Steamboat Rock hangs dominantly over the campsites of this boat-culture State Park. Clearly people climb up to it's plateau but it isn't what people are here for. It is unusual for us to stay at a formal campground, especially one filled with boaters. It was entertaining to watch the teenagers filling their time zipping around on skateboards or whatnot.
We walked to the trailhead from our campsite which was a real treat. Immediately the wildflowers and dense sagebrush gave us olfactory overload. The occasional blooming purple sage is my favorite. The route ascends through a steep break in the eastern wall of the rampart. It has been augmented but is still quite loose and gravely. A pair of treking poles will be helpful for many. We chose to loop counterclockwise around the relatively flat rocky top. Fantastic views of Banks Lake and the Greater Grand Coulee are fantastic. Closer at hand were dozens of different wildflowers to entertain us. The trail follows the edge of the rock, quite closely at times, allowing for precipitous views to the lake 700' below.
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