You can park along the road by the lower East Butte to save some distance, but we parked at an official NPS parking lot with a restroom. We started toward the lower Butte, and found a gully to gain the ridge line. Once on the ridge, there was a clear use trail to the East Butte. While steep at the end, it was all class 1 and there were enough rocks that it wasn't a slip and slide. We didn't find any marks and there was no register on the East Butte. My wife hadn't hiked in a while, so she headed back while I climbed the higher West Butte.
East Butte
West Butte from the summit of East Butte
I descended to the saddle between the Buttes, continuing along a good use trail. When I got near the top of the ridge, it got tricky. There were a couple of class 3 sections before I got to the crux: an exposed ledge 2' wide with a severe drop on one side. Once I passed the ledge, I went up about 20', then had to drop to a gully on the right to continue. I wasn't sure about the drop, but I spotted a large cairn in the gully that was helpful. The top of that gully was a little loose, but it was the last of the class 3. Once I was back on top of the ridge, it was an easy walk to the summit. I found two reference marks, but not the official benchmark. Also, no register. The views were incredible, with Corkscrew and Thimble to the north, Mesquite Dunes to the west and the full expanse of Death Valley spread out to the south. I took my time getting down. The exposure on the ledge was more obvious coming back. I had to turn and face the rock once to clear the lower class 3 sections. Then, it was an easy descent on the trail. I found the Buttes exhilarating, short and sweet, with stunning views. Highly recommended. Only 4 miles round trip, about 1500' gain. We spent the rest of the day in Mosaic Canyon.
Ledge
Back over the East Butte
