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North Dakota has three summits throught the state known as White Butte,
however the one standing outside of the town of Amidon is the highest point in the entire
state. Rising to an altitude of 1,069 m (3,507 ft) above sea-level, White Butte is the 30th
highest state summit of the U.S. Highpoints. Most of the buttes in the area exhibit a chalky
white color resulting from the bentonite clay found in the local rocks and soil. The area
around this highpoint shows signs of fairly recent glaciation; the advance of these massive
ice sheets scoured the land, leaving a mostly flat landscape with intermittent boulders
carried there by the power of the glaciers. The topography of the area was formed where the
rivers of ice did not cover the surface, thus leaving the buttes in the area. The last of
the glaciers receeded at the end of the last ice age around 10,000 years ago.
White Butte is also the highest point of North Dakota's Slope County. Nearby
Black Butte is the second highest point in the state and stands 1,056 m (3,465 ft) high with
a 139 m (455 ft) prominence from its parent, White Butte.
The route begins from a small parking area near the "Old Farmhouse." Hike
South along the road until you cross through a wire gate. Make sure to close this gate
after passing through, as the owners' cattle can escape through if left open. Begin climbing
up a moderately steep gully and contour up toward the summit along a climber's trail. You
will climb over a low fence and then begin heading WSW toward a point just above 1,035 m
(3,400 ft). After reaching this pinnacle, hike along the still faint trail up the final 30 m
(~100 ft) to the summit.
North Slope Route (I, 1.0)
Trailhead: 952m (3,123ft)
Summit: 1,069m (3,507ft)
Vertical Gain: 141m (462ft)
Distance: 3.2km (2.0mi)
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2003.02.27 - When I started, I had very low expectations for this
hike. From everything that I had heard or read before the trip, North Dakota was one of the
most empty places in the U.S., and when you factor in the $20 fee for such a short hike, I
just wanted to get up and get out as soon as possible. Upon reaching the Van Daele's farm, I
was immediately assaulted by an incredibly friendly small white dog who tried to jump into
my car. After convincing him that I wasn't his owner, I proceeded up to the door of the
house to pay the Van Daele's and to thank them for allowing access to White Butte via their
property (the summit itself is owned by someone else, I believe). When no one came to the
door, I wrote a brief note, folded it and the $20 bill up and placed them on the front seat
of the pickup.
Getting back in my rental Alero, I headed out toward the "Old Farmhouse"
(see photo), which is where the 1.0 mile trail to the summit begins. To my amazement, there
was actually another car out here already. I hadn't seen anyone on the
Harney Peak trail the day before, so I surely didn't expect to see anyone out here in
the middle of North Dakota. The other thing that surprised me was the amount of vertical
relief in the area; as I began hiking, I saw many interesting features including a
North-South knife-edged ridge as well as a rock promontory that looked like so many other
"Lionsheads" in the U.S.
The route contours higher and higher before reaching a small col between the
summit and a point just over 1,035 m (3,400 ft) high. At this saddle, I met up with two
fellow highpointers from St. Louis, MO. They were looking to move out to Seattle, WA and
were doing some Midwest highpointing on their way to scout out their new home. We talked
on this windy perch for about 30 minutes before finally parting ways. I then continued up
for about 5 minutes until I reached the summit.
The views were surprisingly nice! The wind had finally died down and the
temperature was steadily climbing above the freezing mark, so I began to get hot just
standing at the top. After taking my insulated pants off, I set up the tripod to take my
summit photos and video. Jacko hopped out over to the top of the summit cairn and posed for
a picture as well. After putting all my gear away and changing into cooler pants, I headed
back to the trailhead, taking quite a few photos along the way.
Thinking back, I really wasn't expecting White Butte to be as beautiful as
it was; the hike was short but had some moderate inclines that gave the climb some
character. After getting back into my car, I realized that $20 was, in fact, a small price
to pay for such a great day in the brisk air of North Dakota. I got to go for a great hike
when I was expecting a short, boring slog, and I got to meet several great people with the
same goal of the 50 Highpoints that I have. I would definitely recommend going to visit this
highpoint in Fall or Spring as the Winters here are usually much colder than what I
experienced. Thanks, El Niņo!
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White Butte from the Trail Head
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The Old Farmhouse
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Butte Formations
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ND's Lionshead
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On the Summit of ND
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