Overview

The Gold Butte Road, which starts near the town of Mesquite, Nevada, is the gateway to the wild and rugged Gold Butte Region. The first 21 miles are paved, although a bit rough. The road begins running downstream along the Virgin River, then turns south and climbs over the flanks of Virgin Peak. Long stretches of open desert along the west side of the Virgin Mountains leads to Whitney Pocket, an historic and scenic area nestled among outcrops of colorful red and white sandstone.

Beyond Whitney Pocket, the road becomes graded dirt and the real wildness starts. Continuing south leads to places such as Gold Butte Townsite, Devil's Throat, the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway, Scanlon Dugway, and a whole lot of grand scenery.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a wild and remote area without services of any kind (no restrooms, no water, no gas, no food). Bring what you need to survive. Be prepared and be self-reliant. A BLM Ranger patrols the area, but it is a big place out there. Someone will find you eventually if you stay on a main road, but be prepared to survive alone for a day or two.

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

Road Guide

Gold Butte Road is located out in the Gold Butte Region northeast of Lake Mead, about 1.5 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive out Interstate 15 to about five miles before Mesquite. Take Exit 112 (Table 1, Site 010) onto Highway 170 (towards Bunkerville). Exiting the Interstate starts the journey into the wildlands as Highway 170 winds down 3.5 miles of sparsely vegetated desert hillsides towards the Virgin River. Just across the river bridge (Site 020), Gold Butte Road starts on the right (watch for signs to Meadowland Farm) and runs down along the south side of the verdant Virgin River for about 6.5 miles.

Gold Butte Road abruptly bends to the left, away from the Virgin River (Site 030), and climbs through desert canyons towards the northwestern flank of Virgin Peak. The paved (but rough) road passes Gentry Ranch Road (Site 040), then continues south with the Virgin Mountains off to the left. As the road approaches the first large sandstone outcrops on the right side of the road, it passes Black Butte Road (Site 050). Shortly thereafter, the pavement ends (Site 059) at Whitney Pocket (Site 060), a scenic area with upturned and sculpted red-and-white sandstone crags. This is a popular camping area, and it makes a good place to stop and enjoy the solitude and scenery for those who don't want to stray far from the paved road.

For the more adventuresome, continue south on the mostly well-graded unpaved Gold Butte Road. The road can suddenly get rough, so drive carefully and don't drive too fast. Birders might want to take the Arizona Road up into the Virgin Mountains to look for birds of the desert mountains.

BLM welcome to Gold Butte region sign along the road in the farm area

Local color. Backside of sign on private property along the Gold Butte Road: "Wasted time? What a 'shame'. In loving memory of Keith Nay." Keith Nay apparently was a rancher in the area.

Red and white sandstone at Whitney Pocket.