Overview

Garden Spring Campsite is a quiet undeveloped campsite way out in the desert on flats between limestone mountains (Tramp Ridge complex) to the north and granite mountains (Gold Butte Peak and Mica Peak) to the south.

There is no water, and there are no toilets, no trash cans, and no picnic tables. Bring what you need and take it home when you leave. There is truck parking a couple of miles west on Interstate-15 where campers can dump trash without taking it back to Las Vegas.

This campsite, suitable for a trailer or two, is located on backroads off Devils Cove Road, offering plenty of privacy. The camp area is small, so it is suitable only for one party.

This is a scenic place to visit and commune with the ranching history and scenery of this wild and rugged region.

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

While visiting Gold Butte National Monument, 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, even if you leave them in the car.

Be sure to bring trash bags to clean up after people who care less about wild places than you do.

Getting to Garden Spring Campsite

Garden Spring campsite is located out in Gold Butte National Monument at the northeast end of Lake Mead, about of 3 hours northeast of Las Vegas in a wild, remote, and scenic area.

From Las Vegas, drive out the paved Gold Butte Road to Whitney Pocket. Continue south on the unpaved Gold Butte Road for 16.5 miles to Devils Cove Road (Table 1, Site 0797), a major fork to the left.

From there, continue south on Devils Cove Road for 1.0 miles to the unmarked Garden Spring Road (Site 1770), on the left. Watch for carsonite designated-road signs and a road going up a sandy wash.

Turn left onto Garden Spring Road and drive northeast about 0.7 miles to the corral and windmill complex. Just past the corral, continue straight on a short spur road into the campsite.

Garden Spring Campsite

Garden Spring Campsite is located adjacent to the historic Garden Corral and windmill. Unfortunately, vandals have removed most of the wooden planks that form the walls of the corral and individual paddocks. Please respect this site and the history it represents by visiting and appreciating the area, but don't remove or burn any more of the wooden structures.

Oak trees and Utah juniper offer a bit of shade, but refrain from cutting firewood near the corral because there isn't enough to sustain a harvest.

This area is a good kick-off point for ATVs following some the 500 miles of open road in Gold Butte National Monument. Rough roads lead south into the mountains and can be used to access Devils Cove and Cedar Basin.