Whitney Pocket

I stayed here for a week with a volunteer group in early October. There’s lots of room in this area, we had about 11 folks. The road in is long and rough but doable in pretty much any vehicle if you go slow enough. I managed about 25-30 mph comfortably in a small suv. I heard it gets much busier on weekends and in the cooler months. This area is absolutely stunning. Amazing night skies, sunsets, rock formations, and archaeological sites. I didn’t have Verizon service right where I camped, but if I walked around the corner near the dam I could get service.

The other reviews are pretty accurate but some additional emphasis on the road may be needed. The ~20 mile road to this site is ROUGH! It us about 45 mins to 1hr to get through this stretch. Unless you wish to really test how well built your RV is, I would not recommend going more than 30 and in some areas much less. As rough as that road is, it has nothing on the last stretches into the various camp sites. We did see many larger rigs than ours including a couple Class As so it is do able.

If you are an ATVer then this might be a good choice. Seemed to be a whole lot of them out there. The dust was never really an issue as everyone slowed down near or camp site. Good choice for folks in large groups or with kids.

We did a few short hikes and drove around the area which has a number of sites to explore. Exploring the nearby sandstone formations is a must and worth it. The views from the tops can be pretty spectacular if you into mountain desert landscapes.

As an amateur astronomer, the night skies were very good with lots of stars and good viewing. The lights of Las Vegas are visible on south west horizon and, much less noticeable, the lights from Mesquite to the north. Still, very good for anywhere within 100 miles of Vegas.

Not sure if I would ever chose to camp here again. There are plenty of sites in the region to explore including at least half a dozen close to this one that I likely head for before going here again. For us, the road and cell situation were the deciding factors.

I gave Access 2 stars not because you need four wheel drive but because the rough road can be tough on some rigs and some people's nerves.

Site Quality is 3 stars for the unimproved nature of the camp sites.

Noise - This is mostly a function of your fellow campers. In this case there were 12 - 20 in the area and they were all really respectful of others. During the day is another matter with ATV traffic but not horrible.

Finally note. On top of one of the nearby sandstone formations I got a 4G signal. Everywhere else, no data, 1 bar at best without a booster. Come prepared to have no cell. I put it at no service for Verizon because although it showed a bar, my wife was unable to actually place a call.

Love this area. We were there for only 3 nights but could certainly stay longer. We camped in Whitney Pocket. Our first time so we were not familiar with what kind of available camp site options. The one we were in had a port-a-potty in a large circular camping area, next to amazing rocks. There were stopping traffic from ATVs. There are 3 better spots just a little further down the road which would be our choices next time. No bathroom stopping traffic😊

Not many people were there RVing. The main traffic were just ATVs and sightseeing. Could be because the time of the year that we were there; still pretty cold at night in the 30s and mid 20s. 20 miles of rough road driving could be the deterrent. But it's a great place if you love rocks formations to climb about & explore.

Verizon Cell coverage is between 1bar/1x or 1bar LTE, unless you have a cell amplifier.

Absolutely beautiful here. Way off the beaten path. We were the only people there the night we stayed and it was a very mild late winter night. Stunning red and beige rock outcroppings abound and plenty of whimsical Joshua trees everywhere. Porta potties were the only amenities around. As other reviewers have said, it’s a pretty rough 25 miles from I 15 but doable with really any car or truck, you just have to go slow.

This is part of the BLM land network. The road in is a little rough and may take some patience but it is worth it. The road is partly paved but has some real rough spots, sticking around 25 mph will help navigate some of the rough areas without being surprised. The stars at night are beautiful. There are lots of rocks for the kids to climb on and trails that lead to a giant sink hole and abandoned ranches. Lots of areas to go ATVing. There were port-a-potties nearby but that is it for amenities. It’s off the beaten path so you’ll have more privacy than most areas near Las Vegas...give it a try, you’ll love it.

Whitney Pocket is an excellent example of the best that BLM has to offer in the high desert. The road in is a little rough - very rough in spots - but it's totally worth it. We drove it in our 42' rig with a tow'd attached and we got rattled around quite a bit but it's very doable.

Fair warning: The road shows at least a dozen areas of complete washouts from monsoonal rain, so keep an eye on the weather... any hint of rain and I would strongly consider not going if we weren't already there, or leaving early if we were.

There are a few spots along Gold Butte Road that are large and flat enough for rigs our size... smaller rigs would have even more options. The views are spectacular, the topography is breathtaking and it's FREE!

We had zero phone coverage or data access, but surprisingly we had excellent TV antenna reception.