Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	nsh
Entity Registrant Name	NuStar GP Holdings, LLC
Entity Central Index Key	0001223786
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	42,586,483