Overview

Virgin Corral is an historic corral with a water tank and two old trucks. The wooden corral is weathering, and the old trucks are rusting, but this site makes for an interesting place to visit and gain a glimpse into the ranching history in this region. One of the trucks has been vandalized and has been pushed into a gully.

Like so many other places in this area, this corral was built here because a spring provided water that could be captured in a tank and provided to cattle. Since settlement, however, this land has been drying out, and over the decades, most of the little springs have dried up. With the current drought, the effects of drying climate are even more obvious, but it is important to understand that for decades ranchers in the southern deserts have been forced off the land by changing rainfall patterns.

Please tread lightly on this historic site. With climate change, it is unlikely we will ever see the spring come back or the corral rebuilt.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this area is fairly safe, but watch for broken glass, rusty nails, and stray barbed wire.

This is wild and remote country 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. It is a big place, but someone will eventually find you if you stay on a main road, but be prepared to survive alone for a day or two, or even longer on side roads.

While visiting the area, 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, even if you leave them in your vehicle.

If you tend to pick up trash, be sure to only pick up new trash. There is old junk lying about, but this is what makes the site interesting.

Getting to Virgin Corral

Virgin Corral is located out in Gold Butte National Monument at the northeast end of Lake Mead, about 2.2 hours northeast of Las Vegas in a wild, remote, and scenic area.

From town, drive out the paved Gold Butte Road 21 miles to Whitney Pocket, continue south on the unpaved Gold Butte Road about 100 yards to Whitney Pass Road, on the left.

Turn left onto Whitney Pass Road and drive east 2.3 miles to Virgin Peak Road, on the left. Turn onto Virgin Peak Road and drive north 0.75 miles to the old corral (Table 1, Site 0938). Without a 4WD vehicle, consider not driving past here.