Gold Butte Trail

The Gold Butte Trail is a geological and archaeological treat. There are Joshua Trees galore, the geology is amazing, and the petroglyphs are fascinating. This trail is within my new found favorite spot, Gold Butte National Monument.

The variety of colors of rock were different than we have ever seen. White, tan, orange, purple, grey, red. Bold strips, soft swirls, scattered smattering of all rainbow of hues. The shapes of the rocks allowed for excellent scrambling, with cool overlooks, alcoves, and even tunnels. The rock surfaces were also canvas to many, many, many petroglphys. Be sure to find ‘Falling Man’ and ‘Newspaper Rock’.

Be sure to look up and down, you don’t want to miss the petroglyphs and also artifacts. We saw chips from arrowhead production, a large hafted scrapper, pieces of unidentifiable bone, and even a tooth.

As long as there is no cryptobiotic crust, and you can keep track of where you are and where your vehicle is, wandering is encouraged. Around every bend there seems to be a petroglyph or unique rock formation.

Difficulty: Mild to moderate depending on how much scrambling versus walking versus hiking you complete.

Trail Stats: 7.6 miles, loop trail, 583 feet elevation gain. These are the official stats from AllTrails. However, this is an exploration zone, where you can walk, climb, and wander for any distance you would like.

Trail Finding: We deviated from the trail pretty quickly to go explore. From what little we were on the actual trail, it was pretty clear.

Conditions: Rock, some optional scrambling. 

Would I Repeat This: Yes!! Double exclamation mark. I am sure we only scratched the surface with what we could see.

Parking: Good size parking lot available.

Timing: This area is exposed with some spots of shade to rest.

Downloaded Map: Recommended.

Fees: None.

Trails: Mud Wash Narrows, Whitney Pocket, Little Finland, Devil’s Throat sinkhole viewpoint, Seven Keyholes Slot Canyon, and more.