 Although the area around Study Butte is mountainous, the route through much of southern Brewster County is composed of long, straight stretches through arid ranch land as the road slowly climbs in elevation as its distance from the Rio Grande increases.Between Study Butte and Alpine, there are no major intersections, only junctions with unpaved county roads serving ranches and roads into remote residential subdivisions.Beyond a roadside picnic table near Crossen Mesa past the entrance to Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area, the road begins to enter the Davis Mountains.