Steamboat Rock — Friday, May. 17, 2019

I was camping at Steamboat Rock State Park and started this hike about 3:30. The first part of the trail takes you from the road to the base of the butte pretty quickly and kind of steeply. When you get to the butte, you must climb up a rock scree. If you’re hiking in a group, leave space between yourselves or you will kick rocks into each other. I let my pup go first for this reason. I did not see the rattlesnake that others reported. I hope that means we were loud enough that it slithered away. The trail is pretty rocky and sometimes loose until you reach the top, so watch your step and wear solid shoes or boots. We passed one couple on the way up, but we’re completely alone for the rest of the hike. You are instantly rewarded with views at the top. And the wildflowers are out in force! We took the right (eastern) side of the loop along the ledge and it was in great condition. There is lots of tall grass, so I was thinking about ticks the whole time, but neither of us got any.

We reached the furthest point of the loop and it looks like others have gone beyond this point. I didn’t go further because I wasn’t sure it was an established trail and because I saw rain clouds gathering in the distance. We took the western side of the loop back. It is not as well-travelled, so sometimes it was difficult to see. The wildflowers are even more plentiful on this side. As we descended, we spotted five deer up on the ridge watching us make our way back down.

It was a great hike! I was pleased to see a lack of trash and trail braiding, which can happen a lot on popular trails.