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On Saturday, March 8, I journeyed to the Gold Butte region. This region is north of Las Vegas, and south of Mesquite. To get there you must have a high clearance vehicle. For your first visit I recommend going with someone who knows the way, or have a really good GPS and detailed maps as none of the road junctions are signed. The ultimate destination for photographers is known by several names: Little Finland, Devil's Fire, and Hobgoblins Playground among others. You can wander through this area for hours and come back several times and never see the same thing twice.
The best time to visit would be in late afternoon as the area faces west. Sunsets can be gorgeous but if you plan a trip for sunset, I would recommend staying overnight (must dry camp) as finding your way out in the dark can be tricky. Plus by spending the night, you could do some light painting and star photography.
On this visit, I was with a hiking group and not a photography group so we were there in mid-day for only two hours and there was not a cloud in the sky. I bracketed everything and used HDR to bring out the details in the wide range of contrast I encountered.
After wandering around for a couple of hours, the group moved to the "Falling Man" trail. Again, you need someone to show you the way as the road to the trailhead is not marked. The trail is not for the faint of heart but not overly strenuous. The reward is an abundance of petroglyphs.
See more photos in the Gold Butte gallery.
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