Sunday

Daytrips – Gold Butte Backcountry Byway & Blue Diamond Hills

EP-P1060483Last week I took two hikes, one to the Gold Butte Region and the second to Blue Diamond Hills. The Gold Butte Backcountry Byway is a 62-mile scenic drive that starts at exit 112 on the I-15, just south of Mesquite, Nevada, and heads south into the wild and rugged Gold Butte Region. The Gold Butte Region is administered by the BLM and the U.S. National Park Service. Rich in history, there are several sites of interest that are definitely worth exploring. They are: Falling Man Site, Black Butte Dam, Whitney Pockets, Little Finland, Devils Throat, and the Gold Butte Town Site. Click here for pictures and descriptions of this desolate area … Gold Butte Back Country Byway. EP-P1060594The second hike to the Muffin Rocks at the Cowboy Trail Rides in the Blue Diamond Hills. This steep, 3.62 mile R/T hike had an elevation gain of 815 feet from the trailhead. These rocks are large boulders of conglomerate rock -- much the same as the conglomerate rock layer that underlies the red-and-white sandstone cliffs to the west. However, here atop Blue Diamond Hill, all of the sandstone has eroded away. Click here for pictures and description of this hike … Blue Diamond Trails (Muffin Rocks Trail.