Overview

The hike from Mud Wash Corral to Little Finland is a short, 1/3-mile jaunt over the hills that saves drivers about 4 miles, probably takes less time, and makes access easier for drivers without 4WD vehicles. For people who enjoy the ride, the road gets you closer, but for others, this route adds a bit more interest to the Little Finland adventure.

From the historic Mud Wash Corral, the route follows an old road that leads to nowhere, then runs north on a use-trail over low hills to the base of the Little Finland cliffs. A ramp, guarded by a sandstone dragon, leads easily into the Little Finland area, which is full of sandstone gnomes, fanciful shapes, and more sandstone monsters.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this site is pretty safe, but always be careful when high enough to fall and get hurt. Stepping around the end of a barbed-wire fence at the edge of a cliff is a little airy, but the metal fence post is solid. The next fence post, however, is not solid, so hang onto the barbed wire too tightly.

This is a wild and remote area without services of any kind (no restrooms, no water, no gas, no food). Bring what you need to survive. Be prepared and be self-reliant. Law enforcement occasionally patrols the area. Someone will find you eventually if you stay on a main road, but be prepared to survive alone for a day or two. Cell phones only work along parts of the paved road.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, this is a remote area, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located out in Gold Butte National Monument at the northeast end of Lake Mead, about 3 hours northeast of Las Vegas in a wild, remote, and scenic area.

From town, drive out the paved Gold Butte Road 21 miles to the end of the pavement at Whitney Pocket. Continue south on the unpaved Gold Butte Road for 3.9 miles to Mud Wash North Road on the right. Turn onto Mud Wash North Road and drive southwest 3.2 miles to Mud Wash Road. Stay right onto Mud Wash Road and continue west down the wash for 1.7 miles to Mud Wash Corral, on the right.

Park adjacent to Mud Wash Corral on the west side of the road. Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the trailhead parking near the corral (Table 1, Waypoint 01), the route runs north next to the corral. From the corral loading chute, take a moment and look north. The band of red, sandstone cliffs mark the edge of the Little Finland area. The left edge of the cliffs is the entrance into Little Finland, proper. For getting started however, the route is faint and unmarked. Look north and locate Landmark Rock (see photos). From the corral loading chute, the route heads more-or-less straight towards Landmark Rock. The route eventually becomes more obvious, and Landmark Rock will become unnecessary.

From the loading chute, the route head away from the corral and crosses a shallow wash. Footprints might be visible, but otherwise just walk up the rolling mud hills towards Landmark Rock. It eventually becomes apparent that the route is following an old road.

Following the old road, the route climbs over a low ridge and drops into a bit of a bowl (Wpt. 02) where the road ends for no apparent reason. Continuing northwest, a use-trail leads over a low saddle (Wpt. 03) and out of the bowl.

From the saddle, hikers can see a fenceline ahead to the northwest that blocks cows out of a gully, and they can see the ramp that leads through the Little Finland cliffs.

Continuing northwest, the route passes over the low promontory (Wpt. 04) at the left end of the fence. From the promontory, another fence can be seen just ahead.

This time, the route passes the right end of the fence (Wpt. 05) where hikers need to be careful on the edge of the cliff. The fence post on the edge of the cliff has been a sturdy handhold, but the second post is less sturdy. Be careful if holding onto the barbed-wire fence, and test the fence post before trusting it with your life.

Now on the north side of the fence, the use-trail follows the fenceline for 4-5 posts, then turns more northeast and descends the hillside into the bottom of the gully, reaching the bottom near a short palm tree (Wpt. 06).

In the bottom of the gully, the route follows the base of the Little Finland cliffs, and after paying proper homage to the sandstone dragon that guards the entrance (Wpt. 07), the route follows the horizontal ramp into Little Finland from where hikers are free to wander about.

When returning, hikers need only follow the top edge of the cliffs to find the ramp, and then retrace the route back to the trailhead (Wpt. 01).