Overview

Billy Goat Peak (5,701 ft) is a tough hike to a minor peak in the middle of some of the wildest country in southern Nevada. Why bother to go so far to climb a minor peak? Spectacular views. Enough said.

The route runs south through a 2005 burn area to contour around a forested knob (Pinyon-Juniper Woodland life zone) and drop into a saddle on the north side of Billy Goat Peak. From the saddle, the route climbs the north ridge until cliffs force the route onto brushy sideslopes. At that point, it probably is preferable to ascend the north gully or even climb onto the northeast ridge to reach the summit. Don't let this short hike fool you; it is only 1.2 miles to the peak, but the last half-mile is tough.

Link to map or elevation profile.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this is a tough hike in a wild and remote place. The route is steep, rocky, brushy, and requires a bit of Class II or III scrambling depending on how you go, so be careful out in this remote area because even a twisted ankle could be a serious problem. The access road is not maintained and has a rough patch in the middle; with a 2WD vehicle, consider parking near the Arizona Road and walking in.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this is a remote hike, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

Billy Goat Peak is located about 2.5 hours east of Las Vegas, out in the wild, remote, and scenic Gold Butte Region south of the town of Mesquite (northeast end of Lake Mead).

Drive out to the Gold Butte Region, heading for Whitney Pocket at the end of the paved Gold Butte Road (Table 1, Site 060).

When the pavement ends at Whitney Pocket, the Gold Butte Road continues straight ahead as a broad, graded dirt road. About 120 yards past the end of the pavement (Site 060), a narrower road, the "Arizona Road," forks off to the left and runs east along the sandstone cliffs.

Turn left onto the Arizona Road and drive east for about 4.25 miles to Whitney Pass (Site 470). About 0.25 miles beyond the pass, turn right onto an old road (Site 480) and drive south on "Billy Goat Rd" for about 0.25 miles. Park at a campsite on the left just before the end of the road, or park at the end of the road where it might be a little harder to turn around (Site 483). Park here; this is the trailhead.

Hiking Guide

From the parking (Table 2, Wpt. 00) or trailhead (Wpt. 01), the route follows a burned-off ridgeline southward with the goal of climbing onto the east shoulder of the knob that stands between the trailhead and the summit. This area is in the uppermost Mojave Desert Scrub Life Zone. Most of the shrubs and Buckhorn Cholla in this area burned in 2005, and it is still pretty barren, but the cholla still have sharp spines and some of the Cliffrose are growing back.

As the route climbs onto the first shoulder, it crosses out of the burn area and into the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Life Zone, evidenced by lots of Single-leaf Pinyon Pine and a few Utah Juniper. Most of the shrubs in this area are Blackbrush, but Cliffrose, Shrub Live Oak, Utah Agave, and Banana Yucca are common, and there is a fair bit of Buckhorn Cholla, Mojave Kingcup Cactus, Barrel Cactus, Old-man Pricklypear, and even Pancake Pricklypear.

From the first shoulder, the route contours south across the hillside to pass below and to the east of the knob. The route climbs onto a slightly higher second shoulder on the southeast ridge (Wpt. 02) of the knob. Bighorn Sheep trails make hiking through the brush and yucca in this area a bit easier. This second shoulder provides the first good view of the main saddle and the route to the summit.

From the second shoulder, the route contours around to the main ridgeline and follows it southward and down into the big saddle (Wpt. 3) between the knob and Billy Goat Peak, proper.

From the big saddle, the obvious route would be to continue southward on the main ridge (north Ridge of Billy Goat) to the summit cliffs, and then bypass the cliffs to the east. However, the ridgeline is soon blocked by rocky outcrops and brush, forcing the route onto the steep, east facing slope. Trying to regain the ridge, and repeatedly being forced back onto the steep sideslopes becomes tiring and dangerous. Because this is a north-facing slope, the soil moisture is higher and the brush is thicker. Much of the brush is Shrub Live Oak, which has stiff branches and is tough to get through, but there is a fair bit of Wax Currant with its nasty little spines. There is less cactus on this colder side of the mountain, but watch for Brake Ferns growing among the rocks.

From the saddle (Wpt. 03), it might be easier to traverse the slope to the southeast on the obvious Bighorn Sheep trails into the gully between the north and northeast ridges, and then either climb the gully directly or climb onto the northeast ridge, which has fewer rocky outcrops to avoid.

However one gets there, gaining the summit (Wpt. 04) of this seldom-visited peak rewards hikers with some of the most spectacular views in all of southern Nevada. To the north is Virgin Peak, to the east are the Grand Wash Cliffs in Arizona, to the south is Gold Butte, Lime Ridge, and surrounding peaks and ridges, and to the west are Lake Mead and mountain ranges extending as far as the Spring Mountains. Unfortunately the day was very hazy, so I don't have pretty photos to prove my assertion about the most spectacular views in all of southern Nevada.

Return to the trailhead by following your footprints, although it might be worth trying to find an easier way down.