Hiking among the dry washes and rock outcroppings of Gold Butte is to step back in time. One is liable to come across millennia-old Native American rock art, the ruins of an early Spanish settlement, and wagon trails weathered by more than a century of wind and water. The resource values of this vast and storied place are truly remarkable, yet it remains unprotected.
Gold Butte bakes under the sun in the far southwest corner of Nevada, ringed by the Virgin Mountains to the north, Lake Mead to the south and west, and Arizona's Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument to the East. Gold Butte has always existed quietly in the shadow of its famous neighbors, but the growing development of southern Nevada is attracting many new visitors seeking the grand geologic, cultural, and wilderness experience this 350,000-acre gem has to offer.
The landscape is dominated by the muscular bulk of Gold Butte's scabrous basalt and limestone peaks stretching toward cloudless sky. The surrounding lowlands are strewn with boulder fields and brilliant red and orange sandstone formations tarnished over the eons. A hike in the mountains awards breathtaking views of Lake Mead, as well as numerous washes and slot canyons leading to the Colorado River. To the east, one may catch a glimpse of Arizona’s incredible Grand Wash Cliffs.
Gold Butte is one of those rare and priceless areas where ecosystems thrive. It sits at the confluence of the Mojave, Sonoran, Great Basin and Colorado Plateau desert environments. As with other ecological intersections, it is teeming with life. At the wetter higher elevations are stands of Douglas and White fir, and Ponderosa Pine, while the lowlands are dotted with Joshua trees and various species of cacti. Wild horses and burros, icons of the free West, still range unbroken. Desert bighorn sheep, iguana, kit fox and red tailed hawk all make their homes here. Habitat for golden eagles and numerous species of owls is abundant. The rugged solitude has provided refuge for a number of rare plants and animals, including the cliff dwelling peregrine falcon, banded gila monster and declining desert tortoise. Gold Butte also harbors the last remnants of Arizona cypress left on earth.
Among the sandstone cliffs and age-old rock is the evidence of lifestyles past. Gold Butte is steeped in Shoshone history with numerous petroglyph sites scattered throughout the wilderness study area. Prehistoric rock shelters dating back to 4000 B.C. can be found here, as well as agave roasting pits from as far back as 400 B.C. The area is still considered sacred by local tribes. Also found among the rock-studded landscape are reminders of European settlement and the storied days of the Wild West—the remnants of a prospecting town, old mining sites, and cowboy camps.
Gold Butte’s ubiquitous link to days past makes it an historic natural treasure we should preserve. It is hard to believe that with the weight of such history and biology, a place like Gold Butte could still be left vulnerable to misuse and abuse, but the pressures of increased use are fast taking their toll.
An explosive increase in off-road vehicle use currently plagues not only the quiet hum of the desert, but the biological integrity that keeps it intact. Trails turn into makeshift roads with heavy vehicle use, destroying vegetation and the living crypto-biotic soil that takes hundreds of years to heal.
Garbage can be found along paths and vandals have left bullet holes in — and even smashed to pieces — petroglyph sites. With the majority of the area meeting wilderness quality standards, it's vital that Gold Butte sees lasting protections for the wealth it harbors.
Last year, the Campaign for America’s Wilderness named Gold Butte as one of “ten treasures in trouble,” in its report “Wild for How Long,” which looked at special wild places now threatened but deserving of the gold standard of wilderness designation.
Thankfully, this special place is under the watchful eyes and hearts of Friends of Gold Butte and the Nevada Wilderness Project. These dedicated groups are working to permanently protect the area as a National Conservation Area and wilderness. Future generations deserve the opportunity to explore and experience all the natural and historical wonders Gold Butte has to offer.
For more information, visit Nevada Wilderness Project and Friends of Nevada Wilderness.
