Butte County High Point Trip Report
The Brakes (4,040+ ft)
Date: July 21, 2002
Author: Dave Covill
We proceeded to Sheridan for a motel, then headed across the Powder River Basin towards SD.
We reached the Butte Co SD cohp TH about 1 PM, spent an hour searching for a rancher who owned the access,
then headed up via a basin 1.5 miles west of the state line, on the north side of the ridge called "The Brakes"
on the topo, from WY 24, east of Alladin. Tim Reich owns land to the west of the state line,
and can be reached for permission. He is not the person who owns the land where there is a 4WD road heading
south from the state line to a saddle just west of the cohp, and we are working on communicating with this
person for future access.
We hiked up to the ridge in very hot weather for us, having just come from 9,000+ feet down to 3,500 feet.
We followed the ridge east to the state line, marked by a fence, crossed it, and continued on the mostly
open, partly pine tree ridge past an old cabin, in poor condition, with windows missing. There is a BM
called "Brakes" without an elevation on it, about 100 feet east of the actual high spot, and about 10 feet lower.
We put a register in a cairn at the top. The area is pretty flat, with little views until you walk out to
there the BM sits.
We returned mostly via the 4WD road, crossing back to the Reich land part way down to our trucks.
Tim had let us drive through a wire gate about 1/4 mile to the start of the foothills,
and we appreciated his kindness. We need to figure out who the next owner to the east is,
or the owner on the SD side, which we were only in for a few hundred feet at most.
Nice place, but hot! Good views southeast to the Black Hills.