Elevation: 2,712 ft
Prominence: 150
This butte is not in the book. Published October 2025
Castle Butte is a magnificent piece of rock that towers over the nearby Snake River. It has four unique, rocky summits of similar height. Most of Castle Butte is within the Snake River Birds of Prey BLM land but there are sections of private land nearby, so be careful. USGS Castle Butte
Access
From ID-78 about 8.6 miles west of the ID-78/ID-167 junction in Grandview and 50 yards west of MM51, turn north onto [signed] paved Lemley Road and reset your odometer. At 1.1 miles, turn right/north onto [signed] Robinson Road to avoid entering a gravel pit. At 3.6 miles, reach a junction and bear left/northwest. At 4.3 miles, park along the road just before reaching a private ranch.
Get permission from the rancher to hike across a strip of land that, contrary to the LOJ land management map, is private land that is not posted but it is fenced and irrigated. That made me nervous, which is why I stopped by the ranch house and got permission to park/hike there.
The LOJ land management map incorrectly shows all of the land on the southwest and west side of this BLM road as public land. My improvised parking spot (in the field grass alongside the BLM road) is at 2,406 feet and 43°05’59.5”N, 116°16’02.7”W. It sits along an east-west fence row at a fence corner at the base of the prominent gully that is south of the two rocky high points of Castle Butte.
West Face to the Northwest Summit, Class 2
The Climb
From the improvised parking spot along the BLM road, cross a cattle fence almost immediately and bushwhack southwest to reach the narrow gully. Climb up a steep, gravelly shoulder on the left/south side of the massive gully to skirt an impossible headwall/waterfall in the gully. Once above the headwall, angle right/north on a game trail to reach the center of the gully in flatter, easier field grass and scrub. Head northwest up the gully to where it tops out and begins to descend.
Leave the gully here and scramble right/east up the left/north side of a rocky ridge to reach a minor saddle in easy field grass and scrub. Head left/northwest from this saddle to quickly reach the northwest/official summit of Castle Butte. The summit offers a stunning view of the Snake River and the ranch land that surrounds it. It also offers great views of the 4-5 rocky towers of the Castle Butte massif.
The gentle summit hump of the official/northwest summit of Castle Butte. Livingston Douglas Photo
Summit view from atop the official summit of Castle Butte with the Snake River in the distance. Livingston Douglas Photo
Southeast Ridge from the Northwest Summit, Class 2
The Descent
From the northwest summit, descend easy scrub and gravel southeast then east to follow a connecting ridge with the rocky, rugged southeast summit. Reach a low point on this connecting ridge. This concludes the first leg of this 2-summit adventure. The southeast summit is up next.
West Face/Northwest Ridge to the Southeast Summit, Class 2+
The Climb
From the low point on the connecting ridge with the northwest summit, scramble east up a mix of scrub, field grass, and embedded rock to reach the northwest ridge. Scramble a short distance up the ridge to the Class 2+ summit boulders. Stand atop the highest boulder
The rugged southeast summit block of Castle Butte as viewed from the valley floor (start of climb). Approached from its back side, it is an easy scramble. Livingston Douglas Photo
West Face/Southwest Gully from the Southeast Summit, Class 2+
The Descent
From the southeast summit, return down to the connecting saddle. From there, descend southwest through easy field grass and scrub in a side gully to reach the main gully of Castle Butte just above the headwall. Retrace the ascent route back down to the BLM road and your parked vehicle.
The rugged peaks of the Castle Butte massif as viewed from the southeast. Livingston Douglas Photo
Additional Resources