Douglas County High Point Trip Report

Thunder Butte (9,836 ft)

Date: July 15, 2000
Author: Fred Lobdell

A topographic map is required for this one. Bring along your compass and your map-reading skills, too. This is a total bushwhack of almost 5 miles for the round trip (and probably more, if you become misplaced on the descent as I did). The bushwhacking is not especially difficult, as it is through open woods for much of the way and then up an obvious ridge line to the summit. Careful attention to your route on the way up, especially the stretch between the rock cairn at 0.7 miles and where you start up to the saddle on the ridge, is required here so that you can backtrack to your car on the descent. (Do as I say and not as I did!) The ascent took me 2 hours and the descent, including wandering in the wilderness and walking back up the road to my car, 2 hours and 15 minutes. There is a register and nice views at the summit.