# Merrimac Butte

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**Merrimac Butte**[2] is a 5,627-foot (1,715-metre) sandstone summit located in [Grand County](/source/Grand_County,_Utah), [Utah](/source/Utah), [United States](/source/United_States), about 12 miles northwest of the town of [Moab](/source/Moab,_Utah). Merrimac Butte is a thin, 200–600-foot-wide and 1,600-foot-long east-to-west [butte](/source/Butte) with 200-foot-tall vertical [Entrada Sandstone](/source/Entrada_Sandstone) walls overlaying a [Carmel Formation](/source/Carmel_Formation) base.

Monitor Butte is situated immediately east of Merrimac Butte. The two buttes were named after the *[Monitor](/source/USS_Monitor)* and *[Merrimack](/source/USS_Merrimack_(1855))*, two ironclad steamships known for clashing during the American Civil War. They can be seen from [Highway 313](/source/Utah_State_Route_313) after it climbs out of Sevenmile Canyon en route to the Island in the Sky section of [Canyonlands National Park](/source/Canyonlands_National_Park) or [Dead Horse Point State Park](/source/Dead_Horse_Point_State_Park).

## Climbing Routes

Climbing Routes on Merrimac Butte[3]

- *Ascent Into the Maelstrom* - - 3 pitches
- *Hypercrack on the Anchor Chain* - - 2 pitches
- *Hypothetical Route* - - 1 pitch
- *Keel Hauling* - - 3 pitches
- *Merrimac Butte, The Albatross* - - 2 pitches
- *Without A Net* - - 3 pitches

The [first ascent](/source/First_ascent) was made September 22, 1985, by Jimmy Dunn, John Bouchard, [Eric Bjornstad](/source/Eric_Bjornstad), and Lin Ottinger via "Hypercrack on the Anchor Chain."[4][5]

"Without a Net" is the least difficult climb on Merrimac Butte and the first ascent of this route was made in April 1991 by Charlie Fowler and Sue Wint.[6]

## Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to see Merrimac and Monitor Buttes, when highs average 60 to 80 °F and lows average 30 to 50 °F. Summer temperatures often exceed 100 °F. Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 °F, and lows averaging 0 to 20 °F. As part of a high desert region, it can experience wide daily temperature fluctuations. The area receives an average of less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain annually.

## See also

- [List of mountains in Utah](/source/List_of_mountains_in_Utah)

## References

1. ["Merrimac Butte"](https://listsofjohn.com/peak/23390) Lists of John

1. 1435932. Retrieved 2019-03-06.

1. [Monitor and Merrimac Buttes Rock Climbing](https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105716982/monitor-and-merrimac-buttes) Mountain Project

1. [First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com](https://www.deserttowersbook.com/first-ascent-timeline)

1. [North America, United States, Utah, Merrimac Butte, The Hyper Crack on the Anchor Chain, American Alpine Journal, 1986](http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198616500/North-America-United-States-Utah-Merrimac-Butte-The-Hyper-Crack-on-the-Anchor-Chain)

1. Selected Climbs in the Desert Southwest: Colorado and Utah, author: Cameron Burns, publisher: The Mountaineers, First Edition 1999, page 125.

## External links

- Merrimac and Monitor buttes from Hwy 313: [PBase photo](https://pbase.com/listorama/image/76765417)
- Weather forecast: [Merrimac Butte](https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-table/2-5543016/United%20States/Utah/Grand/Merrimac%20Butte)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Merrimac Butte](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrimac_Butte) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrimac_Butte?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.