Overview

The Virgin River Valley Overlook Campsites are a set of fairly popular undeveloped campsites on desert flats overlooking the Virgin River Valley. Note, however, that while these sites are on public lands, they are not inside Gold Butte National Monument.

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 with dumpsters a couple of miles west on Interstate-15 where campers can leave camping trash without hauling it back to Las Vegas.

The campsite nearest the pavement is suitable for several large trailers and RVs, but only for one party. The other campsites are smaller, and the road is a bit rough getting there.

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 the Virgin River Valley Overlook Campsites

The Virgin River Valley Overlook Campsites are located out near Gold Butte National Monument at the northeast end of Lake Mead, most of 2 hours northeast of Las Vegas in a wild, remote, and scenic area.

From town, drive out to Gold Butte National Monument. Drive east on Interstate-15 to Highway 170. Take Exit 112 towards Riverside and Bunkerville. Drive south and cross the Virgin River, then quickly turn right onto the paved Gold Butte Road.

Follow the pavement for 7.6 miles to the unmarked Virgin River Overlook Road (Table 1, Site 1772) to the right (this is 0.3 miles past a washed-out section of asphalt). This road leads west passing four primitive campsites in about 0.3 miles, with more campsites farther out.

Virgin River Valley Overlook Campsites

These campsites sit on desert flats with views overlooking the Virgin River Valley. In a couple of places, the river is visible, but as if an afterthought. Looking in the other direction, Virgin Peak and Little Virgin Peak entice visitors to travel deeper into Gold Butte National Monument.

These campsites are good for people arriving late who don't want to drive all the way to Whitney Pocket in the dark (black cows on the black road in the black of night are a hazard). For people who don't want to haul their camper rig all the way out the rough Gold Butte Road, this is good place to park and take lighter vehicles the rest of the way in, but this isn't a good base of operations for off-road vehicle trips.