| Tower Butte | |
|---|---|
 East aspect | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,287 ft (1,611 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 977 ft (298 m)[1] |
| Parent peak | Point 5408[2] |
| Isolation | 4.22 mi (6.79 km)[2] |
| Coordinates | 36°58′11″N111°18′35″W / 36.9697928°N 111.3096638°W /36.9697928; -111.3096638[3] |
| Geography | |
  Tower Butte Location in Arizona Show map of Arizona Tower Butte Tower Butte (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Navajo Reservation Coconino County,Arizona, U.S. |
| Parent range | Colorado Plateau |
| Topo map | USGSWild Horse Mesa |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Jurassic |
| Rock type | Entrada Sandstone |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | October 23, 1994 |
| Easiest route | class 5.10aclimbing |
Tower Butte is a 5,287-foot (1,611 meter) elevation sandstonesummit located south ofLake Powell, in northernArizona. Tower Butte is abutte composed of Romana andEntrada Sandstones with aMorrison Formationcaprock.[4] It is situated 9 miles (14 km) northeast of the town ofPage, and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) north ofLeChee Rock, onNavajo Nation land, towering over 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain as an iconic landmark of the area. Precipitationrunoff from this feature drains into Lake Powell, which is part of theColorado Riverdrainage basin. Thefirst ascent of Tower Butte was made October 23, 1994, by Jason Keith and David Insley.[5] However, they were not the first to visit the summit as they reported finding litter from prior helicopter landings. An outfit operating out of Page flies helicopter sightseeing flights which land on the flat top of the butte where tourists have panoramic views of theGlen Canyon National Recreation Area, Lake Powell, andNavajo Mountain.
According to theKöppen climate classification system, Tower Butte is located in anarid climate zone with hot, very dry summers, and chilly winters with very little snow. It is located in the southern edge of theGreat Basin Desert on theColorado Plateau. Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit.
| Climate data for Page, Arizona | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 64 (18) | 72 (22) | 82 (28) | 91 (33) | 102 (39) | 107 (42) | 109 (43) | 106 (41) | 100 (38) | 93 (34) | 77 (25) | 66 (19) | 109 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 43.1 (6.2) | 50.3 (10.2) | 59.5 (15.3) | 68.5 (20.3) | 78.5 (25.8) | 90.2 (32.3) | 95.1 (35.1) | 92.0 (33.3) | 83.5 (28.6) | 69.7 (20.9) | 53.8 (12.1) | 43.7 (6.5) | 69.0 (20.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 37.0 (2.8) | 43.6 (6.4) | 52.6 (11.4) | 62.3 (16.8) | 68.3 (20.2) | 66.4 (19.1) | 58.4 (14.7) | 46.6 (8.1) | 34.7 (1.5) | 27.1 (−2.7) | 46.1 (7.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) | 6 (−14) | 18 (−8) | 25 (−4) | 31 (−1) | 44 (7) | 56 (13) | 46 (8) | 40 (4) | 24 (−4) | 16 (−9) | 1 (−17) | −11 (−24) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.61 (15) | 0.48 (12) | 0.65 (17) | 0.50 (13) | 0.40 (10) | 0.14 (3.6) | 0.58 (15) | 0.69 (18) | 0.66 (17) | 0.99 (25) | 0.56 (14) | 0.48 (12) | 6.74 (171.6) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.1 (5.3) | 1.2 (3.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 1.4 (3.6) | 5.4 (13.71) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 4.5 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 47.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2.6 |
| Source: NOAA[6] | |||||||||||||
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