Junction Butte

Junction Butte is a 6,400-foot-elevation (2,000-meter) summit located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah.^[3] It is set about one mile south of the southern tip of Island in the Sky. A short hike to Grand View Point provides a view of Junction Butte. Access to this butte is via the four-wheel drive White Rim Road, which is another option to view Junction Butte. Topographic relief is significant as the top of this geological formation rises 1,400 feet above the road in less than one mile. Precipitation runoff from Junction Butte drains east into the nearby Colorado River, and west into nearby Green River. Junction Butte is situated north of the junction of these two major rivers.

Junction Butte
North aspect from Grand View Point
Highest point
Elevation	6,400 ft (2,000 m)[1]
Prominence	1,720 ft (520 m)[1]
Parent peak	Elaterite Butte (6,552 ft)[1]
Isolation	10.16 mi (16.35 km)[2]
Coordinates	38°17′11″N 109°52′23″W[1]
Geography
Junction Butte Location of Junction Butte in Utah Show map of Utah Junction Butte Junction Butte (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	San Juan
Protected area	Canyonlands National Park
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Monument Basin
Geology
Rock age	Late Triassic
Rock type	Wingate Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest route	class 5.2 climbing[2]

Geology

This feature is composed of hard, fine-grained Wingate Sandstone, which is the remains of wind-borne sand dunes deposited approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. This Wingate sandstone, capped by Kayenta Formation, forms steep cliffs as it overlays softer layers of the Chinle Formation.^[4]

East aspect, from White Rim Road

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Junction Butte. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below −0 °C (32 °F) and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

Climate data for Island in the Sky Visitor Center, elevation 5,666 ft (1,727 m), 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1981-2019
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	58.6 (14.8)	69.0 (20.6)	79.8 (26.6)	86.1 (30.1)	98.5 (36.9)	103.9 (39.9)	106.4 (41.3)	101.1 (38.4)	97.9 (36.6)	86.9 (30.5)	71.0 (21.7)	59.2 (15.1)	106.4 (41.3)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	38.1 (3.4)	44.1 (6.7)	54.9 (12.7)	63.5 (17.5)	74.2 (23.4)	85.4 (29.7)	91.7 (33.2)	88.7 (31.5)	79.5 (26.4)	65.8 (18.8)	49.7 (9.8)	38.1 (3.4)	64.6 (18.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	20.8 (−6.2)	25.8 (−3.4)	33.3 (0.7)	40.0 (4.4)	49.5 (9.7)	59.8 (15.4)	66.0 (18.9)	63.9 (17.7)	54.9 (12.7)	42.5 (5.8)	31.1 (−0.5)	21.3 (−5.9)	42.5 (5.8)
Record low °F (°C)	−8.0 (−22.2)	−12.4 (−24.7)	10.4 (−12.0)	16.3 (−8.7)	26.0 (−3.3)	28.7 (−1.8)	46.0 (7.8)	50.2 (10.1)	27.6 (−2.4)	9.2 (−12.7)	6.2 (−14.3)	−9.4 (−23.0)	−12.4 (−24.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.53 (13)	0.50 (13)	0.76 (19)	0.72 (18)	0.70 (18)	0.45 (11)	0.93 (24)	1.04 (26)	1.06 (27)	1.30 (33)	0.70 (18)	0.58 (15)	9.27 (235)
Average dew point °F (°C)	18.6 (−7.4)	21.8 (−5.7)	23.3 (−4.8)	25.7 (−3.5)	29.5 (−1.4)	32.7 (0.4)	41.2 (5.1)	45.1 (7.3)	37.6 (3.1)	29.5 (−1.4)	23.2 (−4.9)	17.9 (−7.8)	28.9 (−1.7)
Source: PRISM[5]

See also

• Colorado Plateau
• Geology of the Canyonlands area