Merrimac Butte is a sandstone summit located in Grand County,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, about 12 miles northwest of the town of

Moab Moab ''Mōáb''; Assyrian: 𒈬𒀪𒁀𒀀𒀀 ''Mu'abâ'', 𒈠𒀪𒁀𒀀𒀀 ''Ma'bâ'', 𒈠𒀪𒀊 ''Ma'ab''; Egyptian: 𓈗𓇋𓃀𓅱𓈉 ''Mū'ībū'', name=, group= () is the name of an ancient Levantine kingdom whose territo ...

. Merrimac Butte is a thin, 200–600-foot-wide and 1,600-foot-long east-to-west

butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word mea ...

with 200-foot-tall vertical

Entrada Sandstone The Entrada Sandstone is a formation in the San Rafael Group found in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Colorado, northwest New Mexico, northeast Arizona, and southeast Utah. Part of the Colorado Plateau, this formation was deposited during the Jur ...

walls overlaying a

Carmel Formation The Carmel Formation is a geologic formation in the San Rafael Group that is spread across the U.S. states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, north east Arizona and New Mexico. Part of the Colorado Plateau, this formation was laid down in the Middle J ...

base. Monitor Butte is situated immediately east of Merrimac Butte. The two buttes were named after the ''

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West Vir ...

'' and '' Merrimack'', two ironclad steamships known for clashing during the American Civil War. They can be seen from Highway 313 after it climbs out of Sevenmile Canyon en route to the Island in the Sky section of

Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands National Park is an American national park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab. The park preserves a colorful landscape eroded into numerous canyons, mesas, and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their r ...

Dead Horse Point State Park Dead Horse Point State Park is a state park of Utah in the United States, featuring a dramatic overlook of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park. The park covers of high desert at an altitude of . Amenities The park has several o ...

Climbing Routes

Climbing Routes on Merrimac Butte * ''Ascent Into the Maelstrom'' - - 3 pitches * ''Hypercrack on the Anchor Chain'' - - 2 pitches * ''Hypothetical Route'' - - 1 pitch * ''Keel Hauling'' - - 3 pitches * ''Merrimac Butte, The Albatross'' - - 2 pitches * ''Without A Net'' - - 3 pitches The first ascent was made September 22, 1985, by Jimmy Dunn, John Bouchard, Eric Bjornstad, and Lin Ottinger via "Hypercrack on the Anchor Chain." "Without a Net" is the least difficult climb on Merrimac Butte and the first ascent of this route was made in April 1991 by Charlie Fowler and Sue Wint.Selected Climbs in the Desert Southwest: Colorado and Utah, author: Cameron Burns, publisher: The Mountaineers, First Edition 1999, page 125.

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to see Merrimac and Monitor Buttes, when highs average 60 to 80 °F and lows average 30 to 50 °F. Summer temperatures often exceed 100 °F. Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 °F, and lows averaging 0 to 20 °F. As part of a high desert region, it can experience wide daily temperature fluctuations. The area receives an average of less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain annually.

References

Monitor and Merrimac buttes near Canyonlands

External links

{{commons category, Merrimac Butte * Merrimac and Monitor buttes from Hwy 313
PBase photo
* Weather forecast
Merrimac Butte
Buttes of Utah Rock formations of Utah Sandstone formations of the United States North American 1000 m summits

Climbing Routes

Climate

See also

References

External links