Evans Butte
A remote inner-canyon summit named for the surveyor who mapped it.
About
Evans Butte is a remote summit deep in the canyon interior, rising to 6,379 feet on the north end of Sagittarius Ridge, a few miles southwest of King Arthur Castle. It's not a place you walk to from any rim trail — the relief here is extreme, climbing more than 4,100 feet above the Colorado River in just 2.5 miles, with its north face rising 2,700 feet above Flint Creek in a single mile. Like much of the canyon's inner architecture, it's built from the Supai Group's banded ledges sitting on top of the sheer, cliff-forming Redwall Limestone, with older Tonto Group rock at its base.
Naming
The butte carries the name of Richard Tranter Evans, a U.S. Geological Survey topographic engineer who surveyed this section of the canyon in 1904 and went on to draw some of the first detailed topographic maps of the Grand Canyon, Pikes Peak, and Salt Lake City. The name was formally adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in 1969. Evans Butte remained unclimbed until October 1976, when canyon hiker Harvey Butchart summited it solo — one of 83 named summits he reached over decades of exploring the park's backcountry.
Best Time to View It
As remote inner-canyon terrain, this formation is best appreciated from established viewpoints rather than planned around for direct access.
Good to Know
- The butte carries the name of Richard Tranter Evans, a U.S. Geological Survey topographic engineer who surveyed this section of the canyon in 1904; the name was formally adopted in 1969.
- Evans Butte remained unclimbed until October 1976, when canyon hiker Harvey Butchart summited it solo — one of 83 named summits he reached over decades of exploring the park's backcountry.
- A landmark worth knowing for its history even if you'll only ever view it from a distance.
Reaching Evans Butte
It's not a place you walk to from any rim trail — this is deep backcountry, viewed from a distance rather than approached directly by most visitors.
What You're Looking At: Evans Butte
Evans Butte is a remote summit deep in the canyon interior, rising to 6,379 feet on the north end of Sagittarius Ridge, a few miles southwest of King Arthur Castle. The relief here is extreme, climbing more than 4,100 feet above the Colorado River in just 2.5 miles, with its north face rising 2,700 feet above Flint Creek in a single mile. It's built from the Supai Group's banded ledges sitting on top of the sheer, cliff-forming Redwall Limestone.
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