Aztec Butte

Aztec Butte is a 6,312-foot (1,924-meter) elevation sandstone summit located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah.[3] Aztec Butte is composed of white cross-bedded Navajo Sandstone, which is the remains of wind-borne sand dunes deposited approximately 170 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. It resembles the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, which was built by the Aztecs.[4] Ancestral Puebloans traveled to the Island in the Sky area to hunt and gather seeds, then stored their food in stone granaries near the top of Aztec Butte. These well-preserved granaries date to AD 1200–1300.[5] A half-mile hiking trail through flat grassland, followed by a quarter-mile scramble with 200-feet gain, leads to the top of the butte and the granaries. The trailhead is located alongside the road to Upheaval Dome. In addition to Upheaval Dome, other nearby attractions include Mesa Arch which is situated less than 1 mi (1.6 km) to the southeast, Muffin Butte to the south, Green River Overlook to the southwest, and Trail Canyon to the north. Precipitation runoff from Aztec Butte drains to the Green River.

Aztec Butte
Southeast aspect, seen from Mesa Arch Trail
Highest point
Elevation6,312 ft (1,924 m) [1]
Prominence232 ft (71 m) [1]
Parent peakShaft Benchmark (6,329 ft)[1]
Isolation1.54 mi (2.48 km) [2]
Coordinates38°23′51″N 109°52′26″W [1]
Geography
Aztec Butte
Location of Aztec Butte in Utah
Aztec Butte
Aztec Butte (the United States)
LocationCanyonlands National Park
San Juan County, Utah, U.S.
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Musselman Arch
Geology
Age of rockJurassic
Type of rockNavajo Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 3 scrambling [2]
  • Aztec Butte granary

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Aztec Butte. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below −0 °C (32 °F) and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

Climate data for Island in the Sky Visitor Center, elevation 5,666 ft (1,727 m), 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1981-2019
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 58.6
(14.8)		 69.0
(20.6)		 79.8
(26.6)		 86.1
(30.1)		 98.5
(36.9)		 103.9
(39.9)		 106.4
(41.3)		 101.1
(38.4)		 97.9
(36.6)		 86.9
(30.5)		 71.0
(21.7)		 59.2
(15.1)		 106.4
(41.3)
Average high °F (°C) 38.1
(3.4)		 44.1
(6.7)		 54.9
(12.7)		 63.5
(17.5)		 74.2
(23.4)		 85.4
(29.7)		 91.7
(33.2)		 88.7
(31.5)		 79.5
(26.4)		 65.8
(18.8)		 49.7
(9.8)		 38.1
(3.4)		 64.6
(18.1)
Average low °F (°C) 20.8
(−6.2)		 25.8
(−3.4)		 33.3
(0.7)		 40.0
(4.4)		 49.5
(9.7)		 59.8
(15.4)		 66.0
(18.9)		 63.9
(17.7)		 54.9
(12.7)		 42.5
(5.8)		 31.1
(−0.5)		 21.3
(−5.9)		 42.5
(5.8)
Record low °F (°C) −8.0
(−22.2)		 −12.4
(−24.7)		 10.4
(−12.0)		 16.3
(−8.7)		 26.0
(−3.3)		 28.7
(−1.8)		 46.0
(7.8)		 50.2
(10.1)		 27.6
(−2.4)		 9.2
(−12.7)		 6.2
(−14.3)		 −9.4
(−23.0)		 −12.4
(−24.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.53
(13)		 0.50
(13)		 0.76
(19)		 0.72
(18)		 0.70
(18)		 0.45
(11)		 0.93
(24)		 1.04
(26)		 1.06
(27)		 1.30
(33)		 0.70
(18)		 0.58
(15)		 9.27
(235)
Average dew point °F (°C) 18.6
(−7.4)		 21.8
(−5.7)		 23.3
(−4.8)		 25.7
(−3.5)		 29.5
(−1.4)		 32.7
(0.4)		 41.2
(5.1)		 45.1
(7.3)		 37.6
(3.1)		 29.5
(−1.4)		 23.2
(−4.9)		 17.9
(−7.8)		 28.9
(−1.7)
Source: PRISM[6]

See also

References
  1. "Aztec Butte, Utah". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  2. "Aztec Butte - 6,312' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  3. "Aztec Butte". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  4. Stewart M. Green, Best Easy Day Hikes Moab, Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2020, pake 115.
  5. Greg Witt, 50 Best Short Hikes: Utah's National Parks, 2nd ed., 2014, Wilderness Press, page 99.
  6. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
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