Brian Jenkins - Sep 6, 2023 10:33 pm Date Climbed: Sep 2, 2023
nice
Wondered what ND would be like especially after northern SD is so barren. But as soon as I hit the border it changed to pleasant farms and nice towns and got much prettier. Easy walk to the summit. Hit it about sunset so the skies were great.
Hyadventure - Aug 22, 2023 10:43 am Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2023
New Trail Under Construction
I was able to use a new trail that is under construction. Slightly older than the old use trails.
David Mortensen - Jun 13, 2022 8:27 am Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2022
White Butte
My wife and I had visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park earlier in the day so we decided to summit this in the afternoon as it was not very far off of our drive south. It was pretty warm at 85, but a nice breeze made it pleasant for the short hike to the summit.
Summitted on a sunny day after Black Elk Peak in SD earlier today. Mild breeze and solitude.
Tonka - Nov 30, 2020 7:49 am Date Climbed: Aug 30, 2020
Warm and a bit buggy
Nice walk-up although the stroll along the road in was very buggy. Warm but good day. Very straight forward.
themnkid - Oct 18, 2020 4:13 pm Date Climbed: Jul 22, 2020
Hot & Windy
95 degrees & windy. Easy to get to. We didn't see anyone else the entire time. Very interesting part of North Dakota.
WIHighPointer - Sep 7, 2020 9:09 am Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2020
HP #9 White Butte, ND
A little challenging, summer ended on Labor Day, cold driving drizzle, 42°, made the white soil and even the grey soil impossible, went off trail in the rocks and brush and that short ascent was much easier. White shallow streams of water to walk through, water proof footwear made it easy.
Thank you land owners!
Due to construction on 69th you need to access the trailhead from 140th Street north of Amidon. There is a large green sign showing the turn on Highway 85. Follow 140th street for 5.0 miles and turn right to reach the trailhead (appx 1 mile ahead).
kteichert - May 29, 2020 1:12 pm Date Climbed: May 24, 2020
HP #40
It was a drizzly day, everything was green, but mud was plentiful. And the clay this mound is made of is EXTREMELY slippery. I'm an avid trail runner, and read conditions fairly well, and I slipped on a spot that, from my view, did not look slippery at all. It caught me by such surprise, I barely had time to catch myself. I landed hard on my right hand and ribs. Still both very sore almost a week later. So if you go while it is wet, take extreme precaution any time you are on the white clay soil. It is a very short hike, especially if you start at the gate past the old house. Just .75 miles to the top and only 300' of climb.
xDoogiex - May 28, 2020 10:33 am Date Climbed: May 27, 2020
#30
My 30th state high point after a 4yr hiatus. Nice hike and beautiful day. The road to get there is closed from the south. Can only arrive from the Amidon side
triyoda - Oct 12, 2019 8:04 am Date Climbed: Sep 18, 2019
Sunset walk
Hiked Black Elk Peak earlier in the day and enjoyed sunset on the White Butte summit.
radbb - Oct 7, 2019 10:14 am Date Climbed: Sep 26, 2019
Badlands summit
This is North Dakota.
FACTS: I flew into Bismarck, ND. I then proceeded on a 909-mile road trip through the badlands to bag the highpoints in ND and SD. Here is ND, highpoint number 26/51 for me and ranked 30/51.
TRAILHEAD / HIKE:
The route to get to the trailhead from the North (Amidon, ND) is totally washed out and gone and closed until further notice. You must get to the trailhead from the South (Bowman, ND). I have taken the trouble of providing detailed instructions here.
From Bowman, ND, go North on 85
There is a sign on the left for 74th Street, there is NO sign on the right
Make a right here onto a dirt road (all roads from now on are hard pack dirt)
Go exactly 4 miles (reset odometer)
Make a Left on 140th Ave SW (it is now labelled and contrary to other reports is not 137th ave)
Go exactly 5 miles (reset odometer)
Make a Left on 69
Go exactly 1 mile (reset odometer)
Look for Red Iron Ranger, that is the parking for the new trailhead
The hike is in one direction (due south) and is straightforward and easy. Surprisingly, I did meet two groups who were coming down as I was going up and one gentlemen going up as I was returning. It took me 90 minutes out and back...
DINING:
Humpback Sally’s: This place is downtown. I parked in the garage around the corner. This is Bismarck’s version of a pretentious “small plates, tapas” kind of place. I had a bourbon cocktail which was well made. The service was good but not especially warm or friendly. The food was good but the portion sizes are ridiculously small. I just can not see how this type of restaurant can survive in Bismarck.
