Overview

Gold Butte Wash Road is a 2.3-mile two-track that runs north-south between Narrows Road North to the north and Red Bluff Spring Road (part of the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway) to the south. Most of the road washed away during a flash flood, but now drivers just follow the wash, occasionally weaving between trees and rocks.

The road runs up the fairly narrow canyon passing colorful outcrops of red sandstone, white sandstones, and gray limestone. The canyon is well vegetated with species typical of a desert wash in the Mojave Desert Scrub life zone. Common species include desert willow and honey mesquite.

This road provides access to an old well, but otherwise no particular destination, although it is part of the Sand Wash--Mud Wash Loop that starts and ends at Whitney Pocket.

Link to road map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this road is fairly safe, but it runs into 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 main roads, but be prepared to survive alone for a day or more on side roads. Cell phones don't work.

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 the Roadhead from the North

Gold Butte Wash Road is located out in Gold Butte northeast of Lake Mead, about 3 hours northeast of Las Vegas.

From Las Vegas, drive out to Gold Butte. From Whitney Pocket, turn around and drive north on the paved Gold Butte Road for 1.5 miles (just past the last big red sandstone crag on the left) to Black Butte Road, an unmarked dirt road on the left.

Make a hard left turn onto Black Butte Road and drive southwest, passing Falling Man Trailhead, for 3.5 miles to Sand Wash Road, on the right.

Continue west on Sand Wash Road for 5.9 miles to Narrows Road North. Continue southeast on Narrows Road North to Gold Butte Wash Road, on the left.

Getting to the Roadhead from the South

From Whitney Pocket, 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 continue 3.2 miles southwest to Mud Wash Road. Stay right onto Mud Wash Road and continue generally west for 5.1 miles to the end of Mud Wash Road where Red Bluff Spring Road turns left out of the canyon.

Drive south on Red Bluff Spring Road for 1.9 miles to Gold Butte Wash Road, on the right.

The Road

From Narrows Road North (Table 1, Site 1634), Gold Butte Wash Road turns out of Mud Wash and heads up a narrow side canyon, which is Gold Butte Wash. The road runs through a spring, then continues up the wash running between cliffs of various colors on one side or the other.

After running up the wash dodging trees and boulders for about 1.9 miles, the road turns out of the wash to the left and quickly passes an old well on the right. Little remains other than barbed-wire fencing around the wellhead.

Now running on a two-track above the wash, the road continues up the canyon, and at about 2.3 miles out, ends at a T-intersection (Site 1624) with Red Bluff Spring Road.

At Red Bluff Spring Road, drivers can turn left and head north towards Mud Wash, Little Finland, and eventually Whitney Pocket, or turn right and head south towards Gold Butte Townsite.