White Butte - Badlands National Park (5-4-11) - dwhike

A lonely juniper on the slopes of White Butte...

Hiking up White Butte was a response to my desire to climb some sort of summit while in the Badlands backcountry. Though well under 3000' in height, White Butte none-the-less stands tall in relation to the surrounding topography giving it sweeping views that encompass most of the northern unit of Badlands National Park. White Butte rises from the Sage Creek valley about two miles east of Sage Creek Primitive Campground. A few of my friends and I decided that it would make for a nice complementary hike to our overnight trip through the Badlands Wilderness (see other album). From our backcountry camp along Sage Creek we ascended the short but steep 200 or so feet to the summit where we were treated to one of the most knock-you-on-your-butt-views-for-the-effort that I have ever experienced on a hike. Come along and see what I discovered...

Hike Length: 2.0 miles Hike Duration: 1:15

Trailhead Temp: 55'F

Min. Elevation: 2,550' Max. Elevation: 2,782'

Total Vertical Gain: 232' Avg. Elevation Gain/Mile: 116'

White Butte - Badlands National Park (5-4-11)

The Approximate route...map thanks to topoquest.com...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Sage Creek, adjacent to our backcountry camp...the only major obstacle between us and the summit...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
We made it across Sage Creek with minimal difficulty, save the inch or so of mud we picked up crossing on the bottom of our boots...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Sage Creek...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Now comfortably above Sage Creek we set about crossing a low ridge before ascending...
IMG 0292 pano Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Within a quarter-mile White Butte hove into view...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
My companions thought it looked steep...I thought it looked fun...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
It didn't take much of an elevation gain to start to get some views...
IMG 0296 pano Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
A lonely juniper on the slopes of White Butte...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The seemingly smooth slopes hide a number of shallow ravines which make the ascent tricky at times...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The 'crux' of the climb...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The nearer to the top you get, the rockier and steeper the terrain...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Then all of a sudden, BOOM, we were at the top...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The mind-numbing panorama, looking south and east, from the summit of White Butte...
IMG 0310 pano Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Sage Creek with the spires of the Badlands beyond from the summit of White Butte...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The hero shot...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The previous pictures in video form...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
A closer look at the rock formations to the east...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The Badlands 'Wall' from the summit of White Butte...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The late afternoon sun created a wonderful contrast of light and shadow on the surrounding terrain...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
As a butte, the summit is broad and flat...in effect, a small mountaintop prairie...
IMG 0332 pano Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Our van, our destination for the following day, was clearly visible to the west...note the Black Hills rising some 50 miles distant on the horizon beyond...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
To the north of White Butte are the rolling hills of Buffalo Gap National Grassland...
IMG 0335 pano Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
The non-panoramic version of the previous photo...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Some curious and colorful rock formations to the north...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Looking east across the broad summit of White Butte to the Badland cliffs beyond...
IMG 0342 pano Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
We followed the western slopes on the descent providing different angles on the views we had up top...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
As we neared the end of the ridge Sage Creek once again came into view ahead of us...
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte
Nearing our camp...time for dinner...what a day!!
Sage Creek wilderness Badlands buffalo bison wildlife grassland Buffalo Gap prairie campground Pine Ridge backcountry prairie dog high plains White Butte camping butte