MacKenzie River Pizza Grill & Pub: This place is north of downtown. Plenty of free parking outside a stand alone building. The bar and restaurant were packed. I waited 15 minutes for a seat at the bar. I sat next to 3 fellows, one of whom immediately asked me if I wanted an entire order of nachos, since they had messed up the order (nachos had beans and they did not want beans, lol). Nice gesture. We got to talking and I asked him how his pizza was. He immediately reached over and handed me a slice and said try it. Again, wonderful generosity on his part. The pizza was good. I was planning on eating and drinking here as it was close to where I was going to spend the night. But, these 3 gents were soon gone and replaced by 3 other gents. The 3 new gents immediately started drinking and using foul language very loudly (got to the point that many at the bar area were uncomfortable). I had one beer and left.
Laughing Sun Brewing Company: This place is in downtown Bismarck. It is in an industrial area, but I was told it is safe. There is plenty of free parking. They serve good craft beers only. The food is BBQ and it is very good as well. The service is warm and genuine and friendly. At about 900pm, a hip hop band started playing (ridiculously loud). Loud to the point that people in the restaurant and bar could not talk to each other. Many people sitting next to me were so annoyed at the loudness that quite a few paid their tab and left, including me.
Little Cottage Cafe: This place is in downtown Bismarck. There is plenty of free parking. The place opens at 600am and is filled by 630am. This is a quintessential hometown feel good breakfast place. I sat at the 4 seat counter. The only waitress has been there for 30+ years. The food is great. The service is great. All around, my best meal in Bismarck.
IMPRESSIONS:
Apparently, when the settlers came, if they were able to build and live on a structure for 5 consecutive years, they were given 160 acres of land. Land is broken up into sections. Each section is 640 acres. Farms and ranches in ND are huge. Unlike the east coast, nobody discusses square feet, they say how many sections do you own? I marvel at the settlers who travelled west and saw the never ending prairie grasses and decided to stay.
Great directions on this website. Just after crossing the gate I had a rattlesnake to my left so watch out for those buggers. Once I got the the base I ended up missing the rock pile and went straight. Once I crested that initial climb up I found the trail again. I will know for next time.
Beautiful views and not a soul up there. I was blessed with great weather but a storm rolled in fast and rained shortly after I came back down. Makes me appreciate North Dakota that much more!
islandborn11 - Aug 8, 2019 11:44 pm Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2019
Awesome hike in a crazy two hours
Came down from Theodore Roosevelt NP for about a noon hike. As I was cruising down these rural roads the road to the HP the dirt road melted into a muddy river and my jeep got stuck fast. Immediately locals showed up to help and got me out of the mud by gunning the accellorator while we pushed Thanks Shelby and Kody!
Starts on a dirt trail near an abandoned farm. The sun came out and was blistering about twenty minutes in. After a mile of flat walking and birdwatching the trail rises and has a few almost scrambling moments before you rise to the summit where a ammo box protects the register. On the driveback the road had baked to the point where I couldn't even find the stretch where I had struggled in the mud.
Gorgeous views and not a single other person on the trail. This is a tough one to get to but a fun hike with plenty of great views. Supposedly they are putting gravel on that road but it is scary in the rain.
Bluebell08 - Mar 22, 2019 11:50 pm Date Climbed: Sep 14, 2017
Highpoint #30
Sunset hike, quick stop on drive home to east coast from Glacier National Park. Great view of cows in the fields below and saw deer on the ridge as we approached the hilly part of the hike. No other people for miles it seemed and some wind on top.
mgriffis - Feb 12, 2019 3:28 pm Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2017
HP #12
Had the trail and summit to myself. A little windy on top, but a great view.
adventureharder - Jan 9, 2019 12:57 am Date Climbed: Dec 31, 2018
Brian Jenkins - Sep 6, 2023 10:33 pm Date Climbed: Sep 2, 2023
niceWondered what ND would be like especially after northern SD is so barren. But as soon as I hit the border it changed to pleasant farms and nice towns and got much prettier. Easy walk to the summit. Hit it about sunset so the skies were great.
Hyadventure - Aug 22, 2023 10:43 am Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2023
New Trail Under ConstructionI was able to use a new trail that is under construction. Slightly older than the old use trails.
