Smithsonian Butte
{{Short description|Mountain in the American state of Utah}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Smithsonian Butte
| photo = Smithsonian Butte from Grafton, UT - panoramio.jpg
| photo_caption = Smithsonian Butte, north aspect
| elevation_ft = 6780
| elevation_ref = {{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/21575|title=Smithsonian Butte - 6,780' UT|website=listsofjohn.com|accessdate=2020-12-08}}
| prominence_ft = 1400
| isolation_mi = 3.21
| parent_peak = Canaan Mountain (7,363 ft)
| part_type = Protected area | part = Canaan Mountain Wilderness
| country = United States
| state = Utah
| region = Washington
| region_type = County
| map = Utah#USA
| map_caption = Location in Utah
| map_size = 230
| label_position = top
| coordinates = {{coord|37.1138722|N|113.0796642|W|type:mountain_region:US-UT_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range = Colorado Plateau
| coordinates_ref = {{cite gnis|id=1432576|name=Smithsonian Butte|accessdate=2020-12-08}}
| topo = USGS Smithsonian Butte
| rock = Navajo sandstone
| age = Jurassic
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route = {{YDS|5.3}} climbing
}}
Smithsonian Butte is a {{convert|6780|ft|m|adj=on}} elevation summit located in the Canaan Mountain Wilderness of Washington County in southwest Utah, United States.
Description
Smithsonian Butte is situated {{convert|4|mi|km|spell=in}} southwest of Rockville and four miles south of Zion National Park, and can be seen from Utah State Route 9. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 2,000-feet (610-meters) in one mile on its south side, and 3,000 feet in three miles above the Virgin River on its north aspect which drains precipitation runoff from this mountain. Its nearest higher neighbor is Zion Butte, {{convert|3.2|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the southeast, and Eagle Crags are four miles to the east-northeast.{{cite peakbagger|pid=56457|name=Smithsonian Butte, Utah|accessdate=2020-12-08}} The uppermost part of this mountain is composed of light-colored Jurassic Navajo Sandstone which overlays the deep-red sandstone of the Kayenta Formation. This geographical feature was named by geologist Clarence Edward Dutton (1841–1912) for the Smithsonian Institution which had sponsored an exploration of the region, and the toponym was officially adopted in 1934 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. From 1875 to 1877, Dutton's field party mapped {{convert|12,000|mi2|km2}} of the high plateaus of southern Utah.[https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2018/01/20/clarence-dutton-poet-of-the-grand-canyon/ Clarence Dutton: Poet of the Grand Canyon, National Geographic] The saddle between Smithsonian Butte and its parent Caanan Mountain is named Dutton Pass, after him.{{cite gnis|id=1450343|name=Dutton Pass|accessdate=2020-12-08}} Access to this mountain is via the Smithsonian Butte National Back Country Byway.Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson, 4WD Trails Southwest Utah, Swagman Publishing Company, 2001, page 49.
Gallery
File:Smithsonian Butte.jpg
File:Smithsonian Butte, south aspect.jpg|South aspect
File:Smithsonian Butte, Utah.jpg
File:Smithsonian Butte near Zion Park.jpg
File:Road to Zion.jpg
File:Smithsonian Butte by Holmes.jpg|Smithsonian Butte depicted in a colored frontispiece chromolith by William Henry Holmes, published in "Tertiary History of the Grand Canon District with Atlas", an 1882 monograph by Clarence E. Dutton
Climate
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Smithsonian 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 {{convert|32|°F|°C|abbr=on}}, and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than {{convert|10|in|mm|abbr=off|sp=us}} of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.{{cite web|url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/utah-usa/zion-national-park-climate |title=Zion National Park, Utah, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data |publisher=Weather Atlas |access-date=31 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127152638/https://www.weather-us.com/en/utah-usa/zion-national-park-climate |archive-date=January 27, 2019|url-status=live}}
See also
{{stack|{{portal|Mountains}}}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Smithsonian Butte}}
- Weather: [https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-table/2-5547053/United%20States/Utah/Washington/Smithsonian%20Butte Smithsonian Butte]
Category:Mountains of Washington County, Utah