May 10, 2009
I hiked Red Butte for the first time in early May of 2009.
I think it was a spur of the moment decision to go do this in the evening.
Red Butte is a short hike (about 3 miles round trip) that required little planning.
For those who aren’t familiar, the butte is a small but prominent feature seen along Highway 64 near the south entrance of Grand Canyon National Park.
It’s technically outside the Park, and definitely above the rim of Grand Canyon proper, but it’s notoriety is so entwined with the Canyon that I’ve chosen to include this hike among my Canyon trip reports.
The Havasupai people consider the butte to be sacred. They call it Wii’i Gdwiisa, or “clenched fist mountain.”
I timed the hike to coincide with sunset on the summit. It was otherwise uneventful.
Here on the summit, this is a fire tower managed by the US Forest Service. It’s still in use and often occupied.
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