October 2023: The road is passable in 2WD-HC vehicles, but 4WD-HC is highly recommended because of the sand.

Overview

Little Finland Road runs 2 miles up a sandy wash from Mud Wash Road (part of the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway loop) to Little Finland, traversing spectacular country along the way. This road provides access to Little Finland, Red Rock Spring, and the Hartman Tank route.

Link to Road Map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about the desert, ... the road is mostly firm sand and passable in a 2WD-HC vehicle (assuming good conditions), but it is safer in a 4WD because in a sandy wash, you just never know when a bit of soft sand will suck you down. Once, driving my jeep, I stopped on this road to take a photo and got stuck in the sand trying to start out; fortunately, I could shift into 4WD and drive away. There is one rocky high-step that almost requires 4WD.

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 even two or more days if you get off the main 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 Little Finland Road

Little Finland Road is located out in Gold Butte National Monument northeast of Lake Mead, about 2-3/4 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive out to Whitney Pocket at the end of the paved Gold Butte Road. Continue south on the unpaved Gold Butte Road for 3.9 miles to Mud Wash North Road. Turn right onto Mud Wash North Road and drive southwest 3.2 miles down the North Fork of Mud Wash to Mud Wash Road. Stay right onto Mud Wash Road and continue generally west for 4.0 miles down the Main Fork of Mud Wash to Little Finland Road, on the right.

See also the Gold Butte Area overview map.

The Road

From Mud Wash Road (Table 1, Site 1680), Little Finland Road runs east into the sparsely vegetated (Mojave Desert Scrub) and sandy Red Rock Springs Wash, which is followed upstream for 1.0 miles to an intersection with Red Rock Springs Road (Site 1681).

Staying right (straight), the road continues southeast for another 250 yards to a wide spot in the wash. For drivers without a good, high-clearance vehicle and stout tires, park here and walk the rest of the way.

From the wide spot, the road turns hard to the right and runs southwest into a narrow canyon with limited options for parking off the road or turning around. At the far end of the narrow canyon, the road climbs over a high, rocky step, which is barely passable in a 2WD-HC vehicle.

Beyond the high step, the road curves left and runs southeast up the sandy wash into the Little Finland area. The legal road stays right (follow the carsonite signs) and runs towards the south end of the Little Finland Cliff. Other sandy roads fork off to the left (Site 1683) towards the north end of the Little Finland cliff. The legal road eventually cuts through a narrow gap between two hills and runs into the trailhead parking area (Site 1684), which is evidenced only by a barbed-wire fence with a gate. Park here; this is the end of the road and the trailhead into the middle section of Little Finland., but this end requires hikers to scramble up a cliff.

Staying left when approaching Little Finland (Site 1683), less-ambulatory people with 4WD vehicles can drive to the top of the sandstone cliffs.