Blazing Red Sandstone & Ancient Rock Art Define Nevada’s Most Isolated Monument

Gold Butte National Monument, Nevada

Gold Butte is pure Nevada: raw desert, old mines, and endless sky. This chunk of backcountry near Las Vegas stays wild because it’s tough to reach. Those who make it find red rock towers, Native American art, and silence that runs bone deep.

Here are the best ways to explore Nevada’s hidden treasure.

Drive 62 Miles on the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway

The Gold Butte Backcountry Byway stretches 62 miles through spectacular terrain showcasing sandstone cliffs, petroglyphs, sinkholes, and more.

The route passes through the historic mining town of Gold Butte, established in 1908, where miners once extracted copper, gold, and other minerals.

Travel the last 19 miles only with high-clearance vehicles. Access the byway five miles south of Mesquite (exit 112 on I-15) or 90 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

Start Your Journey With Whitney Pocket

Stunning Whitney Pocket greets visitors as their first major landmark after entering Gold Butte National Monument’s red rock mazes.

The area offers primitive staging areas for off-highway vehicles, and starting points for exploring prehistoric roasting pits and petroglyphs.

The Whitney Pocket Dam, built during the Great Depression, from exposed Aztec sandstone is a distinctive landmark visible from miles away.

Named for George “Luke” Whitney, who arrived in 1910 and developed the nearby Aravada Ranch, the site now serves as an ideal base camp.

Explore Rock Carvings By Nomadic Ancestors

Gold Butte National Monument holds thousands of petroglyphs sacred to the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians and the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe.

The Paiute’s nomadic ancestors, the Tudinu or Desert People, called this area Mah’ha ga doo, meaning “Many Bushes”, about 12,000 years ago.

At Newspaper Rock, off Black Butte Road, there’s a massive boulder with carvings of tortoises, bighorn sheep, the sun, and water symbols.

Crawl Through Tunnels To See the Falling Man

The famous Falling Man petroglyph portrays a human figure in free fall on the rocks at Luke Whitney Petroglyph Site.

The site can be reached by taking a dirt road about 2 miles from Whitney Pocket, though high-clearance vehicles are needed for the rough terrain.

Walk Past Red Rock Fins in Little Finland

Known as Devil’s Fire or Hobgoblin’s Playground, these complex formations of red-orange Aztec sandstone sit perched atop a flat bench roughly 50 feet.

Most formations match the size of a car but reach 5-20 feet tall with narrow fins and strange protrusions jutting in all directions.

The Devil’s Throat Sinkhole

Devil’s Throat creates a 110-foot-deep sinkhole that demands viewing from a safe distance due to extremely unstable ground.

The sinkhole opened suddenly in the early 1900s when miners and cowboys noticed a huge dust cloud rising into the sky and it keeps growing bigger.

Four Desert Ecosystems Meet in One Place

Gold Butte marks the exact spot where four major ecological zones converge: the Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran, and Colorado Plateau.

You’ll see extraordinary biodiversity with trees ranging from Douglas fir and white fir in higher spots to cholla and Joshua trees at lower elevations.

Each ecological zone brings specialized plant communities, from drought-resistant creosote bushes to pinyon-juniper woodlands.

Track Desert Bighorn Sheep Through Mountains

Desert bighorn sheep are tough animals that have adapted perfectly to Nevada’s harsh environment, going weeks without water while eating mostly grasses.

Their special concave hooves help them climb steep, rocky mountains quickly to escape predators. Out here they remain fairly close to water (e.g., Lake Mead).

The petroglyphs on the rock panels depict the creature (look for the artwork called 21 Goats) as a trophy for ancient hunters.

Look for Desert Tortoises Underground

The protected desert tortoises call Gold Butte home with their brownish, domed shells that can grow to 14 inches after decades of life.

Spring brings them out to eat fresh plants and flowers and search for mates, while they spend hot, dry spells in underground burrows.

They stay underground for about 95% of their lives, with strong populations on the slopes above Mesquite into the Virgin Mountains foothills.

Drop By the Empty Ghost Town of Gold Butte

As the center of the Gold Butte Mining District, the town buzzed with activity in the early 1900s and grew to 2,000 residents at its peak.

The district produced $75,000 worth of gold, mica, magnesite, copper, and zinc before mining stopped. 10 years later, it became a ghost town.

Two graves remain of Arthur Coleman and William Garrett, the last residents. William was the nephew of Pat Garrett, the lawman known for shooting Billy the Kid.

Read More From This Brand:

• The Clown Motel, Nevada
• Great Basin National Park
• Nevada’s First Town in 1851