Squaw Butte Idaho

Towering above the small town of Sweet Idaho, Squaw Butte is a prominent north/south running ridge with a dramatic east face. Visiting a friend in Sweet, I suggested my need to climb the Squaw so I was given the Sweet and Squaw Butte Tour. In spring, this area is quite scenic with green hillsides and snow covered summits. The summit has an impressive fire lookout equipped with AC units and other lavish items other towers could only dream of. A public road leads to the summit although a spring ascent will force a hike out of you as it did my party of 8.

Squaw Butte

Access:

From Emmett, go north on 52, continue north on Van Dussen Road to Butte Road, go 2 miles east to a cattle guard, turn left and drive up. Other access points are from the Black Canyon Dam and Butte Road out of Sweet.

Lookout History:

In 1933, there was an 8x8 foot cab and a camp.

In 1938, a cabin was built.

In 1953 the cab was destroyed by lightning. To replace the lost structure, a 2-story metal cab was built along with a trailer.

In 1959, the USGS described the lookout tower as a corrugated metal building 12 feet square and 4 feet tall painted with aluminum paint surrounded by windows about 20 feet from the ground and surmounted by a flat roof sloping from east to west. It is a grazing land fire lookout operated by the Bureau of Land Management and is located on the highest part of the southern end of squaw butte between two smaller micro-wave buildings.

In 1981, the present 2-story cab on the south summit was built. It is staffed every summer.