List of mountains in Custer County, Montana facts for kids
Custer County, located in eastern Montana, is a place with many interesting natural features. It's known for its wide-open spaces and, surprisingly, a good number of mountains! While you might think of Montana as having huge, towering peaks, Custer County's mountains are often smaller, but still very important to the local landscape. These natural formations are called buttes or peaks, and they rise up from the flatter land around them, offering great views and unique habitats.
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Exploring the Mountains of Custer County
Custer County is home to at least 49 named mountains. These aren't always the tall, jagged mountains you see in western Montana. Instead, many are what we call buttes or hills. They are still significant landmarks and play a big role in the area's geography. Each one has its own name and exact location, marked by special coordinates that help people find them on a map. Their heights are measured in feet and meters above sea level, which is how high they are compared to the ocean.
What are Buttes and Peaks?
When we talk about mountains in Custer County, you'll often hear the words butte and peak.
- A butte is a tall, isolated hill with steep sides and a flat top. Think of it like a natural tower or a small, flat-topped mountain. They are often formed when softer rock around them erodes away, leaving harder rock standing tall.
- A peak is the pointed top of a mountain or hill. Sometimes, a mountain might have several peaks. In Custer County, a "peak" might refer to a more pointed hill compared to a flat-topped butte.
Some Notable Mountains
Among the many named mountains in Custer County, some stand out because of their height or interesting names. Each one is a unique part of Montana's landscape.
Tallest Peaks
While Custer County isn't known for the highest mountains in Montana, it still has some impressive elevations. The tallest named mountain in the county is Hayes Point, which reaches an elevation of 3,766 feet (1,148 m). Other high points include Maxwell Butte at 3,720 feet (1,130 m) and Red Butte (the one located at 45°47′22″N 106°07′45″W) at 3,678 feet (1,121 m). These higher points offer some of the best views of the surrounding plains.
Interesting Names
Many of the mountains in Custer County have names that spark curiosity or describe their appearance. For example:
- Angelwing Butte sounds like it might have a unique shape.
- Camelsback probably looks like the humps of a camel.
- Chimney Butte might have a tall, narrow rock formation resembling a chimney.
- Loaf of Bread Butte suggests a rounded, bread-like shape.
- Rattlesnake Butte and Snake Butte might be named for local wildlife.
- Steamboat Butte could look like an old steamboat.
- Tepee Butte might resemble a Native American tepee.
- Twin Buttes (there are three different sets of them!) are clearly two hills that stand close together.
These names often tell a story about what the early settlers or Native Americans saw when they first explored the area.
- Angelwing Butte, 46°22′52″N 105°44′01″W / 46.38111°N 105.73361°W, el. 3,100 feet (940 m)
- Badland Butte, 46°26′15″N 105°44′04″W / 46.43750°N 105.73444°W, el. 2,687 feet (819 m)
- Baldy Butte, 46°04′56″N 106°09′54″W / 46.08222°N 106.16500°W, el. 3,268 feet (996 m)
- Baldy Butte, 46°14′31″N 105°09′55″W / 46.24194°N 105.16528°W, el. 3,232 feet (985 m)
- Baldy Peak, 46°26′06″N 105°25′52″W / 46.43500°N 105.43111°W, el. 3,232 feet (985 m)
- Big Hill, 46°29′23″N 105°55′05″W / 46.48972°N 105.91806°W, el. 2,700 feet (820 m)
- Big Peak, 46°30′42″N 105°25′08″W / 46.51167°N 105.41889°W, el. 3,153 feet (961 m)
