Boxcar Cove on Lake Mead

There are a few places in Lake Mead National Recreation Area where camping is free. There is a fee to get in the recreation area, but it was covered by my America the Beautiful pass. Boxcar cove is on the north shore of Lake Mead, with several miles of unpaved road that alternates between washboard and loose gravel. There are dumpsters close to the paved road, and a vault toilet a mile or so from shore. The lake level was way below its maximum, but it has also been lower recently. Swimming, fishing, and boating are allowed. The lake bottom is loose mud, and the shore is mud, gravel, and a few sandy patches. I saw two pickups that had become stuck, one trying to pull the other out. A third managed to get them unstuck. On the weekend, there was quite a bit of noise at times from the power boats and some people who played music loud. Most people stayed only a few hours, even the campers tended to arrive late and leave in the morning. On Monday, it was much quieter. Verizon internet and T-Mobile cell phone signals were good, and I got several TV stations but not the one I wanted to watch.