Black Butte

Great hike with stunning views. VERY steep and rocky at times and pretty hairy. Watch where you step :)

amazing hike. so awesome are the views, especially at the top. My brother and i summited it in about 3 hours with dogs and a long stop at the top, but we are experienced hikers. there's a neat structure to chill in and protect you from wind at the peak. loved it, would do it again. beware the top is very rocky and steep, could be slippery when wet, definitely wear good trail shoes.

Don’t Forget Water and Sunscreen on this bad boy! Beautiful views of Mt Shasta!

Good day hike uphill with amazing views along the way! We went in February and it was a little cold on top but we were the only ones on the trail and I cannot say enough about the beautiful views Mount Shasta on one side and the Eddies on the other!

Heed the warnings in other reviews about knowing where the TH is!! If you click “directions” from the AllTrails app, it doesn’t take you all the way to the TH (it takes you to a place to park if you have a low clearance vehicle.) We ended up walking a ways down the wrong road because we didn’t know which one led to the trail. Once we figured out which way to go, we drove our Subaru the rest of the way to the trail. The trail itself is really great: low traffic, dogs on leash allowed, and beautiful views of Shasta (if the clouds aren’t covering the mountain.)

If you want a hike that offers great views with very little foot traffic, this is the one to take! Be sure to get specific directions to the TH if you've not been before... the drive there is not a straightforward shot. This hike is best done in cooler weather as most of the rocky trail beyond the first 1/4 mile is completely exposed. Wear sturdy shoes to help you navigate boulder-size rocky sections the majority of the trail. On a clear day, the views from the top are beautiful!

Great hike, cold due to the hike on the North side but ultimately beautiful!! Amazing views if the Valley, Castle Crags in the distance, Mt. Shasta. It is dirt and lava rock trail.

Super fun hike with amazing views of Mt Shasta and the surrounding region the whole way. Followed the dirt road to where all trails marks the start of the trail- we were in an Audi A3 E-tron and had no problems with clearance, notably no snow or ice on the road at the time. The trail is easy to follow and wraps around the butte with a steady but never steep uphill climb. There are stretches traversing rock fields and boulders so definitely recommend hiking boots and proceeding with caution- not treacherous though.

I used google maps to get to TH and had no problem. It does take a bunch of fire roads and I was glad I had a higher clearance vehicle, there was one sedan at the TH.

Trail is completely uphill one way but very gradual slope (I thought). Very easy to follow path. Ran into about ten parties on the trail. Had my dog and did find the trail difficult to navigate w dog on leash. Temperature was perfect in December

Awesome hike!! Great views of Shasta throughout the hike. We did it in the morning, mid August. Bring water! It gets hot as the sun beams down. Lightly trafficked. Saw about 4 small groups during our hike. The trailhead was difficult to get to. Lower riding cars may have a harder time getting the the start. But so worth it!

Steep climb with rocky parts. Nice views of Mt Shasta and surrounding area.

Great hike with even better views.

grew up here. beautiful places to see.

5/27 We ran the 3 miles of road trail leading up to the trail head because it didn't look Prius friendly. Upon arriving at the trail head we found a variety of sedans with low clearance parked at the trail head. I'd say its doable in a typical car but there is at least one spot I saw a car scrape its bottom but it looked possible to avoid. The trail is everything you would want in a 2.5 mile hike to the top. Only down side is lots of rocks, 98% are stable rocks occasionally one will move but there is at least a mile of hiking on rocks. Views almost the entire way, would recommend as a destination hike.

Giving 1 star less due to the gravel road from A10 to the trailhead. I took a sedan with very low ground clearance and had to juggle the steering wheel between edges.
But the hike offers spectacular view of Mt. Shasta. The rocky patch and wind make the hike interesting in a sense you have to watch your each step. Would surely recommend to anyone wanting a good look of Mt. Shasta.

Get directions from the Ranger Station in Shasta - it's a 20 minute drive from there. Beware of rattlesnakes on the trail

Beautiful views of Shasta! Tough and rocky hike, but well worth it. Full exposure, so be prepared for sun and wind.

