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Landmark is a high-profile nod to trekker

On July 16, the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names voted to officially designate Butchart Butte in Grand Canyon National Park in honor of pioneering Grand Canyon explorer Harvey Butchart. The new name will appear on state maps made in Arizona, with federal approval to be determined in 2008.

According to Elias Butler, co-author of "Grand Obsession: Harvey Butchart and the Exploration of Grand Canyon," while Butchart did climb nearby Sigfried Pyre, he never scaled the butte that bears his name.

Dedicated Grand Canyon hiker and climber Jim Haggart submitted the proposal for Butchart Butte. Chosen for its rugged beauty, remote location and visibility from both the North and South Rims, Butchart Butte is a fitting tribute that will be seen by millions of visitors each year.


The butte is a 2,317-meter (7,601-foot) summit of Coconino Sandstone in Grand Canyon National Park, on the North Rim, midway between Cochise Butte and Siegfried Pyre, one kilometer (0.6 mi) SSE of Jeffords Point at 36°12'15"N, 111°53'48"W. Butchart Butte rises between Lava and Kwagunt Canyons and may be readily seen from the North Rim's Point Imperial and the South Rim's Desert View.

Nearly 150 such summits have been named in Grand Canyon NP. Few buttes have been named in recent decades, however. The last butte designated in the Canyon was Berry Butte, about 10 years ago.

Harvey Butchart's fame, as detailed in the Puma Press book "Grand Obsession: Harvey Butchart and the Exploration of Grand Canyon," came in part due to his extensive climbing in Grand Canyon.

Butchart holds the record for most first ascents in the park (28) and climbed 83 buttes total between the years 1957-1987. In addition, he covered 12,000 miles on foot below the rim and recorded his findings for the benefit of the public and the National Park Service with the publication of his backcountry guidebooks "Grand Canyon Treks I, II & III. "

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