Lake Mead is okay and I only say it's okay because it's one of the few outdoor recreational places around Las Vegas. If you want to get out and on the water or just go sit by a body of water Lake Mead is almost your only choice. My fiance and I head out here every few weekends just to escape the hum-drum of the city.
It is decently clean and its better than a lot of lakes you might see, but man, it cannot compare to Lake Tahoe and I LOVE Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe totally spoiled me for lakes. Damn you Tahoe, damn you!
Anyway, the one thing I don't like about Lake Mead is that there are A LOT of people out there who do not follow park regulations and rules. They'll ride their jet-skis in areas where you're not supposed to ride jet-skis and they'll roll up in their cars on areas that are not meant for cars to be parked. I am not sure why. Perhaps they cannot read? Perhaps they just do not care? Perhaps it's a little bit of both? Not to mention people will come out here party, BBQ, and leave their trash all over the place. LAME.
It's all right. There are nice canyons and desert areas to hike and check out. I guess I have just been spoiled by a much nicer lake and recreation area up North.