Cedar Butte

Hikes: D.
Total Distance, D: 5 miles.
Difficulty: Level I+.
Season: March 15-June 15.
USGS Map: Scoville.
BLM 100K Map: Blackfoot.
Dirt Road Miles: 3 gravel, 3 3/4 good dirt.
PLSS Location: Section 26, T1N R30E.

Introduction: There are numerous "Cedar Buttes" in the West. And, since "cedar" was the pioneer term for "juniper", we could include all the "Juniper Buttes" in the same group. Two Idaho Cedar Buttes come to mind: the one north of Massacre Rocks, whose lava flow dammed the Snake and was then breached by the Bonneville Flood; and this Cedar Butte, near Atomic City.
  This butte is definitely inferior to its near neighbor, Big Southern Butte. It is less high, less steep, and less rocky. For those reasons, it makes a pleasant Level I hike with only 666 feet of vertical. That's a lot easier to handle than the 2000 foot climb to the top of Big Southern!
  And in truth, when you get close to this Cedar Butte, you forget comparisons, and realize it is quite substantial. The scenery on the two hikes is completely different and equally interesting. Here, you look south and east to recent lava flows, and west to Big Southern Butte. There's not much to focus on near the base of Big Southern, except that big butte looming over you.

The Hike: Start south on the road below the powerline. It divides almost immediately. Take the fork that bears left, away from the powerline (which appears on the USGS map). It climbs gradually and then steeply, and soon comes to a dense juniper stand in a level area that offers camping.
  After a mile you join a better road that heads toward the north edge of Cedar Butte. The best approach is from the open crater to the north of Cedar (W1). It is a miniature version of Table Legs Butte to the east, and provides an interesting bonus for this hike. To enter it, hike to the left of the prominent rock. There is deep soil in this magical, sheltered site, and vegetation which looks good in spite of sheep grazing.
  Soon you reach the edge of the Cedar Butte crater, which is open to the north. Start the 300 foot climb to the top. When you're there, you have a very tough decision: whether or not to head for the other 5828 foot summit (D). The author did, and feels he is a better person for it.
  On your return, pay attention as you descend the last 200 feet. Bearing too much to the right can make you miss the crater rim, and cost you extra climbing.
  The road back to the trailhead is so faint the author missed it on the way out. He then simply walked to the powerline, and followed the way under it north to his car.

Access: Drive to the well known metropolis of Atomic City, Idaho. Be sure to stop in at the post office/store. Take the old highway (Main Street?) south from the US-26 access road. Go 1 1/4 miles south of the Main Street/access road junction and turn right (W2) on a signed gravel road, which soon merits the coveted "good dirt" rating. This road crosses railroad tracks and then traverses the northernmost portion of the Cerro Grande lava flow. (You could make a short trip into the lava to left or right.)
  Five miles from the old highway, you come to a major junction. Turn left. After 1 3/4 miles, you come to a power line, and a road goes left down a steep drainage. This point, 5162 on the USGS map, is the trailhead.