- Blue Mountain, 46°28′20″N 105°24′45″W / 46.47222°N 105.41250°W, el. 3,287 feet (1,002 m)
- Blue Mountains, 46°26′50″N 105°24′47″W / 46.44722°N 105.41306°W, el. 3,035 feet (925 m)
- Bracket Butte, 46°26′55″N 104°57′46″W / 46.44861°N 104.96278°W, el. 3,205 feet (977 m)
- Buck Mountain, 46°27′43″N 105°26′18″W / 46.46194°N 105.43833°W, el. 3,314 feet (1,010 m)
- Camelsback, 46°23′04″N 105°51′25″W / 46.38444°N 105.85694°W, el. 2,490 feet (760 m)
- Carbon Hill, 46°23′50″N 105°49′06″W / 46.39722°N 105.81833°W, el. 2,526 feet (770 m)
- Chalk Butte, 46°50′33″N 106°04′43″W / 46.84250°N 106.07861°W, el. 3,028 feet (923 m)
- Chimney Butte, 45°50′52″N 105°07′34″W / 45.84778°N 105.12611°W, el. 3,300 feet (1,000 m)
- Corral Butte, 46°31′33″N 105°25′51″W / 46.52583°N 105.43083°W, el. 3,018 feet (920 m)
- Dug Long Hill, 46°12′10″N 105°39′13″W / 46.20278°N 105.65361°W, el. 2,661 feet (811 m)
- Government Hill, 46°24′34″N 105°40′04″W / 46.40944°N 105.66778°W, el. 2,982 feet (909 m)
- Gravel Hill (Montana), 46°12′14″N 105°40′17″W / 46.20389°N 105.67139°W, el. 2,713 feet (827 m)
- Green Mountain, 46°29′26″N 105°24′40″W / 46.49056°N 105.41111°W, el. 3,287 feet (1,002 m)
- Harris Buttes, 45°56′57″N 105°34′55″W / 45.94917°N 105.58194°W, el. 3,264 feet (995 m)
- Hayes Point, 45°49′03″N 106°01′34″W / 45.81750°N 106.02611°W, el. 3,766 feet (1,148 m)
- Henry Woods Mountain, 46°23′31″N 105°03′02″W / 46.39194°N 105.05056°W, el. 3,241 feet (988 m)
- Horse Creek Hill, 46°41′41″N 105°58′24″W / 46.69472°N 105.97333°W, el. 3,133 feet (955 m)
- Ingersol Butte, 46°46′35″N 105°41′15″W / 46.77639°N 105.68750°W, el. 2,884 feet (879 m)
- Kirkpatrick Hill, 45°58′01″N 105°40′20″W / 45.96694°N 105.67222°W, el. 3,258 feet (993 m)
- Loaf of Bread Butte, 46°09′52″N 105°29′37″W / 46.16444°N 105.49361°W, el. 2,825 feet (861 m)
- Lookout Butte, 46°25′10″N 106°03′22″W / 46.41944°N 106.05611°W, el. 2,808 feet (856 m)
- Maxwell Butte, 45°54′46″N 105°16′58″W / 45.91278°N 105.28278°W, el. 3,720 feet (1,130 m)
- Montague Butte, 46°24′25″N 105°05′09″W / 46.40694°N 105.08583°W, el. 3,192 feet (973 m)
- Rattlesnake Butte, 46°27′30″N 105°06′07″W / 46.45833°N 105.10194°W, el. 3,189 feet (972 m)
- Red Butte, 46°00′29″N 105°45′00″W / 46.00806°N 105.75000°W, el. 3,189 feet (972 m)
- Red Butte, 45°47′22″N 106°07′45″W / 45.78944°N 106.12917°W, el. 3,678 feet (1,121 m)
- Red Knob, 46°17′18″N 105°07′36″W / 46.28833°N 105.12667°W, el. 3,212 feet (979 m)
- Saddle Horse Butte, 45°59′35″N 105°26′49″W / 45.99306°N 105.44694°W, el. 3,251 feet (991 m)
- Signal Butte, 46°23′22″N 105°45′25″W / 46.38944°N 105.75694°W, el. 3,097 feet (944 m)
- Snake Butte, 45°51′10″N 105°12′30″W / 45.85278°N 105.20833°W, el. 3,399 feet (1,036 m)
- Steamboat Butte, 46°33′17″N 105°45′39″W / 46.55472°N 105.76083°W, el. 2,451 feet (747 m)
- Strawberry Hill, 46°25′22″N 105°40′28″W / 46.42278°N 105.67444°W, el. 3,113 feet (949 m)
- Sundown Butte, location unknown, el. 2,943 feet (897 m)
- Sunrise Peak, 46°27′32″N 105°27′34″W / 46.45889°N 105.45944°W, el. 3,068 feet (935 m)
- Tepee Butte, 46°06′12″N 105°01′24″W / 46.10333°N 105.02333°W, el. 3,008 feet (917 m)
- The Knob, 46°28′21″N 105°33′41″W / 46.47250°N 105.56139°W, el. 3,218 feet (981 m)
- Tower Butte, 46°29′05″N 105°39′25″W / 46.48472°N 105.65694°W, el. 2,838 feet (865 m)
- Twin Buttes, 45°52′21″N 105°10′20″W / 45.87250°N 105.17222°W, el. 3,487 feet (1,063 m)
- Twin Buttes, 46°01′43″N 106°04′22″W / 46.02861°N 106.07278°W, el. 3,025 feet (922 m)
- Twin Buttes, 46°29′22″N 105°06′03″W / 46.48944°N 105.10083°W, el. 3,176 feet (968 m)
- White Knob, 46°16′43″N 105°03′50″W / 46.27861°N 105.06389°W, el. 3,166 feet (965 m)
- Wild Horse Mountain, 45°54′34″N 105°35′57″W / 45.90944°N 105.59917°W, el. 3,419 feet (1,042 m)
See also
