Initial Rock
Initial Rock is an attraction in North Dakota, at a modelled elevation of 757 m. Sentinel Butte stands 1,045 m to the west-northwest, 20 miles off. The nearest named place is Tracy Mountain, a peak 2.2 miles away. 43 named places lie within 25 miles, 28 of them named summits.
What the record says
- Built
- 1876
How to reach it
43 named places within 25 miles
- Tracy Mountain: 2.2 mi
- Easy Hill: 4.6 mi
- Flat Top Butte: 7.6 mi
- Buck Hill: 8.2 mi
- Windy Butte: 8.3 mi
- Rough Rider State Park: 8.4 mi
- de Mores Park: 9.1 mi
- Chimney Park: 9.4 mi
- Frank Kordonowy Park: 11.4 mi
- White Lake National Wildlife Refuge: 24.8 mi
- Billings County Courthouse Museum: 9.0 mi
- Von Hoffman House: 9.0 mi
- Harold Schafer Heritage Center: 9.0 mi
- North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame: 9.2 mi
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park Visitor's Center: 9.3 mi
- Veterans Memorial: 9.0 mi
- Medora Slaughterhouse: 9.3 mi
- Old East Entrance: 7.0 mi
- Pikes Peak: 17.4 mi
- Ukraina: 22.2 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Initial Rock. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sentinel Butte | WNW 283° | 1,045 m | 20.5 mi |
| Square Butte | WNW 287° | 1,020 m | 14.1 mi |
| Bullion Butte | SW 228° | 1,015 m | 12.3 mi |
| Bullion Butte | SW 226° | 1,006 m | 12.6 mi |
| Rocky Butte | W 271° | 989 m | 24.0 mi |
| Camels Hump Butte | WNW 299° | 954 m | 20.7 mi |
| Five Point Butte | W 262° | 909 m | 23.3 mi |
| West Twin Butte | NW 311° | 900 m | 22.6 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:57 | 18:26 | 19:06 |
| June solstice | 05:00 | 20:05 | 20:52 |
| September equinox | 06:41 | 18:13 | 18:53 |
| December solstice | 07:37 | 15:17 | 16:08 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 18 | 20 | 31 | 42 | 53 | 63 | 70 | 69 | 59 | 44 | 31 | 20 |
| Precip in | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Medora 7 E, 6 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
National Register of Historic Places, reference 76002271OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata- National Register of Historic Places — Initial Rock, reference 76002271, listed 11/07/76.
OpenStreetMap element way/789741720
Day trips start here
- Badlands · 6 mi
- Medora · 9 mi
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park · 10 mi
- Belfield · 11 mi
- Little Missouri National Grasslands · 21 mi
Take the scenic way to Initial Rock.
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