Mapping the most volcanic spots in the world
The mighty Merrick Butte in Monument Valley in Arizona, one of the world's great natural wonders, stands 1,892 m (6,206 ft) at its highest point.
The Mitten Buttes of Monument Valley near the Utah-Arizona state line are two of the nation's most distinctive and widely recognized buttes. The summit of West Mitten Butte is 1,882 m (6,176 ft).
East Mitten Butte is slightly taller, at 1,898 m (6,226 ft). The buttes are so named because when viewed from the south they appear to be two giant mittens with their thumbs facing inwards. The Mittens form a triangle with Merrick Butte, and all three have served as an impressive backdrop for countless Western movies.
Instantly recognized for its star turn in Steven Spielberg's 1977 movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' Devils Tower in Wyoming is a butte that rises above the Belle Fourche River near Hulett. The tower, long held sacred by Native Americans, was the first United States national monument, established on September 24, 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Located south of Sedona, Courthouse Butte overlooks a hiking trail that loops around this well-known Arizona landmark.
The Pawnee Buttes are two prominent buttes in northeastern Colorado. The west butte rears up over the surrounding High Plains region within the Pawnee National Grassland.
The east butte is less accessible to the public, set as it is on private land in Weld County.
Towering 243 m (800 ft) above the North Platter River, Scotts Bluff National Monument in Nebraska stands as the most imposing natural feature in the region. While not technically a butte, Scotts Bluff nonetheless served as an important landmark on the Oregon Trail, when over 250,000 westward emigrants passed by the huge monolith between 1843 and 1869.
Crested Butte shares its name with one of the most popular ski resorts in Colorado. The butte itself is a prominent mountain summit in the Elk Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains.
Bear Butte stands near Sturgis in South Dakota. It's an outstanding natural wonder of Bear Butte State Park. Also known as Bear Mountain, or Mato Paha in the Lakota language, the butte was an important landmark and religious site for the Plains Indians tribes long before Europeans reached the area.
Actually a pair of buttes, the Bears Ears are located in San Juan County in southeastern Utah. They are named for the fact that at certain angles the rock formations resemble the ears of a bear emerging from the horizon.
Oregon's Black Butte is what's left of an extinct stratovolcano. It's a defining feature of the Deschutes National Forest, a favorite outdoor recreational destination.
The Sutter Buttes are a collection of circular eroded volcanic lava domes that rise as buttes above the flat plains of the Sacramento Valley in Northern California. A geological anomaly, the buttes are often referred to as the world's smallest mountain range.
Further back along the trail is Courthouse Rock (right) and Jail Rock (left), the first monumental rock features that emigrants would encounter heading west. The buttes also served as an important crossroads, where two major trunks of the Oregon and California Overland trails merged.
Jutting out of a sea of rolling plains like a deserted island, Steptoe Butte is preserved as Steptoe State Butte Park, located neat the town of Colfax. This view is from Kamiak Butte, named after Chief Kamiakin, the 19th-century leader of the Yakama, Palouse, and Klickitat peoples.
Follow the Chelan Butte Trail to summit Chelan Butte in Eastern Washington. This is one of the state's most prominent peaks, and affords mesmerizing views of the surrounding landscape.
A sacred location of the Chacoan people, Fajada Butte in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, in northwest New Mexico, features the ruins of small cliff dwellings near its summit.
Coyote Buttes South is distinguished for having some of the most visually striking geologic sandstone formations in the world. Pictured is the Cottonwood Cove area. The Coyote Buttes are part of the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.
At 1,611 m (5,287 ft), the aptly named Tower Butte dominates the desert landscape by Lake Powell. The colossal butte is located near the town of Page, Arizona.
The flattop Pilot Butte blisters out of the countryside in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The destination is renowned for the herds of wild horses that roam the desolate landscape.
Airport Tower, seen here in the midground in Buck Canyon, with Washer Woman Arch and Monster Tower in the foreground, is just one of the defining natural features of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The distant La Sal Mountains provide a majestic backdrop.
Canyonlands' most distinctive standalone eye-opener, however, is Candlestick Tower, an ancient sandstone butte formed out of the remains of wind-borne dunes deposited at least 200 million years ago.
Castle Rock in Colorado is named for the prominent, castle-shaped butte near the center of town. Since 1936, every Saturday before Thanksgiving, townsfolk light the 14-m (45-ft) electric star set on the butte's summit. It remains lit to the end of the National Western Stock show in January.
Sources (SFGate) (Sweetwater County Travel & Tourism) (HistoryNet)
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Seen from the air and dusted with snow, theses are the Menan Buttes— two of the world's largest volcanic tuff cones. Rising about 250 m (800 ft) above the surrounding Snake River plain in southeastern Idaho, both are designated as a National Natural Landmark.
Beartooth Butte in the Beartooth Mountains summits out at 3,206 m (10, 518 ft). Its notable for preserving a wealth of fossils, some dating back 400 million years. It's seen here from the Clay Butte fire lookout.
Temple Butte made headlines in the 1950s as the site of some wreckage of the tragic 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision, when a United Airlines Douglas DC-7 struck a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation over the region.
Hayrick Butte is a classic example of a subglacial volcano. It can be admired in the Willamette National Forest near Santiam Pass, and attracts numerous winter sports enthusiasts.
The Courthouse Butte Loop Trail also takes in the beautiful Bell Rock formation, another butte and set west of its larger, more prominent cousin but no less appealing as a popular landmark and visitor attraction.
While not exactly a true butte, the weird rock formation known as the Boars Tusk deserves a mention as one of the most recognized natural wonders found in southwestern Wyoming. It's located near Rock Springs, in Sweetwater County.
The Coyote Buttes straddling the states of Utah and Arizona number among the most photographed in the United States. Coyote Buttes North is especially scenic as the location of the famous "Wave," a colorful and undulating sandstone rock formation layered with various iron oxide pigments.
The United States is home to some of the best-looking buttes in the world. These geological landmarks number among the most impressive natural wonders on the planet. Formed over millions of years by weathering and erosion, buttes can appear as small hills with steep, often vertical sides, or colossal monoliths that tower into the sky. Many are designated sacred sites and should be explored with the respect and deference they deserve. Others offer up incredible outdoor recreational options. All, though, represent another example of Mother Nature's ability to inspire and surprise.
Click through and admire some of the most attractive buttes in America.
The best-looking buttes in America
Where to admire the most attractive buttes in the United States
TRAVEL Environment
The United States is home to some of the best-looking buttes in the world. These geological landmarks number among the most impressive natural wonders on the planet. Formed over millions of years by weathering and erosion, buttes can appear as small hills with steep, often vertical sides, or colossal monoliths that tower into the sky. Many are designated sacred sites and should be explored with the respect and deference they deserve. Others offer up incredible outdoor recreational options. All, though, represent another example of Mother Nature's ability to inspire and surprise.
Click through and admire some of the most attractive buttes in America.