Car camping a night at Steamboat allowed me to get up at sunrise and do a short loop hike before getting on the road to Lake Lenore Caves and home.

The park roads were in good shape and I parked/camped at the Bay Loop which had a trailhead right across the road from my spot.  I was still making coffee when the butte itself lit up with the morning sun but I was not in a hurry since there was no one there but me.  Maybe it was the low twenty temps?

Starting out about 7:45am, the trail was lightly snow covered and compact, my trail runners did fine.  It was about .4 miles to where the trail takes up into the scree between the two pillars of the butte. This is where hands were helpful and although there was ice, there was enough exposed rock to get traction.  It appeared as though there was a section of the trail where the scree or a switchback had been eroded making for more of a scramble than I imagined was normally there.

Once up on the lower section of the butte, I took a right to head up to the top of the butte.  The views down to the park and Banks Lake were desolate and moody.  There was a bit of of wind and I added a neck gaiter and gloves.

At the top, I followed the trail around the east side that had just a few sets of prints.  The snow was not deep, the terrain was littered with winter stubble and rock poking through. I could see well into the white caps of the Colville National Forest.

At 1.75 miles and the northern point of the butte, I took the path back that went through the middle of the butte rather than the western side making for the shorter loop.  There was no human traffic here, just the prints of deer and rabbit.

I did opt to put spikes on for the decent through the rock between the pillars, wouldn't want to slip on a icy patch with them nesting quietly in my pack.

The whole loop came to about 3.3 miles.

I spent the weekend in a cabin at Steamboat Rock State Park. There were a couple of campers and all 3 cabins were full. It was great! I’ve done this as a day trip and I can tell you, it’s way better when you don’t have to sit in the car for 4 hours before and after the hike.

Blue sky and sunshine! No snow on the ground. It was in the 20s at night so the ground was frozen.  Very little mud.  We saw eagles by the lake and a couple of dozen deer up on top. 
We started by looping the north end of the plateau, then up the steep trail to check out the south end. Made it back to camp for sunset by the lake. 

Climbed the 600 feet up to the top of Steamboat Rock. Oddly the trailhead is not well marked at the bottom, but just note that several trails take off from the road and parking areas at Steamboat Rock State Park, and all meet up as they approach the cliffs so as long as you are on a trail heading towards the cliffs you should be ok.

After traversing a rocky ramp, the climb up goes up through a little gully including some loose rock. Took just a little hand over hand but not scary. Small kids might need a boost on one of the steeper steps. It's a little harder on the way down, mainly because some of the rocks are a little loose and footing a bit precarious; I liked having poles for that. 

The rolling grassy top is super-cool and only takes maybe 45 minutes or so from the parking lot. We ended up pretty close to a herd of deer, which was neat. It was a little windy but not too bad. No snow. So much wandering is possible up there, next time we will ramble further but clouds and darkness were coming. Great views and wonderful light. A very unique place. 

What a beautiful day it was to visit this majestic area with grand views. Clear skies. Gorgeous breath taking views. I walked around the mesa counter clock wise, and enjoyed every moment. With not a single soul in sight. There is some snow up on the top, but the trail itself is snow free. The ascend and descend from the mesa is steep and rocky, and I used my trekking poles for stability. Parking lot is empty, toilets open, some construction going on the campgrounds. can't attach images for some reason, keep getting an error..

Always a favorite. Hiked for golden hour (the whole sky lights up) but missed it this year. Stayed to see the stars and ran past a few rattlesnakes on the way down. Definitely watch your surroundings if you’re out at night!