Aztec Butte
Aztec Butte rises to 1,918 m in Utah. Observation Rock stands 2,044 m to the southwest, 18 miles off. The nearest named place is Willow Seep, a spring 0.8 miles away. Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway passes 5.0 miles off.
The story
Aztec Butte is a sandstone summit, elevation 6,312 feet (1,924 meters), located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah. 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. Ancestral Puebloan people 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. A half-mile hiking trail through flat grassland, followed by a quarter-mile scramble with 200 feet vertical 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.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q49009393, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1918 m
How to reach it
- 5.0 mi off the Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway
- 14.8 mi off the Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway
- 17.0 mi off the Indian Creek Scenic Byway
- 19.9 mi off the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Shafer Canyon Overlook · 5 mi
- Shafer Canyon Overlook · 9 mi
- Dead Horse Point · 9 mi
- Meander Overlook · 9 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Mesa Arch: 0.9 mi
- Washer Woman: 2.0 mi
- Musselman Arch: 6.3 mi
- Fruit Bowl Highline Area: 10.2 mi
- Mineral Bottom: 10.9 mi
- Muffin Butte: 1.4 mi
- Monster Tower: 2.1 mi
- Candlestick Tower: 3.3 mi
- Upheaval Point: 3.6 mi
- Airport Tower: 3.6 mi
- Willow Seep: 0.8 mi
- Alcove Spring: 2.8 mi
- Cabin Spring: 3.5 mi
- Holeman Spring: 3.5 mi
- Neck Spring: 4.1 mi
- Black Crack: 4.5 mi
- Black Crack: 4.5 mi
- Black Crack: 4.5 mi
- White Rim: 6.1 mi
- Sweet Spot: 10.7 mi
- Canyonlands National Park: 17.0 mi
- Moab BMX Park: 20.9 mi
- Bullick Cross Creek Park: 21.1 mi
- Moab Pocket Park: 21.2 mi
- Robin Groff Memorial Park: 21.3 mi
- False Kiva: 2.8 mi
- Fort Bottom Ruin: 9.4 mi
- Denis Julien Inscription: 12.9 mi
- Farmstead History: 20.9 mi
- Tower Ruin: 20.9 mi
- Trigon Arch: 15.2 mi
- Arch: 17.0 mi
- Window Arch: 19.0 mi
- Hey Joe Arch: 19.4 mi
- Horse Canyon Arch: 21.9 mi
- Animal sculptures: 20.5 mi
- Moab Music Festival: 21.2 mi
- Get Your Mind Rolling: 21.4 mi
- Utah Burr: 21.4 mi
- Moab Mural: 21.4 mi
- Lower Jump: 14.8 mi
- Indian Creek Fall: 16.6 mi
- Mille Creek Falls (Left Hand): 23.2 mi
- Medieval Chamber: 24.0 mi
- Moab Giants: 21.4 mi
- Moab Museum: 21.4 mi
- Interactive Track Museum: 21.4 mi
- White Rim Overlook Picnic Area: 5.3 mi
- Scott Matheson Wetlands Preserve: 20.4 mi
- Kane Springs Rest Area: 22.9 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 21.6 miles of Aztec Butte. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Observation Rock | SW 235° | 2,044 m | 17.8 mi |
| Bagpipe Butte | SW 218° | 2,008 m | 21.1 mi |
| Hart Point | SE 133° | 1,991 m | 21.3 mi |
| Elaterite Butte | SW 215° | 1,980 m | 15.3 mi |
| Horsehead Rock | SE 126° | 1,978 m | 15.5 mi |
| Junction Butte | S 179° | 1,947 m | 7.6 mi |
| Cleopatras Chair | WSW 240° | 1,938 m | 12.9 mi |
| The Knoll | NNE 24° | 1,920 m | 11.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:24 | 18:57 | 19:32 |
| June solstice | 05:57 | 20:08 | 20:47 |
| September equinox | 07:08 | 18:43 | 19:18 |
| December solstice | 07:34 | 16:21 | 17:03 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 30 | 35 | 45 | 51 | 61 | 73 | 79 | 77 | 68 | 54 | 41 | 30 |
| Precip in | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Canyonlands-the Neck, 5 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Canyonlands National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Jan and Feb; busiest: May.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/356671950
Day trips start here
- Canyonlands National Park · 17 mi
- Arches National Park · 27 mi
Take the scenic way to Aztec Butte.
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