05 – Pickles Butte Overlook
From Idaho Climbing Guide:
Pickles Butte is the highest point in Canyon County. Consequently, this peak is on a lot of peakbaggers’ lists. There are exceptional views of the Owyhee Mountains from the summit. The butte is located southwest of Nampa on land owned by the county. The county landfill is located on the butte’s North Slopes. A paved road leads to the landfill and a rough 4WD road leads the remaining distance to the summit. Use Google maps for driving directions. USGS Givens Hot Springs
More Information
Coordinates: 43.490480, -116.715877
Elevation: 3061 ft
Difficulty: 2
What to Expect: No info
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A little late to post, but I went a couple of weekends ago with my stepdad. Going up the east side, I had my first dump on the bike ever! Learned a lot about large loose rock on a steep incline and how to and not to approach it. This was our first stop of six challenge spots.
The road next to the shooting range is open. It is a bumpy ride if you go to the edge of the overlook. I think I hit all the rocks. My little stowaway/joyrider did great holding on to my sleeve. Saw one bull snake and a few dirt bikes on the trails. Left on the road next to the dump.
Came in from the dump. Just one hill.
Couple fun little trails to practice off road skills. Decent view from the top
We went through the more difficult entrance and encountered some soft, sandy, and rocky terrain. Some steep hills but otherwise a fun ride to the top. It was very windy for most of our trip today.
Came in from Missouri Ave. A little rocky, but not bad. Nice view, but very windy
Access is from the South side east of the shooting range. This would be hard if it’s muddy but dry I call it a 2. Great view from here.
Dill not sweet….a little soft in spots too.
I entered the OHV park from Missouri Ave, snapped a few pictures from the Butte, and exited on the Dear Flat Rd side.
An easy ride right to the ORV Park, a fun place to ride trails, or explore grass fields. Plenty of hillclimbs to hone those skills.
Had a fun adventure today with Ride-n-hike today! We took a few wrong turns heading to the Butte from the main parking lots (where my kiddos were riding) and ended up on some sandy trails! I took my Scrambler 1200XE on the first adventure on the hardest terrain I’ve taken it on, and managed to keep it up. We regrouped, I switched to my son’s Kawasaki KLX 300, checked some maps again and decided to head out to the main road and entered the trail to the Butte from the Dump entrance. It looks like there are multiple ways to get up there depending on your skill/comfort level.
Trail was a mix of sand, dirt, gravel and lava rock. We took the winding trail to the left of the first Butte and worked our way up to both sides of the Butte. It was very pretty up there!
I’d agree that it was a 2 rating. A few ruts and bumps on the dirt section and some rocks in the pathway but doable.
Will upload some video on my YouTube channel. Exploring Like A Mother since I’m not sure how to add video and picture here!
https://youtu.be/E8-ItYnPV_0
Great ride today with ExploringLikeAMother. We both challenged ourselves on a few spots off the primary route but kept the bikes upright (barely)!
Neat overlook! I definitely recommend approaching from the South road if you’re in the mood for an easier path.
Heard about Pickle Butte for a long time… never been there…..box checked. Interesting OHV park on the north side of it. Good shooting range on the south side of it. What more could a guy want? (I know, I know, don’t answer that!!). The point where the pin is isn’t the highest point, but like chillyphilly said, the highest point has the best view of the dump (ha!).
I can’t say I have ever been to this summit or even knew it existed. The easiest access we found was from the south side next to the shooting range. The access from the landfill (east) side looked a little rougher, but doable.
There are two lookout points which “Y” at the highest part of the butte. The west side is more picturesque, with the north overlooking Lake Lowell and the south the Owyhees. The east overlook towers over the landfill, so if you’re into that type of backdrop, I guess that is the place to go. 🤷♂️