Overview

The White Rock Campground is an old campground way out in the desert mountains that, until recently, has not been maintained for decades. There is room for 3-4 vehicles if people are quiet and thoughtful of the neighbors. The vault toilet was installed in October 2024. I sometimes use this site during summer when seeking a higher elevation, cooler campsite. The access road generally is fine to just before the campground, but the rough road makes this campground better suited for people with higher-clearance vehicles.

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

Unfortunately, this campground is sometimes used by noisy groups of local kids.

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 should work in this area.

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 White Rock Campground

White Rock Campground 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 Las Vegas, drive out to the northeast corner of Gold Butte National Monument. From Mesquite, drive south on Riverside Road (Highway 170) and cross the Virgin River Bridge. Just across the bridge, turn left onto the paved White Rock Road. Following the pavement, at about 0.9 miles out, the pavement bends left. At this point, continue straight onto the graded dirt Lime Kiln Road. Lime Kiln Road continues south into Arizona, but after another 2.1 miles, Lime Kiln Canyon Road crosses a cattle guard and forks. Stay right onto Cabin Canyon Road following the powerlines for 2.6 miles to a large, white, water tank. Continue into the hills another 3.9 miles to where the road crosses Cabin Canyon Wash.

Immediately across the wash, the road forks. The right fork leads into the White Rock Campground, while the left continues up the canyon.