult to know what that means...

[Rexone]

Isn't adults over 21... :D

[BADAXE]

Your buddy is right....Lake Mead SUCKS! If I were you I wouldn't go there and I'd tell all my friends not to go there either.

[CAHotRodBoy]

I hammer down to havasu to party. I go to Mead to relax. There is nothing on Mead (other than a few marinas). There are some coves to beach on. I've only been here for a couple years but I have yet to see it "blown out" to the point that I couldn't run my boat hard. Of course, I have an "off shore" boat (24* deadrise) and am used to ocean boating. I guess if you have a smaller lake boat with a flatter bottom it can get rough. It is a very big lake with lots of area to run hard.

[laveydayz]

Your buddy is right....Lake Mead SUCKS! If I were you I wouldn't go there and I'd tell all my friends not to go there either.
2nd that...Havasu is much better!!

[Mountainstone]

Your buddy is right....Lake Mead SUCKS! If I were you I wouldn't go there and I'd tell all my friends not to go there either.
Gotcha. (I can't find the conspiratorial smilie to insert, so imagine it is here)

[FASTJTBT]

Just got home from having four great days on the water calm and smooth all of the days water temp 72 Temple bar is a hot spot been going there for some 43years now. P/S dont tell anyone how nice it is

[Huckleberry]

How is the law up there when it comes to un-muffled motors? I'd love to go back to Mead, but am worried about a big-buck ticket for being too loud. (The boat, that is!!!)

[Panic Button]

We been at Nellis for 8 years this tour and did 3 years in the 80's. The lake is great and peaceful. Check out lasvegas***boats.com for the locals. Base housing sucks, so look elsewhere for housing. We loved Nellis and the lake, but heading to Eglin for real boating and Crab Island...

[I'mTheBeaver]

I may soon be stationed in Las Vegas (Air Force) and was pretty stoked thinking about how Lake Mead must be a great place to party. It's huge and deep and close to Vegas, so there's gotta be lotsa hotties on hot boats I figure. I just spoke with a buddy who was stationed there a few years back who says that nobody goes to Mead cuz it's "nasty." I asked what he meant but he couldn't elaborate, not being a boater himself - he just repeated what he had heard.
Is Mead nasty? Does nobody really boat that huge lake?
We are only 20 minutes to the launch ramp of Lake Mead and go there every weekend except for the weekends that we're in Havasu (which is pretty frequent).
Pros of Lake Mead: big open waters, great for big fast boats, hundreds of secluded coves.
Cons of Lake Mead: the water level is getting low but the lake is still bigger than any other popular boating lake on the West Coast, several marinas but no channel (no bars or city development like Lake Havasu). Boulder City is nearby.
Lake Havasu and Lake Mead is very different. We love Mead because it is so big and calm for the most part. You can run your boat anywhere and not be crowded by other boats. There's always a spot where there's nobody else in sight.
Hangouts: Sandy Beach and Wishing Well...and that's just two of the places on this HUGE lake that we like to be at. I think we've only covered 1/8 of the lake if that and we've been going there for about 3 years.
This is Wishing Well, a popular cove where boaters like to float and cliff dive.
http://static.flickr.com/233/519432630_eb5c12dc6a_d.jpg ('http://flickr.com/photos/78089473@N00/519432630')
I personally like to float in my life jacket and drink margaritas...cuz that's what I'm good at. Okay, I'll admit. I'm not the best swimmer and prefer to stick my legs through a life jacket. :D Wherever you go, you can always see the walls (like the ones in the background of this pic) if they are not on each side of you.
http://static.flickr.com/234/519432586_e368ab6f14_d.jpg ('http://flickr.com/photos/78089473@N00/519432586')
Many people like to go between the walls of Wishing Well into Pirate's Cove.
http://static.flickr.com/191/520820727_6d94035182_d.jpg ('http://flickr.com/photos/78089473@N00/520820727')
If you have a couple minutes, you can watch the video of what it is like in Pirate's Cove where the walls are 100+ feet high and the water way is as as narrow as 15-20 feet in some places.
Video of Pirate's Cove (http://picasaweb.google.com/hellodaly/VideosOnLakeMead/photo?authkey=dBiDjv2GoxQ#5069866642761238130)
Lastly, when we ride further out on Lake Mead into this open area, it feels like you are out in the middle of the ocean. On this day, the weather was absolutely perfect and the wind was calm.
http://static.flickr.com/216/519432774_57f9929d6d_d.jpg ('http://flickr.com/photos/78089473@N00/519432774')
It was so quiet and still. I just love relaxing out there.
http://static.flickr.com/229/519461067_3e5f01a65d_d.jpg ('http://flickr.com/photos/78089473@N00/519461067')
This is a video of us speeding through the water. You can see that the water is glassy but as others have said, it can get rough when it is windy but never as rough as Havasu can get.
Video: riding on glassy water (http://picasaweb.google.com/hellodaly/VideosOnLakeMead/photo?authkey=dBiDjv2GoxQ#5070133368820254338) The video is loud so you might want to turn down your speaker.
Lake Havasu can be fun. Let us know when you are out there :)
http://static.flickr.com/202/519461101_601ab45857_d.jpg ('http://flickr.com/photos/78089473@N00/519461101')
http://static.flickr.com/216/519461079_639849acc6_d.jpg ('http://flickr.com/photos/78089473@N00/519461079')

