Round Butte Trail
Hike Rating: Moderate
Hike Length: 7.2 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 250’
Trailhead Elevation: 5,650’
Best Season: June through September
Driving Access: High-clearance vehicle,
once access
road is snow-free and dry
Plus
Points
• A ridge hike to a promontory
with panoramic vistas of the Wenaha River watershed
• Trail is cow-free and entirely within the Wenaha-Tucannon
Wilderness Area
• A diversity of open, rocky "balds" and thick fir forests
on the route along the ridge
• Round Butte is prime summer elk habitat, with sightings
possible if one is stealthy
• Wildflowers into July, including penstemon, paintbrush,
bush lupine and soapwort
• Arguably one of finest view hikes in the entire
Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness
Minus Points
• An hour-long, 7.5-mile drive
over narrow, rocky access road, with deep ruts in spots
• Afternoon thunderstorms can present a lightning hazard on
exposed ridges
Download
(PDF, 740 KB): Photos of Round Butte
Trail
Download
(PDF, 826 KB): Topo Map for Round Butte
Trail
Download
(GPX, 1 KB): GPS Points for Round Butte
Trail
Download
(PDF, 802 KB): Road Map for Round Butte
Trail
Trail
Notes
For the first
mile, the trail contours southeast along the side of a long
ridge, through subalpine firs on the crest and big douglas
firs on the slopes. The trail is well-built on a good grade
and is easy walking all the way to Round Butte. For the
second mile, the trail generally follows the open crest of
the ridge, through rocky balds with no trees or shrubs, but
with summer wildflowers in profusion. Look for yellow
buckwheat, white soapwort, mountain balm and several
penstemons (blue to purple). In the shady, moister wooded
sections of trail, look for yellow arnica, purple horsemint
and red paintbrush.
At 2.2 miles (GPS Point 1), one reaches a trail junction
and the route to Round Butte bears left (south) on the
less-used fork. For the next mile past the junction, the
trail traverses long open flats and then deep fir forests
as one approaches the northwest flank of Round Butte. At
3.1 miles (GPS Point 2), when the trail is almost past the
butte and the ridge line begins to narrow, the route leaves
the main trail and follows game trails cross-country
northeast up a ridge to the summit of Round Butte (GPS
Point 3).
If one
approaches the top of the butte quietly and stealthily,
there's a chance to see a large herd of elk that frequents
the summit. If you don't spot the elk, you can certainly
see their beds, dust baths and tracks all around the butte
top. Also, there are spectacular, 360 degree views over the
Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness, including Milk Creek and the
South Fork Wenaha on the west, and Sawtooth Ridge and the
North Fork Wenaha to the east. On a clear day, one has long
views of the snow-capped Wallowa Mountains on the southeast
horizon. After a lunch and rest, return as you came.
Road to Trailhead
From Hwy 12 in the town of
Dayton, WA, turn south on 4th Street, then drive 23.2 miles
up the North Fork Touchet River canyon, past the Bluewood
Ski Area, to a road junction. This road is paved to the ski
area and becomes Road 64 at the Forest boundary. At the
road junction, go 0.3 miles straight ahead to a signed
turnoff for Table Rock Lookout on the left. Turn south on
this road (Kendall Skyline Road, a continuation of Road
64). Drive 7.5 miles south on Road 64, past the Table Rock
Lookout, to Road 450, which branches left on a big curve.
Follow Road 450 for 0.3 miles to the trailhead at Indian
Camp.
NOTE: The 7.5
miles of Road 64 past the road junction is narrow, rocky
and deeply rutted in spots — so it's only passable by
high-clearance vehicles, and only when dry. Expect this
drive to take over an hour. Also, the final 200 yards of
Road 450 down into Indian Camp is deeply rutted as well, so
one may wish to park along Road 450 and walk the final 0.1
miles to the trailhead.
Camping Options
The only developed campground
in the area is the Godman Campground on Forest Road 46,
about 18 miles and a two hour drive east of the trailhead.
On a forested bench above the road, there are 8 campsites
for tents or small camping trailers (say up to 16') and a
vault toilet, but no drinking water. Campsites are free and
available on a first-come, first-served basis from mid-June
to late October, depending on snow conditions.
If
self-contained, with one's own water and sanitation, there
are dispersed camping sites closer to the trailhead, for
example at Burnt Flat Corral off Road 46 on Road 420, and
along Road 46 from its junction with Road 64 to Burnt Flat
Corral. These sites are on short spur roads leading off
Road 46 and consist mostly of pullouts in the trees, with
spots for both tent and small trailer campers.
Finally, for tent campers only, there are dispersed sites
at the Indian Camp trailhead, though this is a primitive
camping area with no toilet, water or any other facilities.
As mentioned, Road 450 down into Indian Camp is deeply
rutted, requiring a high-clearance vehicle, and 4-wheel
drive is good backup if driving all the way to the camp.
Agency Contact: Umatilla National Forest,
Pomeroy District, (509) 843-1891
DISCLAIMER:
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this
information, but the authors do not guarantee that it is
either current or correct. The reader assumes full
responsibility for any use of this information, and is
encouraged to contact local public land agencies to inquire
about current conditions before
traveling.
Page last updated: 11/21/13