Whitney Pocket — Gold Butte Sandstone Alcove BLM Camp

Whitney Pocket is a small cluster of Aztec sandstone domes and alcoves off Gold Butte Road, and it’s the natural first night out of Mesquite. Camping here is primitive and informal, with a few pull-in sites tucked against the rock. There’s no water, no hookups, and no services of any kind. Pack in everything and pack out your trash. Expect it to fill up on spring and fall weekends, so get in early if you want one of the sites against the rock. Midweek in winter, you may have the place to yourself.

The pocket sits just off the pavement, which makes it a good staging camp before pushing on to Little Finland, Devil’s Throat, and the Gold Butte townsite. Summers are brutal, with triple-digit heat and little shade, so plan on October through April. Carry all your water, check current BLM conditions on the monument before you roll, and respect fire restrictions. Stay on existing tracks. The desert crust and the tortoise habitat here are fragile.

Sandstone alcove camp on the Gold Butte Byway