Aztec Butte

Overview

Trail Length: 1.2 miles round trip or so.

Located In Island in The Sky District of Canyonlands

Aztec Butte is one of the smaller hikes found within Canyonlands, but like much in Canyonlands is filled with a lot of cool surprises. Make sure as you do this hike, hop down and explore just below the rim as that is where all the ruins are. Make sure to follow all signs for your safety and the safety of the ruins.

My first trip here I was surround in frost and fog. I wasn't really able to see anything but this, but it did make for a few cool photos!

Getting There

The parking for Aztec Butte is found in the Island In The Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. The trailhead resides on Upheaval Dome Road, about 1 mile down the road after you turn onto it.

Trail Description

The trail itself begins rather sandy and follows the base of the butte. This portion is the easiest part of the adventure. After this short .3 mile walk, the trail kind of ends into the side of mesa but if you pay attention you can see a few cairns and a lot of marks on the rock that indicates that the trail rises straight up the side of the mesa. This is the hard part of the hike as the climb us is quite steep and requires a bit of route finding. It's not beyond many hikers, but I had to do a few double takes as I climbed up slope.

Nathan's Take

I think the things that really caught me off guard was the actual amount of ruins that are actually here. On the top of the mesa you see one ruin, but if you go to the edges of the mesa almost every nook where something could be placed, their is a ruin. So spend a few minutes exploring. Also there are a lot a great views from up here. Good place to have lunch, a bad place to get stuck in a thunderstorm.