Overview

Starting near the town of Mesquite, Nevada, Gold Butte Road is the gateway to the wild and rugged Gold Butte region. The road is paved for 21 miles, although the pavement is washed out twice and a bit rough the rest of the way. During February 2022, most of the potholes have been filled, but not all of them. This is not a way to get to the Grand Canyon.

The road runs down along the Virgin River, then turns south and climbs over the flanks of Virgin Peak. Long stretches of open desert below the Virgin Mountains lead to Whitney Pocket, an historic area nestled among outcrops of colorful red-and-white sandstone.

Gold Butte Road provides access to places such as Key West Mine, Little Virgin Peak Trail, Fisherman Cove Road, Black Butte Road (Falling Man Rock Art site), and a number of nice campsites.

Beyond Whitney Pocket, the road becomes graded dirt, and that is where the real wildness starts. For details of the unpaved section of the road, see Gold Butte Road Unpaved Southbound.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about being in the desert, ... this is a fairly safe road, but parts (especially the northern 6-7 miles) are narrow and winding with blind corners. I've been run off the road by thoughtless drivers coming towards me driving too fast with big trucks and long trailers packed with ATVs, so always assume there will be a drunk driver coming around a blind corner in your lane.

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. Someone will find you eventually if you stay on a main road, but be prepared to survive alone for a day or two. Farther out, cell phones only work on few parts of the road.

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 10 Essentials.

Getting to Gold Butte Road

Gold Butte Road is located out in Gold Butte south of Mesquite, about 1.5 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive out Interstate 15 to Exit 112, which is about five miles before Mesquite, and take Highway 170 towards Riverside and 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 bridge, Gold Butte Road branches to the right (watch for signs to Meadowland Farm).

Gold Butte Road is unmarked except for a stop sign, and because of the tilt of Highway 170, the turnoff looks more like a paved pullout than a paved 2-lane road, but the turn is only a few yards past the bridge.

The Road

From Highway 170 (Table 1, Site 0686), Gold Butte Road runs southwest, but before really leaving the intersection, the road passes a large dirt parking lot on the left with information signs and maps about the Gold Butte region. This is also a popular ATV trailhead and carpool parking lot often referred to as the Gold Butte Kiosk Parking Lot.

Beyond the dirt parking lot, Gold Butte Road runs down along the south side of the verdant Virgin River. Initially, the narrow road is posted 25 mph as it winds past farms, over low ridges, and around tight, sometime blind, corners.

After passing several farms, including the infamous Bundy Ranch (1.6 miles out), the road straightens a bit and there is a tendency to drive faster. There remain however, several narrow spots with drop-offs towards the river and blind corners that require caution. I've been run off the road to the edge of a cliff along this section.

At about 3.4 miles out, about 100 yards of pavement is washed out, but the county maintains the dirt section.

At about 6.7 miles out, Gold Butte Road abruptly bends to the left, away from the river, and again the pavement is washed out for about 300 yards. The road passes a side road (Site 0687) on the right that runs out to primitive campsite along the river. The road continues bending left and begins to climb southeast through desert canyons towards Virgin Peak in the distance. The road climbs at moderate grades and winds through valleys and over ridges.

At about 7.6 miles out (Site 1772), the unmarked Virgin River Overlook Road branches to the right (0.3 miles past the washed-out asphalt). This road runs west, passing four primitive campsites in about 0.3 miles, with more campsites farther out, and ends near the Virgin River.

At about 12.1 miles out, Gold Butte Road passes the National Monument entrance sign (Site 1964), a popular place to stop for group photos. At the sign, a rough dirt road forks the right and runs down Little Virgin Wash. With the right vehicle, drivers can get to the Virgin River. This road marks the National Monument boundary to the west.

At about 13.1 miles out, Gold Butte Road passes Key West Spring Road (Site 1965), which forks to the left that leads to the Key West Mine, the Key West springs, Great Eastern Mine, and Government Spring. This road marks the National Monument boundary to the east.

Continuing, Gold Butte Road climbs over the saddle between "Big" Virgin Peak on the left and Little Virgin Peak on the right. Shortly past the high point, the road passes a wide spot (Site 1652) on the right shoulder that serves as the trailhead for Little Virgin Peak.

At about 14.3 miles out, Gold Butte Road descends to Fisherman Cove Road (Site 1653), bends a bit to the left, and begins to run south across broad desert flats (Fisherman Flats) with the Virgin Mountains to the left and the Overton Arm of Lake Mead far to the right.

At about 14.7 miles out, Gold Butte Road passes a dirt spur road (Site 1661) to the left. This road leads about 80 yards east to an old borrow pit. While not the most aesthetically pleasing site, The Gravel Pit Campsite is popular and big enough for several trailers. Cell service is available in this area.

For the next 5 miles, Gold Butte Road runs fairly straight as it heads southeast towards the far skyline. At about 16.7 miles out, Gold Butte Road passes a well-used dirt road on the left (Site 1966). This road goes to nowhere, not even a nice campsite, but eventually it bends right and reconnects with Gold Butte Road at about 19.1 miles out (Site 1967).

At 19.5 miles out, Gold Butte Road passes the first of several large sandstone outcrops on the right, then just before getting to the second sandstone outcrop, Gold Butte Road passes Black Butte Road (Site 1004), on the right. Black Butte Road leads southwest to the popular Falling Man Rock Art area and several other adventures such as the hike up Bitter Ridge and the drive around the Sand Wash--Mud Wash Loop.

Continuing, Gold Butte Road bends to the left adjacent to the second sandstone crag and passes another unmarked road (Site 1768, 19.9 miles out) on the right. This road, First Rock Campsite Road, leads to the large First Rock Campsite (visible from the pavement), which is suitable for several large trailers. First Rock Campsite Road continues through the campsite and circles the sandstone crags to several smaller campsites and intersects with Black Butte Road.

Gold Butte Road runs east (on some of the finest asphalt on the entire road) and climbs across the hillside below towering limestone mountains, then bends right (southeast) and drops to cross a major wash. Shortly thereafter, the pavement ends (Site 0461) as travelers arrive at Whitney Pocket, a scenic area of red-and-white sandstone crags. This is a popular camp area, and for visitors who don't want to stray too far from the paved road, this is a good place to stop and enjoy the solitude and scenery. Just ahead on the right, day-use parking (Site 1657) is available in a large parking lot just off the main road, and just ahead on the left, Whitney Pass Road (Site 0462) forks to the left and heads into the main camping area.

For the more adventuresome, continue south on the unpaved Gold Butte Road. Birders might want to take the Whitney Pass Road east and up into the Virgin Mountains to look for birds of the desert mountains.