Gold Butte National Monument — Backcountry Byway Dispersed Camping

Gold Butte is a big, quiet chunk of BLM Mojave Desert in southeast Nevada: red sandstone outcrops, Joshua tree flats, petroglyph panels and the ghost-town remains of the old mining camp the place is named for. Dispersed camping is allowed along the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway and its spurs. Use existing disturbed sites, keep to the standard BLM 14-day limit, and don’t drive off-road across the desert crust. There are no facilities, no water and no trash service, so pack in all three and pack it all back out. Spring and fall are the sweet spots. Summer will cook you.

The byway runs from the Mesquite area, mostly paved for a good stretch, then turns to graded dirt that most high-clearance rigs handle fine in dry weather. Side roads to places like Little Finland and Whitney Pockets get rougher and sandier, and a wash after a storm can eat a low-slung rig. Cell signal is thin to nonexistent. Verify current road conditions with BLM before you commit, and carry more water than you think you need. Have a dirty day.

Red rock and tortoise country east of Vegas