Overview

Little Finland (aka Hobgoblin's Playground and Devil's Fire) is a fascinating area where wind and water have sculpted red sandstone rock into fantastical shapes that rival the best of other areas in the southwestern deserts. From the trailhead, a short scramble leads into Little Finland, which stretches out for about 0.4 miles to the north. Exploration is easy because the area is fairly level. The farther you go and the more you look, the more you find, but this is more of an elfin wonderland than an area of towering pillars.

Link to hiking map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a fairly safe area, but be careful scrambling around the edge of the cliffs, some of which are undercut.

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

Getting to the Trailhead

Little Finland is located way out in the Gold Butte Region at the northeast end of Lake Mead, about 3 hours northeast of Las Vegas in a wild, remote, and scenic area.

From town, drive out to Gold Butte and then Whitney Pocket at the end of the paved Gold Butte Road (Table 1, Site 60). Continue south on the unpaved Gold Butte Road for 7.25 miles to Mud Wash and the Devil's Throat turnoff (Site 070).

Turn right onto Mud Wash Road and drive west towards Devils Throat, then continue on Mud Wash Road for a total of 6.9 miles to Little Finland Road (Site 370). Turn right onto Little Finland Road and drive northeast for 1.0 miles to a fork (Site 373). Stay to the right and continue another 1.2 miles to a fenced parking area at the end of the road (Site 376). Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 01), a use-trail runs east towards the cliffs, then follows a cleft up to the top of the cliffs, which is Little Finland. The elfin wonderland stretches north for about 0.4 miles.

This is a good place to wander about, sit and think, eat a little lunch, and contemplate the forces of nature (wind and water) that created such a site.