Hiking Around Las Vegas, Gold Butte National Monument
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Overview Whitney Pocket is a popular undeveloped camping and picnic area way out in the desert nestled up against sculpted red-and-white sandstone crags at the foot of limestone-gray Virgin Peak. There are no formal sites, but I've numbered the eight main sites. 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. Humans have a long history here, evidenced by petroglyphs and agave-roasting pits left by the ancients and by cement dams and other structures left by ranchers and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This is an interesting place to visit and commune with the history and scenery of this wild and rugged region. Link to map. |
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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 Whitney Pocket, 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 we do. |
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Getting to Whitney Pocket Whitney Pocket is located out in Gold Butte National Monument at the northeast end of Lake Mead, about 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 (there are no paved side roads) for 21 miles until it ends at Whitney Pocket (Table 1, Site 0461). |
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Whitney Pocket Between towering sandstone crags, Gold Butte Road changes from pavement to graded dirt as it enters Whitney Pocket and passes a campsite on the right. Just past the crags, unpaved Gold Butte Road passes a side road (Site 1657) to the right that leads a few yards to a large day-use parking area with information signs. This area is big enough to turn around long trailers and off-load ATVs. Some people camp here, but the road continues west to two campsites among the crags. A few yards farther south on Gold Butte Road, Whitney Pass Road (Site 0462) forks to the left and runs east over the mountains into Arizona, but not before passing several campsites, historic structures (CCC Dam [Site 1658] and CCC Store Room), and agave roasting pits nestled among sandstone crags. |
Whitney Pocket Campsite #1. This campsite is located right at the end of the pavement. When the pavement runs out, turn hard to the right. This site is large enough for several trailers and RVs, and it is far enough back from the road to give the feeling of privacy.
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 One of several campfire rings |
 Monster peeking over the rocks? |
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Whitney Pocket Campsite #2. This campsite is located 100 yards past the end of the pavement and is the first right turn. This site is large enough for several trailers and RVs, but technically this is the day-use parking area. People camp here, but it is open and without privacy. Expect to have lots of daytime guests on the weekends. A road extends west from the information boards to two more campsites. The close one is big enough for trailers, but the second is for trucks and tents only.
 Gold Butte Road at Day-Use Parking (view S) |
 Big, open, day-use parking lot with camper (view E) |
 Information sign and toilet (view N) |
 Day-use parking lot (view E) |
 Road to additional campsites (view W) |
 Exiting from day-use parking (view NE) |
Whitney Pocket Campsite #3. From the information signs at Campsite #2, a road extends west to two more campsites. The close one is big enough for trailers, but the second is for trucks and tents only.
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Whitney Pocket Campsite #4. Staying to the right on the road beyond Campsite 3, there is a small turn-around at the end of a spur road. This is a quiet, private site, but it is too small for large camper vehicles, and it would be hard to turn a large trailer around.
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Whitney Pocket Campsite #5. From Gold Butte Road, the first left turn is Whitney Pass Road. Driving east on Whitney Pass Road, the road takes a quick jog to the right, then straightens to continue east. Just past a low point in the jog (0.31 miles out), a rough road forks off to the right. The road leads to Campsite 5, but the access road isn't really suitable for large vehicles or trailers. The access road climbs the side of the road, then bends back to the right on desert flats. This is a big open area suitable for several pickup trucks with a bit of privacy because vehicles pass by in the ditch. This campsite are adjacent to the CCC Wall, so take care of this historic place.
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #5 (view E from Whitney Pass Road) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #5 (view W from Whitney Pass Road) |
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 Morning light at Campsite #5 (view W) |
 Campsite #5 (view S from CCC Dam) |
Whitney Pocket Campsite #6. Continuing east on Whitney Pass Road, visitors quickly pass a short spur road on the left (0.36 miles out), which is the campsite. This site is big enough for two trailers or RVs, but it is right along the main road and has little privacy. Dust could be a problem here too as vehicles pass by.
 Whitney Pass Road eastbound |
 Whitney Pass Road westbound |
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Whitney Pocket Campsite #7. A bit farther east on Whitney Pass Road (0.44 miles out), a short spur road heads left into a camp area with several sites. This area is big enough for several trailers and RVs, and if taken by one large party, it offers privacy and some distance from the dusty road. Otherwise, it is still big enough for a few parties to spread out so nobody will feel like they are imposing on their neighbor's campsite.
 Whitney Pass Rd at Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 Access Rd (view E) |
 This camp area is the most popular (view N) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 Access Road (view N) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 Access Road (view N) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 area (view N) |
 Sunset at Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 |
 Sunrise at Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 |
 Group of friends at Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 |
 An outhouse is placed a Camp #7 during the cool season |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 |
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 Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 area (view NW) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 area (view W) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 area (view W) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #7 area (view W) |
Whitney Pocket Campsite #8. A bit farther east on Whitney Pass Road (0.74 miles out), another short spur road heads left towards an isolated sandstone crag into a small camp area with a couple of sites. This area is big enough for several trailers and RVs, and if it is taken by one large party, it offers privacy and some distance from the dusty road. Otherwise, it is still big enough for two or maybe three parties to spread out so nobody will feel like they are imposing on their neighbor's campsite.
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 (view NE from Whitney Pass Road) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 (view NW from Whitney Pass Road) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 Access Road (view N) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 Access Road (view N) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 (view NW) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 (view NW) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 (view W) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 (view W) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 (view S) |
 Whitney Pocket Campsite #8 (view NW) |
 Happy camper at sunset (view S) |
 Happy camper with sunset color on the cliffs (view NE) |
 This is gross -- bury your poop or pack it out! |
 Don't be a sloppy ass! |
Table 1. Highway Coordinates Based on GPS Data (NAD27; UTM Zone 11S). Download Highway GPS Waypoints (*.gpx) file.
| Site | Location | UTM Easting | UTM Northing | Latitude (N) | Longitude (W) | Elevation (ft) | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WP_camp-1 | Whitney Pocket campsite 1 | 756058 | 4045713 | 36.52436 | 114.14030 | 3018 | Yes |
| WP_camp-2 | Whitney Pocket campsite 2 | 756104 | 4045521 | 36.52262 | 114.13986 | 3012 | Yes |
| WP_camp-3 | Whitney Pocket campsite 3 | 755936 | 4045561 | 36.52302 | 114.14172 | 2976 | Yes |
| WP_camp-4 | Whitney Pocket campsite 4 | 755779 | 4045506 | 36.52257 | 114.14348 | 2963 | Yes |
| WP_camp-5 | Whitney Pocket campsite 5 | 756585 | 4045547 | 36.52272 | 114.13448 | 3123 | Yes |
| WP_camp-6 | Whitney Pocket campsite 6 | 756674 | 4045630 | 36.52345 | 114.13346 | 3150 | Yes |
| WP_camp-7 | Whitney Pocket campsite 7 | 756781 | 4045733 | 36.52434 | 114.13223 | 3159 | Yes |
| WP_camp-8 | Whitney Pocket campsite 8 | 757299 | 4045723 | 36.52411 | 114.12646 | 3261 | Yes |
Happy Hiking! All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
; Last updated 240325
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