Pelican Butte is a steep-sided shield volcano in the southern Oregon Cascades, rising 8,037 feet and standing apart from the main range along faults on its eastern edge. Unusually large for this kind of volcano in the region, it covers about 4.8 cubic miles and is the most prominent shield volcano in the southern Oregon Cascades. Formed within the Mount McLoughlin Reach vent zone, it erupted sometime within the last 700,000 years, likely before the last major glaciation. Glaciers later carved its northeastern flank, but its shape remains well preserved. The mountain also holds a long human history, from Native use for hunting and huckleberry gathering to later settler uses and a summit fire lookout.