Beautiful views of Shasta! Tough and rocky hike, but well worth it. Full exposure, so be prepared for sun and wind.

I know this trail would have been worthwhile, so I'm giving it 4 stars. we tried to hike 5 days ago and it was ice covered in parts, which wasn't a big deal for me until we got to a steep and icy part. I was not equipped with the proper footwear to make it safely across the ice so we stopped and turned back.

Great trail but gets hot in summer.. bring a lot of water

Amazing 360 views!

GO TO SHASTA CITY - trailhead is hard to find otherwise. You can follow GPS directions from there -- otherwise, you will find dead ends from exits more north.

Amazing hike. Only took 57 minutes to make it to the top. The views are amazing. We completed this hike on a cloudy day. Nice to not get beat by the sun and a nice wind to cool you down on the trek. Found the coolest chipmunk at the top that was very friendly and loved dried fruit...

We found and read about this hike based on a reputable hiking book. As others have stated, finding the trailhead proved to to be hit and miss. The guide book stated it was an moderate hike and that dogs were allowed. Note to self: dogs allowed does not necessarily mean it's wise to take your K9 with you up this one. While the views were beautiful, navigating the rocks was very challenging at times. We went yesterday and there r parts of the upper trail where apparent rock slides with large trees blocked the trail in several places making it for an even more precarious and challenging hike. Not sure if this a new occurrence or the norm up there. Just make sure you r aware of what is in store and plan for it to be windy too.

Fun hike, not too many people because it only easy to get to if you've been. Quick hike up and down fun place to just go and hang out and feel really high up. With views for days.

Getting there proved to be a bit of a hit and miss; I started from my hotel in South Week and GPS first sent be to the Truck Village exit and then towards the Black Butte Lookout road. A closed barrier stopped my progress. Return back to I5 and next exit (Abrams Lake); no luck again. Finally got to Mt Shasta City and the Everitt Memorial HIghway. GPS did NOT tell me to turn Left on Black Butte road...so I continue a bit more than a mile where I took a left turn as instructed. Thanks for my Pathfinder, I negotiated the somewhat bumpy forest roads (even after getting stuck for a minute in a ditch)... only to rejoin Black Butte trail road and, from there, a fairly smooth sailing all the way to the trail-head. Since it was early (7:30am) I was first on site and parked right at the trail-head (there are about 4 or 5 spots). Otherwise, you will have to park .5 miles below.

On the trail....Kevin Fliflet got it right: there are many sections on the trail (specially after the first mile) where the trail goes through loose rocks; a combination of sure footing and good ankle support is really welcome. The trail goes 180 degrees around the North side of the butte with a reasonable amount of shade. Then it turns left for another 180 or so. That second section is where you'll enjoy navigating a good amount of lava rocks from fist size to microwave size. The going is a bit less easy of course. The last section -- to the top -- follows a short series of switchbacks on the North-West side. The top start with a rather flat section leading to a 30 foot "spine" ending at the foundation of an old fire lookout. When I got there, the winds were rather fierce and negotiating the spine was a bit less than a "walk in the park".
I gave the trail 5 stars quite unsurprisingly because of the stunning views of Mt Shasta to the East, of Mt Eddy to the West, of Mt McLoughlin on the Northers horizon and the whole Shasta plateau and Shasta Trinity wilderness.

I'm not a big fan of hiking shoes but this is a trail where I would highly recommend them. It's not the most difficult climb but there are a lot of loose rocks that you'll be walking on and the ankle supports would really help. I had to be pretty careful hiking so that I didn't roll an ankle.
I would also recommend starting this hike pretty early because theres not a lot of shade offered, at least during the summer.
At the end of the trail there's the remains of a lookout tower which is kinda cool to climb into, though there are some pesky bugs that are territorial of it.
Finally, make sure you drive a rugged vehicle on your way to the trailhead because it's at the end of a twenty min very bumpy gravel road.