[Mountainstone]

Thanx for all the reassurances! I will find out in August where my next base will be, so if we wind up in Vegas (one of the bases on my "dream sheet") I will definitely be checking out every inch of Mead.
PanicButton - Thanx for the website and the advice. Have fun at Eglin (how could you not); the club is right on the beach there.
I'mTheBeaver - I have taught all my boat friends to wear a ski vest like a diaper (upside down and backwards with your legs through the armholes) and just float with a beer in a coozie for hours at a time. As soon as someone invents the coozie that floats upright by itself without spilling your beer, I will buy a case of 'em. Mead sounds perfect, having big water and quiet coves. I don't need a channel to have fun as long as I can find a few other boats to tie on to and trade beers and lies. Thanx a ton for the pics and videos!

[beaverretriever]

Thanx for all the reassurances! I will find out in August where my next base will be, so if we wind up in Vegas (one of the bases on my "dream sheet") I will definitely be checking out every inch of Mead.
PanicButton - Thanx for the website and the advice. Have fun at Eglin (how could you not); the club is right on the beach there.
I'mTheBeaver - I have taught all my boat friends to wear a ski vest like a diaper (upside down and backwards with your legs through the armholes) and just float with a beer in a coozie for hours at a time. As soon as someone invents the coozie that floats upright by itself without spilling your beer, I will buy a case of 'em. Mead sounds perfect, having big water and quiet coves. I don't need a channel to have fun as long as I can find a few other boats to tie on to and trade beers and lies. Thanx a ton for the pics and videos!
My wife (Im the Beaver) and I will be looking out for you. I hope you get to come to Vegas. It is a great place, although we live in Henderson,,, even a better place.:D ;)

[GHT]

I may soon be stationed in Las Vegas (Air Force) and was pretty stoked thinking about how Lake Mead must be a great place to party. It's huge and deep and close to Vegas, so there's gotta be lotsa hotties on hot boats I figure. I just spoke with a buddy who was stationed there a few years back who says that nobody goes to Mead cuz it's "nasty." I asked what he meant but he couldn't elaborate, not being a boater himself - he just repeated what he had heard.
Is Mead nasty? Does nobody really boat that huge lake?
A lot of people in Vegas talk about how Nasty Mead is but it is a very nice lake even though it is over 70ft low. As it heats up and the water temp approaches 80+ degrees the water starts to look cloudy / murkey due to alge growth. Doesn't make it nasty by any means. I got stationed out here a long time ago and boated Mead for several years.
Keep in mind these additional "Perks".. You can boat on Mead, Mohave, Havasu and Powell (Powell is the farthest). Mohave is really nice especially toward the North. Havasu is less than three hours form Vegas.. You are (and don't let anyone tell you different) being stationed at a Boaters Paradise...
WELCOME TO NELLIS....

[GHT]

I'm an E6 with 15.5 yrs (4 1/2 years 'til retirement - woohoo!). I'm a civil engineer troop, high voltage electrician by trade.
So you going to be hooked up with Pink Pony... Ummm I mean Red Horse?:D

[beaverretriever]

A lot of people in Vegas talk about how Nasty Mead is but it is a very nice lake even though it is over 70ft low. As it heats up and the water temp approaches 80+ degrees the water starts to look cloudy / murkey due to alge growth. Doesn't make it nasty by any means. I got stationed out here a long time ago and boated Mead for several years.
Keep in mind these additional "Perks".. You can boat on Mead, Mohave, Havasu and Powell (Powell is the farthest). Mohave is really nice especially toward the North. Havasu is less than three hours form Vegas.. You are (and don't let anyone tell you different) being stationed at a Boaters Paradise...
WELCOME TO NELLIS....
Couldn't have said it better. :)
I have not seen Mead murky in some time. It is usually very clear (as you can tell by some of the pix in my wifes post).
We do boat in Havasu as much as Mead. I love both places. I love being around all the craziness of Havi then relaxing at Mead the next weekend. BTW, we make it to Havi in 1hr and 45 min without a trailer. Add about 15-25 with a trailer. It is soooo close.

[Goldilocks]

I grew up boating on Lake Mead. It is a great lake to boat on. It's too bad the water level has dropped so much but it is still a vast lake. You will love it!