Red Butte is a

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 ...

located in the

Kaibab National Forest At 1.6 million acres (650,000 ha) the Kaibab National Forest borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central Arizona. It is divided into three major sections: the ''North Kaibab Ranger District'' (offices in Fredonia ...

Coconino County Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. (Not to be confused with Red Mountain which is a blown out volcano located a few miles to the south.) It is known to the

Havasupai The Havasupai people (Havasupai: ''Havsuw' Baaja'') are an American Indian tribe who have lived in the Grand Canyon for at least the past 800 years. ''Havasu'' means "blue-green water" and ''pai'' "people". Located primarily in an area know ...

nation as ''Wii'i Gdwiisa'', "clenched fist mountain," and is regarded as a sacred site. Moenkopi sandstone on Red Butte, Arizona 2004-10-19

Red Butte is the most notable feature on the

Coconino Plateau The Coconino Plateau is found south of the Grand Canyon and north-northwest of Flagstaff, Arizona, Flagstaff, in northern Arizona of the Southwestern United States. Geography The Coconino Plateau lies south of Grand Canyon Village and the Grand ...

between the

San Francisco volcanic field The San Francisco volcanic field is an area of volcanoes in northern Arizona, north of Flagstaff, US. The field covers 1,800 square miles (4,700 km²) of the southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau. The field contains 600 volcanoes rang ...

and the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

. Its base is formed of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

s of the

Moenkopi Formation The Moenkopi Formation is a geological formation that is spread across the U.S. states of New Mexico, northern Arizona, Nevada, southeastern California, eastern Utah and western Colorado. This unit is considered to be a group in Arizona. Part ...

. Above that are strata of the

Shinarump Conglomerate The Shinarump Conglomerate is a geologic formation found in the Four Corners region of the United States. It was deposited in the early part of the Late Triassic period. Description The Shinarump Conglomerate is a highly resistant coarse-grained ...

; the summit is capped with volcanic rocks. A trail leads to the summit along the west side. The summit affords a good view of the San Francisco Peaks, but because of the slope of the Coconino Plateau, only the uppermost part of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon can be seen.

Lookout tower

Fire lookout atop Red Butte, Arizona 2004-10-19

The Red Butte tower is listed on the

National Historic Lookout Register The National Historic Lookout Register is a program administered by the United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national fores ...

. Its design is based on the USFS CL 100 plan with modifications. The 14' x 14' cab with tinted windows has a permanent roof overhang for shade. There is a metal catwalk and two cistern tanks for lookout staff water supply.

References

External links

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Geologic Map of the Red Butte Quadrangle
(PDF) {{commons category, Red Butte Buttes of Arizona Landforms of Coconino County, Arizona