Black Butte is the highest peak in Montana’s Gravelly Range, rising 10,547 feet in Madison County. Its eastern base stands less than a mile from Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Road 290, also called Gravelly Range Road. Geologically, the mountain is the remnant of a former volcanic cone. Owing to its elevation, it is probably Montana’s third-highest volcanic peak, ranking after the laccoliths Lone Mountain and Koch Peak. Black Butte is significant both as the dominant summit of its range and as a prominent volcanic landform in the state.