Note (Mar 2022): The road is open (barely) for full-sized pickups to near the old trailhead, and for normal jeep-type vehicles to a bit past the narrows where for a decade the road was blocked by boulders. ATVs and rock-hopper jeeps can continue up the canyon for another 2 miles to 1/4-miles past Virgin Peak Trailhead.

Overview

Virgin Peak Road runs about 4 miles from Whitney Pass Road to about 1/4 miles past an old cowboy campsite. The road runs across desert flats and up into a deep, narrow canyon, which was totally washed out in 2018. The first mile has now been driven enough to make it generally passable in standard 4WD vehicles to Virgin Corral.

Stout vehicles can drive another mile (just before the old obstruction), and narrow vehicles can drive a bit farther into the narrow, washed-out canyon. Rock-hopper jeeps and ATVs can continue another two miles. Upper portions of the road remain totally washed out, so the road follows the wash, which is full of loose gravel and boulders.

Link to Road Map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about being in the desert, ... this is a wild and remote area without services of any kind (no restrooms, no water, no gas, no food, no cell service). Bring what you need to survive. Be prepared and be self-reliant. It is a big place, but someone will eventually find you if you stay on a main road, but be prepared to survive alone for a day, or even two or more days if you get off the main road.

Upper portions of the road are totally washed out, so be prepared for self-rescue should your vehicle become high-centered on a boulder or otherwise stuck in this remote area.

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 Virgin Peak Road

Virgin Peak Road is located out in Gold Butte north of Lake Mead, about 2-1/4 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive out to Whitney Pocket at the end of the paved Gold Butte Road. At Whitney Pocket, turn left onto Whitney Pass Road and drive east 2.3 miles. Whitney Pass Road runs through a narrow gap in a rocky ridge (Quail Point) and quickly arrives at a side road on the left. This is Virgin Peak Road.

The Road

From Whitney Pass Road (Table 1, Site 0937), Virgin Peak Road runs north up a broad valley. The road is a bit rocky in places, but it generally is a good road. As the valley narrows, the road begins to run along the base of the hills on the west side, then arrives at an old corral (Site 0938) with gates, fencing, a water tank, and old vehicles. This is an interesting place to stop and poke around for a few minutes. Please respect the history here and don't remove historic trash.

Continuing, at about 300 yards past the corral, the road forks. Virgin Peak Road stays right and begins to climb into a narrow canyon. The road is a bit loose with deep gravel in places, but generally is okay. This, however, is the road on which I decided I really needed a 4WD next time.

At about 1 mile out, the road winds up to a wide spot in the narrow canyon, which is a good spot to turn around full-sized pickup trucks. Narrower vehicles can continue up the canyon and past the old trailhead parking (Site 0939) at the narrowest spot, which had been impassable to normal vehicles for a decade. A few hundred yards farther up the canyon, obstructions block everything except OHVs and rock-hopper jeeps.

This is the new Virgin Peak trailhead and the end of the "regular" road, however, OHVs can continue another 2 miles up the canyon to a bit past the old cowboy camp.