White Butte

White Butte, North Dakota’s highest point, offers a unique and rugged experience. The hike up is straightforward, but be prepared for strong winds at the top! The views are worth it, with sweeping landscapes that give you a true sense of the area’s beauty. A great stop for highpoint enthusiasts looking for an off the beaten path adventure.

Loved this trail and Highpoint. Absolutely beautiful area. We were the only people in the parking area. Several dirt/gravel roads on the way there. Very windy while we were there. Hold on to your hats.

Finding this place was tricky the 1st time. Follow the sign on the road. Drive down the gravel road, and there is a small white butte sign on the right! Looks like a new trailhead sign was put up! And there's a parking area with a fence. The trail itself is 4600 feet long, 0.8 miles. It only took me about 20 minutes to get to the top...steep going up. Very fun hike!

Highest person in North Dakota! 3,506 feet that is....... a pretty easy hike to get to the top, with a couple of steep inclines. The trails easy enough to follow, packed down better than I though. You’ll need a high clearance 4 x 4 to drive back to the parking spot or you’ll add about 2 miles to your hike. This is all on private land so make sure you if you pack it in, you pack it out.

This was a pretty fun and a worth it too. If you're nearby, this is definitely something you should do. It's pretty easy to do and follow, probably wouldn't take anyone more than an hour for the whole hike.

Cool place but don’t come here if it rained the previous day because the mud is extremely slippery. I fell down and knocked my dad down we were ok. Highpoint 24 for me.

This was an enjoyable hike in the chilliness of North Dakota. To start with, many of the directions posted elsewhere are wrong. To get here, to east out of Amidon; after a couple miles you'll see a standard green highway feature sign with "White Butte - North Dakota Highpoint" posted on it. Turn right (south) here. Take the dirt road for 5 miles. Turn right again (it's between the 4.9 and 5.0 mile mark). Take this road for about 1 mile. You'll see a mailbox and an oil drum to the left. This is the beginning of the access road. Unless you've got a 4WD with good clearance and the ability to get out of the mud, park here. Turn left / south at the mailbox (either on foot or in your car). Keep the fence to your left at all times. That'll bring you to the gate in my photo after about 1 mile. Go through the gate (and close it behind you), and you'll have about 3/4 of a mile of hiking to get to the summit. In winter, this is a mix of crusty ice, snow, bare ground, and scrub brush, so pack accordingly. We summitted on March 4. Microspikes are probably advisable. There's something like 400-500 feet of elevation gain depending on the route you take. In summer I'd imagine this is probably a walk-up, though in winter it's going to be a little more challenging. We stayed at Cabins of Amidon, which is run by very friendly people. Throw back a couple Hamm's at the bar next door while you're there. I don't know that I'd go out of my way to hike this route, but if you're a highpointer it's going to be on your checklist anyways - and it's a mildly interesting hike nonetheless. If you have questions, call the owners or ask somebody in Amidon.

Preface: do NOT follow Google directions to white butte. Instead, take the directions to white butte trailhead. If you choose the former, a very angry man will come screaming/cursing at you about trespassing (even if the sign is not visible). Who knows, he may even attempt to shoot you, depending on which angry mood he is in. Otherwise, a nice short little hike. We went during the first day of snow (accidentally) so there wasn't much of a view, but it was still fun!

This is the highest point in South Dakota, how am I the first review?! South Dakota is a state most people are bored by. They will say something about it disparagingly, always involving the word "flat". I'm from Florida. That's flat. This ain't that. This is a fun, short trail with great views. It's on private property, and the landowners graciously allow you to trespass on their land (the anti-Hawaii!) There is an optional donation box, and I highly recommend you donate so we can keep this trail going. You gotta give! If you don't give, this trail will go dark! The trail is mostly a gray clay material, so it would get VERY slippery when wet. I hiked it flip flops. But I should've heeded Jimmy Buffet's warning. I blew one out on the way down :(