Sand Butte

Hikes: D.
Total Distance, D: 5 miles.
Difficulty: Levels I.
Season: April 15-June 15.
USGS Maps: Wagon Butte, *Halfway Lake.
BLM 100K Map: Craters of the Moon, Fairfield.
Dirt Road Miles: 14 fair to poor dirt.
PLSS Location: Section 21, T3S R22E.

Introduction: Little known Sand Butte is the queen of Idaho’s desert buttes. Big Southern is tall--huge!--but lacking in grace; the Twin Buttes especially elegant because they are paired, but unattainable; Big Cinder Butte too lifeless; the Menan Buttes flawed because they appear unimposing from a distance; Cedar Butte accessible but too low. Sand has a majesty that comes from its size (a half mile across), its shape (a nearly perfect circle), its accessories (surrounding lava channels and tubes), and above all its setting (encircled by lava wilderness on all sides, with nary a sign of civilization).
  The Monument Resource Management Plan closed the Butte to motor vehicles. However, in 1986 no closure signs had been erected, and vehicles were driving into the bottom of the Butte. This is typical of BLM lands in Idaho. Less than 5% of BLM lands are closed to motor vehicles, and almost none of those closures are enforced. The author begs that you don’t join those people who are converting this way into a road!

The Hike: Once you reach the north entrance area to Sand Butte, your route is clear. For some reason, the author always starts by climbing the west side of the crater rim. The rim of Sand Butte is sandy, and you are likely to see a horned toad along the way. You also are certain to see a lot of desert. Make sure you take your 100K maps and your compass.
  Sand Butte formed from a phreatic eruption--one in which lava passed through water on the way up, with explosive results. The repeated explosive pulses resulted in the layers of lava you see outcropping along the inner northeast slopes. The distinctive channels leaving the north and south ends of the butte were formed when lava lakes filled and drained.
  Now that you’re on top, look at Broken Top to the north. When you finish the 1 1/2 mile trip around Sand Butte, you should hike north to Broken Top. Follow the way (Jeep Trail) your map shows and check out this awesome site. It is rugged, little changed since the day the lava flowed. The author didn’t really comprehend its wondrousness until he saw recent vents in Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park which are the same, just much bigger. Take some time to explore the east side of this crater.

Access: The author went back to the road and fixed the directions in 1999. This road is pretty nasty: barely passable for average cars, demanding your full attention even if you have lots of clearance, because it constantly winds around the lava. It should be avoided in wet weather. Drive 29 miles east of the junction of US-20 and ID-75 in Shoshone to the Preacher Bridge road (W1), and turn right (east). (Note that the Preacher Bridge turnoff is 1/2 mile south of the Blaine-Lincoln County Line, which is well marked.) Go straight across the old highway, cross the Little Wood, and go right on the best road.
  For 1/2 mile past the Little Wood River bridge, there are campsites to the right. Four miles past the bridge (W2), turn right on the gravel-ish road to Monument Butte Well. After another mile you reach the Well; go along its fence, and start a short, nasty descent. The descent ends abruptly in an area made flat by all the soil that eroded from the road, and there is an intersection. A jeep trail heads to the right; go left.
  After a long 1/10 mile you come to another intersection (W3); take a hard right, and you're aiming for Sand Butte. From here, you start to get views of Sand Butte. On the last bend of the road before the butte, there are several good campsites. Park near the outlet to the Butte, on its north side.