David Mortensen - Jun 13, 2022 8:27 am Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2022
White ButteMy wife and I had visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park earlier in the day so we decided to summit this in the afternoon as it was not very far off of our drive south. It was pretty warm at 85, but a nice breeze made it pleasant for the short hike to the summit.
Woodie Hopper - Sep 13, 2021 4:42 pm Date Climbed: Sep 13, 2021
Quick hikeSummitted on a sunny day after Black Elk Peak in SD earlier today. Mild breeze and solitude.
Tonka - Nov 30, 2020 7:49 am Date Climbed: Aug 30, 2020
Warm and a bit buggyNice walk-up although the stroll along the road in was very buggy. Warm but good day. Very straight forward.
themnkid - Oct 18, 2020 4:13 pm Date Climbed: Jul 22, 2020
Hot & Windy95 degrees & windy. Easy to get to. We didn't see anyone else the entire time. Very interesting part of North Dakota.
WIHighPointer - Sep 7, 2020 9:09 am Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2020
HP #9 White Butte, NDA little challenging, summer ended on Labor Day, cold driving drizzle, 42°, made the white soil and even the grey soil impossible, went off trail in the rocks and brush and that short ascent was much easier. White shallow streams of water to walk through, water proof footwear made it easy.
Thank you land owners!
Vistagrabber - Jul 16, 2020 9:04 pm Date Climbed: Jul 16, 2020
White Butte New driving directionsDue to construction on 69th you need to access the trailhead from 140th Street north of Amidon. There is a large green sign showing the turn on Highway 85. Follow 140th street for 5.0 miles and turn right to reach the trailhead (appx 1 mile ahead).
kteichert - May 29, 2020 1:12 pm Date Climbed: May 24, 2020
HP #40It was a drizzly day, everything was green, but mud was plentiful. And the clay this mound is made of is EXTREMELY slippery. I'm an avid trail runner, and read conditions fairly well, and I slipped on a spot that, from my view, did not look slippery at all. It caught me by such surprise, I barely had time to catch myself. I landed hard on my right hand and ribs. Still both very sore almost a week later. So if you go while it is wet, take extreme precaution any time you are on the white clay soil. It is a very short hike, especially if you start at the gate past the old house. Just .75 miles to the top and only 300' of climb.
xDoogiex - May 28, 2020 10:33 am Date Climbed: May 27, 2020
#30My 30th state high point after a 4yr hiatus. Nice hike and beautiful day. The road to get there is closed from the south. Can only arrive from the Amidon side
triyoda - Oct 12, 2019 8:04 am Date Climbed: Sep 18, 2019
Sunset walkHiked Black Elk Peak earlier in the day and enjoyed sunset on the White Butte summit.
radbb - Oct 7, 2019 10:14 am Date Climbed: Sep 26, 2019
Badlands summitThis is North Dakota.
FACTS: I flew into Bismarck, ND. I then proceeded on a 909-mile road trip through the badlands to bag the highpoints in ND and SD. Here is ND, highpoint number 26/51 for me and ranked 30/51.
TRAILHEAD / HIKE:
The route to get to the trailhead from the North (Amidon, ND) is totally washed out and gone and closed until further notice. You must get to the trailhead from the South (Bowman, ND). I have taken the trouble of providing detailed instructions here.
From Bowman, ND, go North on 85
There is a sign on the left for 74th Street, there is NO sign on the right
Make a right here onto a dirt road (all roads from now on are hard pack dirt)
Go exactly 4 miles (reset odometer)
Make a Left on 140th Ave SW (it is now labelled and contrary to other reports is not 137th ave)
Go exactly 5 miles (reset odometer)
Make a Left on 69
Go exactly 1 mile (reset odometer)
Look for Red Iron Ranger, that is the parking for the new trailhead
The hike is in one direction (due south) and is straightforward and easy. Surprisingly, I did meet two groups who were coming down as I was going up and one gentlemen going up as I was returning. It took me 90 minutes out and back...
DINING:
Humpback Sally’s: This place is downtown. I parked in the garage around the corner. This is Bismarck’s version of a pretentious “small plates, tapas” kind of place. I had a bourbon cocktail which was well made. The service was good but not especially warm or friendly. The food was good but the portion sizes are ridiculously small. I just can not see how this type of restaurant can survive in Bismarck.
