Hike Bitter Ridge and Little Finland Loop Gold Butte National Monument, NV

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Black Butte Road, the dirt road off of Gold Butte Road, the main road into the national monument, was fine for my car. There are sections that may require higher clearance, but it only gets more rough about a mile from where I parked at the base of Bitter Ridge.

This exploratory route through Gold Butte National Monument includes the high point of Bitter Ridge, and the interesting Little Finland (aka Hobgoblin's Playground). I wasn't sure if my car could make it out to Little Finland, so I contrived a general route to try to make the day more interesting than bumping over rocks in my Subaru for hours. So, I decided to park at the base of Bitter Ridge, along Black Butte Road, and hike along the ridge, which included a couple of Class 3 downclimbs, until I could find a reasonable way down. After summitting the high point and looking southeast into the red rock absurdity, I got too excited and wanted to get off Bitter Ridge as soon as I could to go explore the washes and colorful rocks. The way down I took was probably not the best – it was very steep and sandy and just didn't feel particularly kind to the slope. Once I started down, though, I just kept going. From below, the ridge didn't seem to ease up much farther down, but maybe there's something more reasonable that I couldn't see? Anyway, once off Bitter Ridge, I found a beautiful bright red sandy wash nestled between lumps of red that I followed past a seeping rock and deeper into Gold Butte National Monument. My route is on the map attached, but it's sort of a choose your own adventure sort of deal. Just be careful of all the cryptobiotic soil that is pretty much everywhere and try to follow animal trails, of which there were many. Along the way, I also passed some brightly colored formations that reminded me of the famous The Wave, and even entered a section of slick narrows. Eventually, I made it past the very green Red Rock Springs Wash and to Little Finland, where there are an uncountable number of interesting flaky rock formations. I continued through the rocky area that surrounded Little Finland and found a pretty straightforward Class 3 route up into a region with many small natural arches everywhere before I found a Class 2 gully back down to the opposite side of Little Finland. From here, I continued up the Red Rock Springs Wash and took a side trip up a narrow slot canyon between two white domes before continuing through the white domes and finding another narrow slot that led me to flatter land northeast of the white domes area. A trail brought me back to the parking area.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)

Peaks on hike

Elevation

Prominence

Bitter Ridge

3268 ft

906 rise

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Starting up Bitter Ridge.

Looking back along Bitter Ridge, my car is parked near the wash below.

Continuing along Bitter Ridge.

Looking back along Bitter Ridge.

High point of Bitter Ridge ahead.

Looking back along Bitter Ridge, red rock formations below.

My goal was to get down into the red wash to the left.

Looking back along Bitter Ridge.

Crazy red rock formations below.

Continuing down Bitter Ridge.

Looking back toward one of the Class 3 down climbs.

Almost to another small high point along Bitter Ridge.

Looking back along Bitter Ridge.

Another down climb on Class 3 along Bitter Ridge. I decided to scramble down on the left toward the colorful sandy stuff you see.

Along the sandy slope down from Bitter Ridge. Class 2, but very steep.

Continuing northeast, Bitter Ridge just to my left. I wanted to check out the red sandy wash I saw from above.

Heading east among some red bounds. Little Finland is that red grouping of rocks wayyyy in the distance.

Looking back up the red moundy wash toward Bitter Ridge.

Some fun route finding in washes. If you follow my map, there are two or three huge boulders in washes with nice convenient holes to scramble through. Avoid the cryptobiotic soil!

Surprising seeping red rock overhang.

Closeup of the seep.

Gorgeous sweeping formations.

Entering open desert for a while.

Short section of slot in a wash.

Continuing through open desert.

Looking back toward Bitter Ridge.

Passing Red Rock Springs.

Red Rock Springs itself is apparently a bit up this wash, but the spot I passed was really pretty.

Looking back toward Bitter Ridge and my fun route finding adventure on the way to Little Finland.

Little Finland ahead.

Little Finland!

Little Finland, looking back toward Bitter Ridge.

Eventually after taking too many photos of Little Finland in terrible midday lighting, I continued to route-find into the grouping of rocks where Little Finland was. I climbed a couple hundred feet and got to an area on top of the rock outcropping with lot

Lots of little arches above Little Finland.

My little gully to get down from the Little Finland rock outcropping. Bitter Ridge is visible in the distance.

Continuing up Red Rock Springs.

The lushness of Red Rock Springs fades away eventually and you have a great sandy wash to follow as it enters the area of White Domes.

Side trip between those two big white domes leads to a short slot.

Between the two domes on my side trip.

Back along the main wash, entering the main white domes area.

White domes narrow slot ahead.

Very pretty section of slot within the white domes. It leads to a way out that skirts the white domes' chaos.

Natural arch in the canyon.

Escape from the white domes narrow canyon.

A trail appears and takes you along the edge of the white domes back to the car.

Looking back toward the white domes.

Bitter Ridge ahead, where I started hours ago.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!