Steamboat Rock — Saturday, May. 11, 2013

Central Washington > Grand Coulee

The main event for our family's weekend trip to the Grand Coulee area was a hike up Steamboat Rock. The kids were excited to climb "a mountain." I couldn't bear to tell them it was actually a mesa. It was in the upper 80s with little breeze and absolutely no shade, but everyone was determined to hike to the top. We started our trek at the parking lot near the boat ramp, but there are routes that also come up from the campground that meet at the base of the climb. The trail we took was sandy, but the balsamroot and lupine were lovely here. At the base of the Rock, there is a picnic table (and a bit further off, a better picnic table under a tree). The ascent from here is short, but steep and treacherous. The rocks underfoot get smaller and smaller until you are climbing on little pebbles that slide under your feet. There is little to hold on to. Our 7 year old had little trouble going up, but slid some going down. The 4 year needed some assistance going up, and held our hand or slid on her behind going down. I consider it a miracle that we didn't need to break out the first aid kit. If I were to rate this for age appropriateness, I'd say 6 or 7 and up. Nevertheless, we all made it through the notch. We turned left at the junction and headed south for our summit. The views are amazing from up here - the campground, Banks Lake all around and even a peek at the snowy-topped Cascades. We wandered about this flank of Steamboat Rock for awhile, admiring the bitterroot blooms and other flowers, then descended into a little pocket where we found the one tree to have lunch. I would've liked to explore the northern reaches of Steamboat Rock, but the temperatures were climbing into the 90s and the kids were beat. Instead of the sandy trail back to the boating area, we took the trail to the campground where we found some sprinklers to cool off. The kids were super proud of their accomplishments, and it was well worth the effort.