Type: 37′ steel tower
Status: Staffed
Elevation: 5,707′
Visited: May 26, 2024
While visiting the Umatilla National Forest over Memorial Day Weekend we hiked up to Madison Butte. There is a road to the top, but it’s pretty rough and in any case it’s gated this time of year. Hiking was much nicer. (Read about the hike itself on my adventure blog.)
The last stretch of the hike passed through some big trees:
As well as wildflowers. These are spring beauties:
Some type of onion:
This early in the season the lookout was not yet staffed:
There’s a toilet down the hill on the north side:
I was surprised to see grass widows blooming up here!
We saw groundsel too:
There are some views from the ground. Looking northeast:
Black Mountain to the northeast:
Southeast:
The Strawberry Mountains to the southeast:
Looking south to the Aldrich Mountains:
West:
Northwest:
We couldn’t get up to the locked catwalk, but we could climb the stairs most of the way up. Better views up there, of course. Northeast:
Looking east to the Elkhorns:
Vinegar Hill and Dixie Butte to the southeast:
The Strawberry Mountains:
South:
Northwest:
Survey marker:
What forces bent this sturdy pot?
After several hours on the summit we headed back down. Most of those trees you see in the photo below are larches. This would be gorgeous in fall!
More information
Forest Lookouts
Rex’s Forest Fire Lookout Page
National Historic Lookout Register
Peakbagger
Panorama Photos
Geocache
History
A D-6 cupola cabin was built on Madison Butte in 1923:
In 1957 this was replaced by the present 37′ steel tower:
