Hiking Aztec Butte in Canyonlands National Park
Aztec Butte is located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park.
The total distance for the trail is around 2 miles with an elevation gain of about 300 feet.
From the trailhead, you will follow a sandy wash until it splits. The fork to your right ascends Aztec Butte while the fork on the left climbs the smaller butte and takes you to a granary.
We decided to climb Aztec Butte first.
The trail to the top is steep and requires scrambling up slickrock and ledges, but offers absolutely spectacular views of the park. Aztec Butte is composed of Navajo Sandstone and its summit is at 6,312 feet.
Follow the rock cairns to stay on the trail.
Ultimately I decided not to attempt the climb to the actual summit.
I got up to the last section and waited for Jamey as he continued to the top. The last part was too sketchy for my taste (I’m not a big fan of steep slickrock) so I opted out.
Even from where I waited for Jamey though the views were breathtaking.
On the summit of the butte, Jamey said the views were to die for and you really get to enjoy a birds-eye view of this incredible national park.
There are also a couple of ancestral Puebloan structures, called granaries, located in the alcoves along the rim of the butte. These structures were used by early inhabitants for primarily food storage.
Once you are done soaking in the vistas carefully make your descent down off the butte and over the slickrock till you reach the fork again. This will lead you to the smaller butte on the trail.
This butte still requires scrambling over some slickrock to reach the top but is not nearly as steep. I actually made it to the top of this butte and while the views aren’t nearly as impressive they aren’t too shabby either.
Now somewhere below the rim of this butte are suppose to be some really nice preserved granaries too, but we could not find them.
We found some ruins, but not the ones we were looking for. They were supposed to be part of the trail (I believe), but we got turned around somehow and missed them completely.
Hopefully, you will find them on your hike.
This is a unique hike that offers some of the greatest views within the park.
Even if you chicken out (like me) and don’t make it all the way to the top of Aztec Butte, even climbing up halfway will reward you with some incredible pictures to share.
Your heart may beat a bit faster and you may have to stop more often to catch your breath on this trail, but a climb to the top of the butte is well worth that extra effort.
