Summary 
| Difficulty | 2 Beginner-intermediate |
| Length | 2.6 miles round trip |
| Starting Elevation |
8050 feet |
| Cumulative Elevation Change |
+150, -150 round trip |
| Navigation | Marked trail and map |
| Time | Few hours |
| Season | Late November through April |
| Snowmobiles Use | Not permitted [Please report illegal use of snowmobiles in this area.] |
| USGS Topo | 7.5' series, June Lake |
| Start | Highway 395 at Obsidian Dome Road, 3.8 miles south of June Lake Junction (June Lake Loop South Entrance) and 11.7 miles north of Mammoth Junction (junction of Highways 395 and 203). |
Description
The tour to the base of Wilson Butte is very easy with near zero elevation change. The terrain is a mixture of open flats and Jeffrey pine forest. The most difficult aspect of the tour is following the marked trail because it is only groomed irregularly by the U.S. Forest Service and the markers may be sparsely spaced. The trail can also disappear when the wind blows across the flats.
But the butte is so distinctive in that is rises 500 feet from flat terrain, that you can pretty much pick your own route northwest to it and return to Obsidian Dome Road by skiing southeast.
Mileage Log
Numbers in parentheses
correspond to mileage points on map
Waypoint 1 to 2
Miles: 0.0 - 0.2
Elevation change: +0
From the trailhead (1), ski southwest on Obsidian Dome Road for 0.2 miles until you reach the first of two marked trails heading northwest (2).
Waypoint 2 to 3
Miles: 0.2 - 1.2
Elevation change: +150
Follow the marked trail to the northwest for 0.7 miles to the base of Wilson Butte and then more westerly for 0.3 miles until you reach the point where the two marked trails from Obsidian Dome Road intersect (3). This point is to the southwest of Wilson Butte and to the south of the very broad saddle that is west of Wilson Butte.
Waypoint 3 to 4
Miles: 1.2 - 2.3
Elevation change: -150
Locate the west-most of the two marked trails and follow it south and then southeast for a total of 1.1 miles until you reach Obsidian Dome Road (4).
Waypoint 4 to 1
Miles: 2.3 - 2.6
Elevation change: +0
Turn northeast (left) onto Obsidian Dome Road and follow it northeast for 0.3 mile until you reach the trailhead (1).
