Steamboat Rock is a steep climb on loose talis type rock.  We made the trek up with three 10 year olds  and four dogs.  All made it up and back down easily on very visible trails.  A word of advice is to start early before it becomes to hot and take lots of water.

Steamboat Rock is a steep climb on loose talis type rock.  We made the trek up with three 10 year olds  and four dogs.  All made it up and back down easily on very visible trails.  A word of advice is to start early before it becomes to hot and take lots of water.

I'd say this hike is a great bang for your buck, in terms of effort to view ratio. And it's especially convenient if you're already visiting the nearby campground.

Heads up, the loose rocks on the way up are a bit slippery, and worth taking your time. There can also be a fair bit of sunshine with little to no cover - don't forget your sun screen!

Once you finish the ascent, you get really beautiful views of Banks Lake below, from every angle you can imagine. You can walk the loop around the grassy butte for a fair while, taking it in.

There wasn't much in the way of flowers, except that we did spot some pretty sagebrush mariposa lilies on the trail.

There are some steep parts covered with small rocks be extra careful on those parts.

The trail wasn't busy today.  A handful of people here, and there, but everyone was pretty spread out.  The scree was no joke.  Neither was the pseudo-scramble after the scree.  Going up was easier than coming down, but go down slow, use good judgment, and use poles if you have them.  I slid on my butt once to avoid a huge step down.  

There were three real major steep inclines.  First was the scree after a quarter of a mile from the parking lot, then the about another quarter mile after the scree and scramble, and then the last major uphill is going to the very top to the flat part of the butte.  

The very top was nice and flat, and there's an amazing view after about a third of a mile.  It doesn't feel like you're on top of a butte since it's wide and flat.

No rattlesnakes today.  It was only in the seventies with partial cloud coverage, so it might a little cold for them to come out.  Saw a ground hog at the top, a couple of marmots, and a cute doe.