MacKenzie River Pizza Grill & Pub: This place is north of downtown. Plenty of free parking outside a stand alone building. The bar and restaurant were packed. I waited 15 minutes for a seat at the bar. I sat next to 3 fellows, one of whom immediately asked me if I wanted an entire order of nachos, since they had messed up the order (nachos had beans and they did not want beans, lol). Nice gesture. We got to talking and I asked him how his pizza was. He immediately reached over and handed me a slice and said try it. Again, wonderful generosity on his part. The pizza was good. I was planning on eating and drinking here as it was close to where I was going to spend the night. But, these 3 gents were soon gone and replaced by 3 other gents. The 3 new gents immediately started drinking and using foul language very loudly (got to the point that many at the bar area were uncomfortable). I had one beer and left.
Laughing Sun Brewing Company: This place is in downtown Bismarck. It is in an industrial area, but I was told it is safe. There is plenty of free parking. They serve good craft beers only. The food is BBQ and it is very good as well. The service is warm and genuine and friendly. At about 900pm, a hip hop band started playing (ridiculously loud). Loud to the point that people in the restaurant and bar could not talk to each other. Many people sitting next to me were so annoyed at the loudness that quite a few paid their tab and left, including me.
Little Cottage Cafe: This place is in downtown Bismarck. There is plenty of free parking. The place opens at 600am and is filled by 630am. This is a quintessential hometown feel good breakfast place. I sat at the 4 seat counter. The only waitress has been there for 30+ years. The food is great. The service is great. All around, my best meal in Bismarck.
IMPRESSIONS:
Apparently, when the settlers came, if they were able to build and live on a structure for 5 consecutive years, they were given 160 acres of land. Land is broken up into sections. Each section is 640 acres. Farms and ranches in ND are huge. Unlike the east coast, nobody discusses square feet, they say how many sections do you own? I marvel at the settlers who travelled west and saw the never ending prairie grasses and decided to stay.
Fr8train - Sep 6, 2019 12:45 pm Date Climbed: Sep 1, 2019
White Butte - 2nd Highpoint!Great directions on this website. Just after crossing the gate I had a rattlesnake to my left so watch out for those buggers. Once I got the the base I ended up missing the rock pile and went straight. Once I crested that initial climb up I found the trail again. I will know for next time.
Beautiful views and not a soul up there. I was blessed with great weather but a storm rolled in fast and rained shortly after I came back down. Makes me appreciate North Dakota that much more!
islandborn11 - Aug 8, 2019 11:44 pm Date Climbed: Aug 6, 2019
Awesome hike in a crazy two hoursCame down from Theodore Roosevelt NP for about a noon hike. As I was cruising down these rural roads the road to the HP the dirt road melted into a muddy river and my jeep got stuck fast. Immediately locals showed up to help and got me out of the mud by gunning the accellorator while we pushed Thanks Shelby and Kody!
Starts on a dirt trail near an abandoned farm. The sun came out and was blistering about twenty minutes in. After a mile of flat walking and birdwatching the trail rises and has a few almost scrambling moments before you rise to the summit where a ammo box protects the register. On the driveback the road had baked to the point where I couldn't even find the stretch where I had struggled in the mud.
Gorgeous views and not a single other person on the trail. This is a tough one to get to but a fun hike with plenty of great views. Supposedly they are putting gravel on that road but it is scary in the rain.
Bluebell08 - Mar 22, 2019 11:50 pm Date Climbed: Sep 14, 2017
Highpoint #30Sunset hike, quick stop on drive home to east coast from Glacier National Park. Great view of cows in the fields below and saw deer on the ridge as we approached the hilly part of the hike. No other people for miles it seemed and some wind on top.
mgriffis - Feb 12, 2019 3:28 pm Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2017
HP #12Had the trail and summit to myself. A little windy on top, but a great view.
adventureharder - Jan 9, 2019 12:57 am Date Climbed: Dec 31, 2018
State Highpoint #04 | NDwww.adventureharder.life
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.755541304817545&type=1&l=723474a502
CTberk - Nov 18, 2018 6:34 pm Date Climbed: Oct 20, 2018
Great viewsBeautiful day with mild temps and a slight breeze. Very slippery after the previous day of rain. great views on top. Signs on the road are great.
billydheyhey - Nov 16, 2018 2:13 pm Date Climbed: Jul 27, 2017
HP #24!I've heard they made improvements the navigation to trailhead since I climbed this, but I found it rather tricky when I was here.
Saw some deer, but no rattlesnakes (fortunately)!
Tunalp@yahoo.com - Aug 28, 2018 2:11 pm Date Climbed: Jun 17, 2018
Easy short hikeNice clear and calm day